i just rolled into my apt complex, and the softest touch of my foot about to park, and that line went boom. i thought i flattened my tire. then i went to hit the brake again, and the pedal hit the floor. looked down and my line is wide open right where it meets the drum assembly. anyone know what the repair is going to be like? can i just replace that small section of rubber line? i hope? maybe some new fittings

The fittings are integral to the line. A new line will have new fittings.

A new line will take care of it, but you really should replace the other side and the one to the rear end while you're at it. If one is old enough to blow, the other ones might take a crap when you least expect it. Also: If the pedal really went all the way to the floor, your rear brakes might not be working at all. The brakes can feel and work pretty good even with the rear circuit out of commission, but once the front brakes go out you won't have any brakes at all. Happened to me, and it's no fun at all. I would definitely check the whole system.

Also: If the pedal really went all the way to the floor, your rear brakes might not be working at all.

Actually, sounds like he has an early car with 4 wheel drums and a single master cylinder, with junction block. I remember those days. And I've blown a brake hose too. Luckily it was just after coming down the hill in rush hour traffic, on the exit. Made for the median where the road split, dodged a few sprinkler heads, and got it stopped. Clamped a vise grip on the hose, bled the brakes, and limped it to work. It pays to carry some fluids and tools. :yes:

I bought a set of new rubber brake hoses for my '70 at Car Quest for ~$18/hose to replace the incorrect ones that a restoration vendor sold me for a lot more. Make sure you get all the brake fluid off any painted surface!

Dave

thanks guys. got the line at napa 12 bucks. went in with some hassle(thanks wd40 for limiting that). the bleeder screw being in a horrid spot, i was only able to bleed the driver front. tomorrow i'm going to get a bleeder wrench. does anyone know the correct sequence? bleeding the driver front didn't seem to have much affect on the available brakes.. hoping the correct bleed corrects that.

Actually, sounds like he has an early car with 4 wheel drums and a single master cylinder, with junction block.

Hey, didn't even think about that! That would make it even more important to check everything, if a line blows in a single-circuit system, you won't have any brakes at all.

Hey, didn't even think about that! That would make it even more important to check everything, if a line blows in a single-circuit system, you won't have any brakes at all.

That's why a front disc brake conversion with a dual master cylinder should be the first item on anybody's project list with an older car. :thumbsup:

thanks guys. got the line at napa 12 bucks. went in with some hassle(thanks wd40 for limiting that). the bleeder screw being in a horrid spot, i was only able to bleed the driver front. tomorrow i'm going to get a bleeder wrench. does anyone know the correct sequence? bleeding the driver front didn't seem to have much affect on the available brakes.. hoping the correct bleed corrects that.

You should always bleed first the wheel furthest from the master cylinder. The order would be: pass rear, drv rear, pass front, drv front.

Keep in mind that it will take some time and many repetitions to bleed the passenger side rear. Once it is bled, the drivers rear shouldn't take too long since you've already bled the long front to rear line and are now only bleeding the rear hose to wheel line. It should be downhill from there. Make sure to bleed the master first if you lost a lot of fluid and it ran dry at some point.

The parking brake is also called an emergency brake for a reason, you should be able to use the emergency brake if the regular brake system fails. Even with a catostrophic failure, pumping can help slow the car down some, at least until the fluid is gone! The emergency brakes should always be there though they only work on the backs so won't exactly stop you in a hurry.

A more modern dual circuit system isn't exactly foolproof either. Most such systems have a balance valve of some sort. If one half of the system fails, this balance valve tries to send fluid down the path of least resistance (the side that failed) so the braking power of the remaining circuit is reduced. Pumping the brakes usually works in these cases. Still, a dual circuit system with a failure is still better than a single circuit system with a failure! The best thing is to not have a system failure in the first place through proper maintenence.