Brake Lines

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Tryin

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I had my annual vehicle inspection this week and my truck flunked with flying colors.

The brake lines at the master cylinder were an issue. I did some parts searching and It appears as if the brake lines come as a kit that includes all of the lines. I have a few questions.

First, how do I determine if I have 4 wheel ABS? The build sheet didn't indicate the ABS system.

Second, can I get individual preformed lines that are not a part of a kit? If so where?

Lastly, there is a surplus store that sells brake line that need to be bent. They have the fittings and flares but are straight lines. Would it be worth it to get the straight lines and do a little work at a fractions it the cost?


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dudeman2009

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Figuring out if you have 4wheel ABS is easy, the rest, not so much. I personally bend all my own lines, but I have all the tools to do so. You will gamble if you just grab the line with your hands and bend it, there is a possibility that it can kink, in which case, that part of the line is no longer useable. Some guys like to make the shallow bends by hand and just use 45/90* fittings when making turns, it works alright, but there will be a lot of connections to flare and make.

For the ABS, there are multiple ways to figure that out. The easiest is to take it to a dirt road and slam on the brakes from about 30mph. You will want to kind of hang out the window or have someone else watch to see if they lockup, it will be fairly clear if they do or not.

Otherwise, there are a few places under the hood to look. First would be on the inner side of the hub assembly. If there is a small wire or two coming out, you have front ABS. Another place to look is on the top of the fender well, it should be a grey connector with two wires. If it has wires coming out both sides, its 4wheel ABS, if it just terminates there, you have 2wheel ABS.

Another option is to look at the Brake module itself, You would be looking at the ABS pump and determining if it connects to just the rear brake lines, or also the front.
 
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Tryin

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Thanks d'man. I think I'll bend em myself. Do you usually give your lines a coat of paint for corrosion prevention?


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dudeman2009

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Arizona
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2001 1500 Sport with enough electrical modifications to make my brain hurt
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Magnum 360
Thanks d'man. I think I'll bend em myself. Do you usually give your lines a coat of paint for corrosion prevention?


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No, paint flakes off in my experience. Some people do, but its mostly for looks.
 
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