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Had to stop at a NAPA in rural Montana to fix a brake line on my F-150
I was driving through Montana last summer and the brake pedal went soft near a tiny town called White Sulphur Springs. Pulled into a NAPA and the old guy working there showed me how to double flare a line with just a cheap clamp tool and a file, no fancy kit needed. Has anyone else found a solid trick for doing brake flares on the side of the road without all the high-end tools?
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henderson.wesley9d ago
Did the old timer have any trick for getting the double flare to seal right on the first try with just hand tools? I've tried that method before but always ended up with a leaky connection and had to redo it. Did he use some kind of lube or a specific way to hold the tubing steady?
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david379d ago
...and the real trick nobody talks about is using the tubing itself as a makeshift clamp. That old timer showed me how to thread the nut on first, then use a V-shaped notch in a rock or even a split in a fencepost to hold the tubing steady while you hammer the flare. I had a chunk of scrap 2x4 in the truck bed, so he carved a little groove with his pocket knife and wedged the tubing in there. No lube needed, just a slow, steady squeeze with the clamp tool and a couple light taps with a file to seat it. Kept the tubing from spinning or slipping out, which was always my problem before. You try that kind of field fix when you're out in the middle of nowhere?
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