Mal, this is a mess, the lug nuts are not correct for these wheels. Of course I just walked to the shelf and picked up a set of nuts that are correct. Well almost threads wrong. I'm not sure about changing out the lugs as the drive flange bores may be wrong also.

Steve (CTR)

Good luck on the lug nuts Steve i have heard they have used about three different sizes on Chokes. You are better off buying Mini 3/8" studs and lug nuts to match.

If you broke one after the tee, which tee? early cars have a tee on the fire wall. Later cars with a bias valve on the fire wall have a tee in the rear. I think the key is finding out what you have and match the tubes to it. If you can back the tube nut out and the threads go all the way to the end it's most likely a reverse flare it the threads stop about 1/8 inch fro the flared ens it's a bubble flare ( I'm not sure how the metric stuff is but should know by the end of the day. I'll be replumbing the Chinese Moke today. Like the lug nuts I was looking at yesterday I fear metric will be involved.

Steve (CTR)

PS IB65 I believe I got the copper seals from the local Aeroquip supplier.

The piece I observed in the short section of broken tubing that was sticking out of my Lockheed booster may have been the copper seal you describe.  It is definitely a purpose-built piece, not a ferrule for some plumbing application!  Interestingly, the copper part would seal against the nut side while the tubing bubble flare would seal into the booster cup.  Looking down into the booster threaded holes for the brake line fittings, they definitely matched the DIN flare (ISO/bubble) port pictured in the Fedhillusa link above, not the SAE inverted double flare port.  My Lockheed master cylinder ports are the same - with the ISO/ bubble seat in the bottom, not the volcano inverted double flare seat.  This leads me to question if the Australian cars may have used different brake tubing flares and ports in their boosters and master cylinders (bubble) from their UK counterparts who have double flares.  Either that, or someone got tired of trying to source the correct double flared tubing and drilled out the ports to create a 118 degree drill tip angle which a bubble flare would seal nicely into.

As I said, the standard bubble flare off the shelf brake lines and fittings from NAPA looked the same (less the copper seal) as the original fittings coming out of the booster, and created a leak-free seal in both the booster and master cylinder without excess tightening.

 

Broke a hard line right after the tee

Kerr, I have always driven into a corner way deep and brake very late if at all. When I go for the brake it's way to late to worry weather they will be there or not. There is such a thing as a copper seal that is used with high preasure 37.5 double flares. I bought a bag of them years ago and have used a couple on joints that did not want to seal.

I use my Blue Point/ Snap On brake tool and as suggested skip the last step. I show just a little more tube length starting and form a bubble. I agree the tube nuts are $2 or less, once you have a bag of US nuts and are at the lathe it's not bad but I have not done that since sourcing correct ones. I'll be making lines today with metric on one end and SAE on the other. A little knowledge and the right tools go a long way.

Steve (CTR)

I agree with CooperTune.

But, I do need to say that there were two very crazy things stated earlier in this thread, by other folks, that MUST be addressed as well.

- NO, a bubble flare is not a brass ferule. That would be quite unsafe (the kind of pressure being sealed against, and the mating components creating the seal are different). A bubble flare is a double flare with the third step skipped. It didn't start out that way, technically, but the dimensions of the result are the same, so that is how you make them with a flaring tool.

- There is no such thing as a "single flare" in braking systems. That is, such a thing can be done but it would also be unsafe.

- as Cup Cake pointed out, the end fittings are not the same, between US and British Girling brake lines. The proper fittings are so cheap that it would be hard to justify putting US ones in a lathe, instead of simply buying the correct ones.

At the risk of posting a vendor on our hosts's web site, I feel that this one has such an excellent technical section, and FAQ, and sells some components that our host does not carry, that I will post it here anyway: //store.fedhillusa.com/technicalhelphowtopdfs.aspx

Norm "fussy about brake safety" Kerr

PS: in answer to your original question, the tubing is the same, but the end fittings and flares is not. If you bring your old one to your auto parts shop, though, you may be able to find a match, but be careful about the details (each end flare type, and the unthreaded portion on the end of the "nut")

OK, was the broken rear a hose or a hard pipe? If you are messing around back there replace the hoses for sure. The rear has four hard pipes if you don't count the front to rear. The inner ones go from the bias valve to the hose. I believe from memory the bias valve end is bubble with male tube nut and the hose end is reverse flare with female tube nut. The swing are hard pipes are reverse flare with female tube nut to hose and bubble with male tube nut to wheel cyl. The funny thing is I think the front to rear where it meets the bias valve is reverse flare with male tube nut. Just look before you leap.

Steve (CTR) 

The car is a 63 850 from NZ but has S brakes at the wheels, no servo single circuit. I didn't do the mods but I think the steel lines are original. One of the rear lines popped. I'm thinking maybe I should replace all the lines even though its a very rust free car.

We don't know what year mini you have and what style brake system it has. I feel brakes are not an area for guess work. I have only been working on them since 1968 and I still find surprises in the brake systems. Most early cars use a British bubble flare and the matching tube nut. You can buy domestic tube and cut the ends off and reflare do not ues the nuts supplied. As mentioned you can set the up in a lathe and machine a few threads off but only the longer ones work well this way. Now that I think about it even the early cars have some lengths of tube with bubble on one end and double reverse flare on the other. Other cars have some metric and some bubble and the other as well. I make all my hard pipe and keep the new male and female tube nuts to do it with. Study it a little and do it right once.

Steve (CTR)

The end required for a female fitting in contrast to the single flare for a male fitting.

Bubble flare? Is the brass piece like a ferrule on a compression fitting?

not sure where you are, but have a look locally for a brake line place. I have classic tube near me. (classictube.com).. they sold me the proper lines in any metal I wanted. I chose Stainless, along with the correct fittings. I took the tubing, and fittings home, cut them to length, and took them back for the flares. I gave them the end of the old pipe, and they made the ends for $1/flare.

I was lucky though, they are about a mile from my work.

The brake booster I just rebuilt and installed had the fittings and short cut-off pieces of brake tubing in them, and they were a bubble flare - but had a brass piece before the bubble on the end of the tubing.  Otherwise, looked just like what NAPA has.  The lines that came out of my master cylinder were double flared lines.  

I used NAPAs bubble flared lines and they sealed up both in the lockheed brake booster and master cylinder.  No leaks.  

Maybe I just tightened them enough so that they deformed into the female cup of the booster/ master cylinder??  Anyhow, I didn't have an issue.

Also, none of the local brake specialists have the ability to do double flares/ bubble flares.

gotta buy the right stuff, or get a double flare tool, save your

ends and use generic line with your male/female ends.  Proper

flare tool isn't cheap. might be just as well to order oem lines from

out host.

 

 

The threads are the same. BUT you'll find on NA brake lines the threads go all the way to the ends of the male threaded fittings and a proper seal will not be made. You could probably grind off 2 or 3 threads to make them work but I've not tried it and messing around at the end which makes the seal might not be a good idea. I would be inclined to give it a try. If it leaks you know it didn't work.

Are the steel brake lines replaceable with genereric lines from the local parts house or are they mini specific? Thanks