[VAC] Re: Use Of Hydraulic-Electric Brake Controller in a Late Model Dodge Ram

[Dr. Gerald N. Johnson, electrical engineer]

There are TWO Ts on the truck. Those should be available as replacement
parts, probably not stocked but needed to correct cross threaded
assemblies and repairs. One is located on the rear axle where the
flexible hose hits the axle to be split to the two wheels. The other is
somewhere on the front frame to split the line to the two front wheels.
Probably has the same threads as the master cylinder. Probably is female
threads on all three ports so needs a short union or a piece of
preflared pipe to go from the T to the master cylinder.

I have a catalog from Keystone Automotive Operations Inc that came
through a local truck store but it has 1000+ pages of parts for dress up
and hot rodding cars and trucks. It shows companies like Earl's
Performance Products and Goodridge and Aeroquip (old time aircraft parts
maker) make custom stainless steel braided (over rubber or teflon) brake
lines. Those makers may have the parts to make a hose to fit the master
cylinder and a corner parts store T and then an adapter hose to go
between that T and the original line. One of them shows a 10mm metric
line with male on one end and female on the other. Available in lengths
starting at 10 or 12".

Starting with the T from the back axle, one might find a bolt to fit the
thread (though 10mm x 1 mm is not in my McMaster-Carr catalog as a
metric bolt, there is that size and pitch as a nut), drill it end to
end, and cut off the head to make a hollow stud to fit the T to the
master cylinder. It might be easier to find a metric collection in a
dealership (like VW or Hyundi or Saab or Honda) that believes in long
distances from maker to dealer and in being 100% metric. Virtually every
vehicle with hydraulic brakes has to have TWO T fittings, one for each
end, and several brake line runs of various lengths, some flexible, some
rigid steel. Its often more profitable to use a standard size available
from multiple vendors than to use custom parts made in the vehicle
factory.

The brake parts for my old F-350 were easy to find, mostly on the shelf
at NAPA or Ford. I've replaced all the flex hoses (four of them), and
rebuilt all the brake cylinders, and replaced about half the steel lines
so far, and the master cylinder twice. They were all fractional though
not always the size predicted by the parts books.

Gerald J.



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