Ford F-15A CMP truck- brake line- chassis front
 

Good Day,

In the course of stripping down a recently acquired parts truck I noticed this chassis brake line leading to the front axle hose.

What caught my attention, besides the fact that it was still there, was that it wasn't the usual badly bent up bit of tubing and it was clipped to the chassis with a type of clip and bolt I have seen used on other parts of Ford CMP's. It also seemed very well made; neat smooth bends, and good alignment. That is not the usual thing you find on a hydraulic line that has been replaced in the bush.

The joiner has me concerned however. I would have thought the original was one piece. I was able to bend up a front brake line and get it through the chassis in one piece. I could see however two pieces would make it a lot easier. I used a joiner on the rear chassis brake line however. Another example I saw used one there and I found it impossible to make the rear brake line in one piece and get it through the various holes in the chassis.

So the question is: have I got a good original brake line for a pattern or just a well made replacement?

Cheers,

The joiner is factory original, it's mentioned in the Parts list, as too are the securing clips to hold the pipe to the chassis. It may well be that you have an original brake line.

Ford CMP truck- front chassis brake line
 

Hi Tony,

Thanks for that information. Yes, I now see those parts in the list. The connector is not very close to the listing for the tubing so I missed it. I relied too much on the diagram where no connector is shown.

Will remove the lines at the master cylinder when the weather permits. I see a bolt buried under a lot of grease on the bottom of the transmission crossmember so I would assume there is a brake line clip there Part No. 2081 shown on diagram but not in the list!

I know the rear chassis line past the connector and some of the diff lines are not original by the green copper patina. A real no no.

It Just shows, however, even a basket case truck can yield some good information

Cheers,

F15-A Front chassis brake line
 

Reading some of my old posts I thought I would post a follow up photo of the finished front chassis brake line on my F15-A which I made up a few weeks ago.

Also shown in the photo is the first one piece line which I made when I had nothing to go by.

I am fairly certain I had an original for a pattern and it is a better design than my first one in any case. Two piece is correct and easier to install. The large radius bend keeps it well away from the exhaust manifold whereas mine didn't. I removed one slight bend at the cab mounting bracket that was on my sample when I made the new one. I don't think that was originally bent there as it put the brake line closer to the manifold. By leaving it straight it kept the line well tucked up inside the chassis rail.

The rear section of this brake line to the master cylinder was in poor shape and clipped down with what looked like a non-original domestic electrical clip to the transmission crossmember. A diagram from the Australian "Drivers Handbook for Ford" shows no clip at that location and the brake lines spaced well above the bottom of that crossmember. Parts list however shows a clip there. I think mine was originally like the diagram so will make that section the same. If there is too much movement in the line I will just add a large grommet to the line where it passes through the crossmember to steady it up.

Cheers,