So the weather's decent today and I found myself under the '66 Chevy II putting on some hard brake lines to the rear wheel cylinders. No matter how I tried, I could not get the fittings started with my fingers. The only thing that worked was pushing on the back of the fitting as hard as I could while I turned the blasted thing with a wrench. Normally, I would call that an invitation to cross-threading, but thankfully, once I got them started, they all screwed in tight with little resistance until they snugged up.
It seems that every time I touch this car, I end up cussing it. Even the most basic parts made especially for this model don't fit without modification or at least a healthy dose of frustration. I can't believe how much easier it is working on modern Japanese stuff like my 23-year old RX-7!
Like it or not, thread pitch cutting and size has gotten sloppy on some products over the years. Sure you weren't trying to use metric-threaded tubing? It can happen.
triumph5 wrote:
Like it or not, thread pitch cutting and size has gotten sloppy on some products over the years. Sure you weren't trying to use metric-threaded tubing? It can happen.
Nope. Tubing came pre-bent from a vintage Chevy specialist. The parts store wheel cylinders probably were made in China, though. Still supposed to fit the stock application.
I know there are a couple of ways to cut threads. Could be you ran into a slight incompatible problem that required a bit of muscle to get the tubing fitting started. Which would make me want to look for any metal filings when bleeding the brakes.
At least you're not trying to deal with vintage English threads and hardware. Talk about "I hope this fits"....
That's something that most wrenchers forget about the "Glory days" of big american iron....replacement parts rarely bolt right on, and "aftermarket" stuff is even worse. At least with the newer stuff, tolerances and fit is much improved, even if it's a b*tch to get to the part on the car. I had a 70 Impala that took 2 days to change motor mounts on. rediculous.
General advise to all: Dry fit / bench test beforehand... if there is a burr or some other unseen issue, you can avoid contamination much more easily...
Ditto to that, plus coating the tubing nut threads and more importantly the tubing surface inside the nut w/ anti-seize will ease removal in years to come.
