New brake lines

I spent a lot of the day underneath the truck, installing new brake lines to the rear brakes. I could have bought a set for the entire truck for about $150 plus shipping, but I wanted to try making the lines myself to save a little cash.

I still need to buy and install the rear brake hose. Once that is done, I'll find if my efforts were worth the trouble. If it leaks when I add the fluid, I might still be ordering a complete set of lines. I bought the lines for about $30 and the double flaring tool and bender for about $15.

One of the lines had metric fittings installed on it, so I ended up back at the parts store this evening, buying another line, and spending another $5. Then it was just a matter of remaking the line to match the first one.

Of course, this line was the line with the most complex curves on it, the line along the rear axle that serves the driver's side brake. In the end, the first line looked a lot better than the second. But the second actually connects to the rest of the system and should work.

This morning I thought I had defeated the oil pan leak. But I didn't. When I was finishing up the brake lines, I saw a nice spot of oil under the truck. I was going to address the rear oil transmission seal today, too, but if the truck is leaking from one place, it might as well leak from two (or more).