So, I'm having a hard time sourcing a stock (or close to it) pre-fabbed lower brake hose for my '74. I'm old and lazy, I don't want to build one, and I don't want to have one custom built. I just want to buy a new hose and put it on. And I would prefer to not pay shipping from Japan or Europe (they seem to be available there) I know, I know- where's the fun in that?
The hose in question is 14.5" with a banjo at one end and a female at the other. Mikes has two (2) listings for the TX, both uppers, both with a banjo at one end and a female at the other. One is almost 13", the other is 16.5". I'm wondering if the 16.5" listing is supposed to be "lower"? I'm gonna go ahead and order it and hope it looks OK with the extra 2".
Now- all that said, my experience with non-"Big 3" antique American cars over the last 40+ years has taught me that very few brake hoses are specific to any particular car model- at the end of the day, it's just a hydraulic hose of a certain length with the required standard brake line fittings at each end. Example- the front brake hoses for my '63 Olds Cutlass (not available at any local parts supplier, only from specialty shops for big $$$) are the same as a hose for mid-late 70's-early 80's Dodge one ton vans, $9.99 and in stock around the corner. I gotta believe that somewhere out there exists a perfect replacement for my TX lower hose hiding behind a 1994 Saturn or some other application. My assumption is the fittings are metric, which should apply to most American vehicles from the 90's and up.
So- if anyone knows the metric fitting size/labeling format, I might be inclined to do the homework and see if there is, in fact, a Raybestos or other domestic and readily available source for a compatible hose. I've been dealing with this since the early 80's, I remember walking into an old school auto parts store to get a water pump belt for my '68 Rambler, and the guy asked me "Is that a light truck?" Just give me the damned book and step aside ....
The hose in question is 14.5" with a banjo at one end and a female at the other. Mikes has two (2) listings for the TX, both uppers, both with a banjo at one end and a female at the other. One is almost 13", the other is 16.5". I'm wondering if the 16.5" listing is supposed to be "lower"? I'm gonna go ahead and order it and hope it looks OK with the extra 2".
Now- all that said, my experience with non-"Big 3" antique American cars over the last 40+ years has taught me that very few brake hoses are specific to any particular car model- at the end of the day, it's just a hydraulic hose of a certain length with the required standard brake line fittings at each end. Example- the front brake hoses for my '63 Olds Cutlass (not available at any local parts supplier, only from specialty shops for big $$$) are the same as a hose for mid-late 70's-early 80's Dodge one ton vans, $9.99 and in stock around the corner. I gotta believe that somewhere out there exists a perfect replacement for my TX lower hose hiding behind a 1994 Saturn or some other application. My assumption is the fittings are metric, which should apply to most American vehicles from the 90's and up.
So- if anyone knows the metric fitting size/labeling format, I might be inclined to do the homework and see if there is, in fact, a Raybestos or other domestic and readily available source for a compatible hose. I've been dealing with this since the early 80's, I remember walking into an old school auto parts store to get a water pump belt for my '68 Rambler, and the guy asked me "Is that a light truck?" Just give me the damned book and step aside ....
