mk1 escort brake hoses

[Ray]

hi Guys

I'm after some original ford brake hoses for the mk1 escort, the ones that go from the strut to the body at front, and the body to axle at the rear, these look like they are cotton braided, but theyre not, its just the imprint in the rubber, and when dirty looks like it, its the ones for disc brakes and not drum

any condition considered, but the better the condition the better

pls look see if you have any on old struts or suspension set ups, that you may have laying around where you have modified your cars, ie have you changed to braided hoses and thrown these in a pile or to one side

money waiting

[HotRodMatt]

Just a thought but are you sure you want old rubber lines? Personally I'd not trust old brake hoses. There will probably be companies out there who can reproduce what you are after with modern, safe rubber.

[Ray]

Hi Matt

          if you can point me in the right direction to get exact copies, then I would gladly buy them, but I cant get these anywhere, hence my request, then I can pick the best of them, whilst I would agree with you on my daily, but its a show car thatll do very few miles, but am hoping to find some that are not split

[HotRodMatt]

Fair enough mate, hope you find some.

[Vista]

It's 40 plus year old rubber Ray. I applaud your enthusiasm and dedication to originality but unless all the car is doing is driving on and off a trailer on a show field, it just isn't worth the risk. And remember, it isn't just you taking the risk. 

[colr6]

What about the goodridge retro ones 600 line any good ?

[Ray]

Goodrich 600 lone is smooth hose, I'm after what looks like cotton braided

ok 40 years old, but if I can find non perished all the better

like the 600 line, its a centre core, then reinforcing, then an outer coating, it seems to be the outer that splits

worst comes to worst, I have modern, just trying to get good original if I can

certainly a trailer queen Scott, no more than a mile or two a year on and off the trailer

[colr6]

Poss auto jumbles is going to be your best option looking in the boxes of Unknown flexis. You'll know the length and the ends might be an 1" either way to get your desired look. Don't suppose even a purist spotter would get a tape out to measure them !

[mike399]

What about the goodridge retro ones 600 line any good ?

Seems the best option to me 600 line. Better than 40yr old rubber ones. I know what I would use as braking system. May as well use 40yr old Dot3 fluid as well then

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

[Rally Pack 2000]

This is what Ray is after. These are the ones still on my Twincam (My apologies for the photo being on its side it is not in the original file but the new uploader system refuses to load vertical photos any more and automatically tilts them horizontal. That will be very problematic in years to come im sure.)

 

 

The second photo are the originals I just took off my Mk2. They have a more recognisable line pattern on them which still can be seen on virtually all rubber brake lines available today. On the car they seemed to look ok so they have never been changed since new but its one of those things that you don't really think of as a service part. When I undid the nut holding it on the rubber hose twisted ever so slightly beyond its normal movement from steering and the rubber just crumbled. It gave me a hollow scary feeling as to how really dangerous their condition was. I would imagine your salty winder roads would be even more destructive to yours there. Given the Twincams are even older and still on the car I cant imagine they have any life in them whatsoever even though they look fine on the surface.

 

 

In another thread I discussed changing to braided stainless and went with the Goodridge Classic which has a conventional matt black rubber look to them. It highlighted just how far gone the rubber ones had gone. For at least a decade I remember thinking to myself these brakes a spongy and not as firm as they used to be. I put it down to my home alone do it yourself bleeding skills. It wasn't that at all it was the old rubber lines ballooning when I pressed the pedal. Adding that also to the replacement of all the plastic bushings in the pedals and booster with brass/bronze ones its now very very hard. So much so I am contemplating removing the Goodridge Stainless for conventional rubbers ones but new of course.

 

 

Having been fooled by the alarming degradation of the original lines on the Mk2 one day soon I will be in a similar position to Ray. With the Twincam you try to keep it as original as possible. These braided textured rubber lines seem to have vanished by the mid 70s where the more recognisable line type takes over. I don't think I would use the Goodridge Classic on the Twincam. While they have a traditional rubber look which to the casual observer they are just regular rubber lines the "original look" appeal is negated by the fact they are way thinner than conventional rubber lines. They almost look spindly in comparison when in fact the opposite is true. I can definitely show that the other rubber pattern type was used by Ford in the 70s so this design would still be considered period. The line imprint was not something that came out in the 90s or anything like that as my original Mk2 ones shows in the photo. Given that this pattern seems present in every new rubber type I see for sale today that's what I would use as replacement for the Twincam. Still rubber and still period. No one even at a concourse would fault the use of these, even if they noticed as most are unaware of the weave textured imprint early type. The Goodridge ones, even in their "Classic" guise are quite obvious to the trained observer. Not only with the thickness of the lines themselves but the end fittings. Goodridge didn't even bother to do their research and get the end nuts the right size that fits into a recess on the inner guard. As such they spin when you try to tighten them and you have to add a secondary 14mm nut to lift the end fitting out of the recess so you can put a spanner on it. On Rubber ones there is a defined conical fitting with hex edges to facilitate a spanner. The Goodridge as with most stainless lines just has a thin nut end and in the Goodridge case its the wrong size.

So Ray for for your own safety don't go fitting old rubber lines just to achieve that textured finish. Fit new rubber ones of the later 70s period that you can still get new today. If I got a set of rubber ones for my Mk2 to switch back from the Goodridge ones you would not be able to tell the difference to the original ones the car came out of the factory with. True when it comes to the Twincam it will have a slight difference in sheath pattern but it will look just as good and you can have the piece of mind that they will be safe for many years to come. The added bonus is that they are also the cheapest too!

 

[Ray]

RP, I would gladly send you a set of anything in exchange for those on your TC lol

I was kinda hoping this thread might have thrown up some decent or some NOS to be honest

all it seems to have done is create a small heated debate lol

the car will be a trailer queen, no ifs or buts, it will be far better than the blue car, so it will never do anything more than on/off a transporter, and across the odd field being honest

NOS ones seem to be a dream away, but its kinda looking like good condition originals are as well

it was the metal ends that corroded on the originals and not hose perish, so bad that I had to cut them off the car

I have the means to test the hose first, so I would be able to see what its doing under pressure

done auto jumbles, but no luck so far, just he lined ones

[Rally Pack 2000]

Up until know the texture of the rubber lines was something I had never thought about but now that I know what your looking for how about I ask around here in Australia and see what is stuck on the shelves. Many places here seem to do a made to order arrangement even for the rubber type ones so I will investigate the possibility that one of these companies has a couple of meters of that textured rubber tubing and can make up a couple of sets for us into replica brake lines. As long as you dont need them yesterday?

[Ray]

your a star RP

[meXEco]

Trev not got any?

[Ray]

14 hours ago, meXEco said:

Trev not got any?

nope, hes been looking tho