What to do with rusted FJ62 brake/fuel line

[tgadd]

Hi all,

Just bought a 1988 FJ62 this weekend and really excited for it. I live in Mass and the Cruiser is from here so I know to expect some rust. The frame is rusty but no holes or soft spots, a few places on the body need work, but for a camping/hunting vehicle it is perfect.

Or so I thought until i registered and tried to get it inspected. It won't pass inspection with the rusted fuel/brake lines. The mechanic said it could be at least $1,000.

It was a stretch spending $2500 (+$500 on fees) on this truck and I don't want to put much more into it. I see parts for fuel line and brake lines are relatively cheap.

Is this an easy repair my self? Just time consuming? I have basic mechanical knowledge but no place to wrench.

I would really hate to have to sell it right away.

 

[WES1977]

The front ones shouldn't be a problem. Trying to find one with the ends from the front to the rear was a pain for me, it's like 8ft long. I found them at SOR.com all ready bent.

Probably at advanced auto $50-$60 for the bending tool, brake line with ends with getting double for mistakes. Make sure you get the Japanese ones. You will make mistakes.

 

[tgadd]

Do you mean get the Japanese ones regarding the connector type for the brake line? I assume this is just a time consuming project to pull everything off and then bend the line to shape and put it back. I might give it a try.

 

[hj 60]

good luck! use dot 3 to fill, use the old connections, snap old line so wrench fits, use (expensive, best quality!) special wrench to close, factory bended saves a lot of time, but bending is not that hard.
copper electric wire is good to measure length and corners.
first I replaced the hard lines , some very brittle dangerous pieces, then the next year I had to do the soft lines, piepoo

don't replace steering side hard with soft= just a stupid trick, dangerous if tree grabs it downhill.

-there is an old front soft brakeline with minor cracks near the metal.
-one spanner #10 #11 with opening to close the brakelines (for opening cut them and use a proper #10)
-one tool to cut the new lines (no sawing), and a tool to press them. (for toyota you press twice on one side to make a proper connection) (press 1=OP.1 DIN1 4.75 mm and press 2= OP2 4.75/6 mm 3/16 and 1/4 in.

Page 289: BR-1

 

[SteveH]

Brake line is sold in metric-fitting-equipped pieces, in 1 foot increments of length. To start out, find a main section of line that isn't horribly complex, measure it, and replace it. This should build your confidence - then go after the other pieces. Spray everything now with WD40 and buy a high quality line wrench for brake line fittings.

I was terrified of replacing the odd-sized line on my '65 FJ45, after I swapped in later-model axles, but the brake line I installed (and clutch line) was easy to bend, and looked professional when I was done. Easy as pie! Yeah - you'll mis-bend here and there, but if you don't kink it, you can recover from your mistakes. If the prefab piece is a bit too long, just add an 'S' bend in a subtle place, and hide the 'extra' length. If you must create a custom piece, then you will need a flaring tool, which elevates this to a 2-3 banana job.

 

[tgadd]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I think I'm going to give it a shot in the next week or two. Try a smaller section and see how it goes.

 

[WES1977]

Yes the ends at advanced they are labeled Japanese 3/16 OR 4.7MM metric thread.
One mistake I made was I did not put the connectors all the way to the ends before bending and it will make it useless in a hurry. What happens is your bend will be too Sharpe to get the fitting to the right end.