BN6 rear brake pipes

[nevets]

Can someone tell me whether the brake lines that run along the rear axle on a BN6 are identical to those used on other Healeys? By identical, I mean same length and same bends. There are 2 pipes, one long and one short.
Thanks

 

[steveg]

The Moss catalog is the most authoritative source for parts-related questions.

The "Brake Pipes" section shows these pipes to be the same for all 6-cylinder Healeys.

 

[nevets]

Thanks, Steve. The attached pictures show the issue I am having. I purchased pre-bent S/S lines and while the bends appear correct, the long pipe seems to be a bit short and the short pipe seems to be a bit long. My suspicion is that the PO used a non standard bracket to attach the 3-way connector to the rear axle. In the picture, you can see that the bracket offsets the 3-way connector towards the right brake drum, which in turn accommodates the length of the current pipes. I also attached an illustration from the Moss site that shows the 3-way connector with no offset bracket. I'm inclined to eliminate the offset bracket, which may then work with my new pipes (hopefully). But this still leaves the question unanswered as to why the offset bracket was required to begin with? Are the existing pipes from a different Healey? Custom bent, they look to be factory bent? And the final question is if I eliminate the offset bracket, the flex hose will be closer to the battery, which is a concern (chaffing). Any insights will be much appreciated.

 

[Randy Forbes]

BN6L/942 did not have the offset brkt when I did Classic Tubes stainless steel brake pipes some years ago, but there are numerous small details on mine__441st built__that are different on later cars.

After adding ss/Teflon flexible hose & sw for 3rd brake light.

 

[steveg]

This shows my offset plate (BN6-7) to clear the battery. Apologies for the fuzzy shot.

Can't you just bend the pipes a little to make the long one longer and the short one shorter? If you don't want to do it by hand, get a cheap HF tubing bender.

 

[John Turney]

The offset bracket shouldn't be there. Those lines are the same on all 6-cylinder Austin Healey models. The PO may have used pre-formed brake lines from his local, well-equipped auto parts store instead of Healey-specific lines.

 

[Duane_Rhynard]

The offset bracket shouldn't be there. Those lines are the same on all 6-cylinder Austin Healey models. The PO may have used pre-formed brake lines from his local, well-equipped auto parts store instead of Healey-specific lines.

Correct! The BN6 specific parts list, (ADK855 Second Edition August 1959, below) does not show an offset bracket. Additionally, my BN6 (October '58) is bracket-less!

 

[nevets]

Thanks everyone.
Yes, I may need to finesse the pipes a bit to make them fit. Interesting Steve that your BN6 also has the offset plate. I think I will start by connecting the pipes to the brake cylinders, then see where they end up relative to the 3-way connector.

 

[CraigC]

Both Moss and SC Parts show that bracket as being applicable to the 2-seater BN6 and BN7 cars. Neither supply a replacement. As steveg's pic illustrates, it provides clearance around the battery for the brake hose. 4-seat cars would not have a need for this as their batteries are in the trunk.

As a side note, my BN2 does not have this bracket, even though both Moss and SC show one.

 

[steveg]

Thanks everyone.
Yes, I may need to finesse the pipes a bit to make them fit. Interesting Steve that your BN6 also has the offset plate. I think I will start by connecting the pipes to the brake cylinders, then see where they end up relative to the 3-way connector.

Good idea. The bracket is a strip of steel - nothing special.

 

[Duane_Rhynard]

Both Moss and SC Parts show that bracket as being applicable to the 2-seater BN6 and BN7 cars. Neither supply a replacement. As steveg's pic illustrates, it provides clearance around the battery for the brake hose. 4-seat cars would not have a need for this as their batteries are in the trunk.

As a side note, my BN2 does not have this bracket, even though both Moss and SC show one.

I checked my BN7 parts list and SURPRISE, the bracket (Item 43) is listed! Additionally, the BN7 parts list shows a different pipe from the three way junction to the LH brake!

It looks like the bracket was added sometime in the BN6 / BN7 transition!

 

[nevets]

Thanks all. Despite the difference between the 2 seater and 4 seater cars, all the AH parts suppliers seem to offer the same rear axle brake pipes for all 6 cylinder Healeys.

 

[steveg]

Duane's drawing shows the bracket extension mounted vertically, perhaps for clarity - it's supposed to be at 9 o'clock. Will get back shortly with the C-to-C on the bracket bolt holes.

One way to bend the pipes is to make patterns from pieces of household wire - I like 10 GA. Cut these to the exact length of the supplied pipes; with the bracket and tee in place, bend by hand to fit your axle setup, then use them as a guide for bending the pipes.

 

[nevets]

SteveG.
The S/S pipes I bought from the Nock folks in Stockton, CA are pre-bent...I'm hoping I can massage them to fit without changing the 3-way connector bracket location. We'll see.

 

[steveg]

FWIW - the offset bracket bolt holes are 1.5" C-to-C.

 

[nevets]

Thanks Steve G.