HIT THE BRAKES - The last step in improving the brake system on our eldest shop truck

RPM EXCLUSIVES

HIT THE BRAKES

>>The last step in improving the brake system on our eldest shop truck

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1 1: Since we knew we’d be passing close in our travels, we contacted Misener Motorsports to order us up a Russell DOT Brake Hose Kit #696490.

The kit works with 99-03 F250, 350 and Excursion with lifts up to fi e inches and was also fine for our slightly higher than stock Bertha.

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april 2016 | RPM Magazine

George Pich

few months back we featured “How To Stop A Tank Without An RPG” and couldn’t be happier with the outcome of the Power Stop Z36 brake install on the RPM shop tank, AKA “Bertha”- our 7,000-pound do-everything Ford Excursion.

Since the article, we’ve pulled a car trailer or two, made some pretty long trips with a full payload and even had her buried rim-deep in snow at times, and so far so good with our new found stopping power during every challenge.

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Like we said back in the original article, this is an everyday truck, just like most of you have sitting in your driveway, only ours might be a bit older! During the Power Stop project we noticed that the truck’s hard lines were deteriorating quickly and would need to be replaced soon.

Thinking back, too, we missed one thing with our install... better brake flex lines!

OEM rubber lines are fine, but the lines on these trucks are long, and the longer the line the more prone to brake fade and inconsistent pedal feel the system will be. Plus, wimpy pliable rubber is no

3: By the time we got the hoses out of the box and ready for a glamour shot, Misener Motorsports’ resident apprentice mechanic and performance enthusiast Sasha had already stolen one and had it installed.

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match for a good quality braided hose. So this issue we’ll make that mistake right and install a trick Russell DOT Brake Hose Kit #696490.

This is a five-piece kit that covers both front and both rear brake flex lines as well as the intermediate flex line that fastens to the rear housing and joins the rear brake hard lines to the hard line that runs along the vehicle underbody and frame.

This job is not rocket science, but the material making up the Russell DOT brake hose is pretty close to it. We hadn’t installed a kit like this in about 6 years and the latest

5 5: Perfect fit! on’t expect a painted and polished undercarriage here. This is the real world and our shop trucks get used for what a truck was made for… hard work!

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4:It’s tough to see in a photo, but the Russell DOT brake lines don’t end with the stainless braid. Instead, they have a tough, durable outside clear sheath for added protection.

6: Noticing that a lot of the hard lines on the truck were corroding pretty badly, Sasha made up some new rear hard lines as well as the main line running to the front of the truck.

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7: The fi th line of the kit joined our rear hard lines on the rearend housing at the distribution block to the line that ran forward.

technology offered by Russell is obviously far superior to what we last worked with last. Russell PowerFlex hose is made up of a PTFE inner liner with 308 stainless steel braid with a clear exterior layer and is rated at 2500 psi.

The quality we liked best was the extra clear sheathing over top of the final exterior braid.

As we use this rig daily on and off oad and in every type of weather you can image, the Russell hose offers that extra layer of protection from not just the elements, but also any type of foreign object that

might threaten the line. And when it comes to stopping over 7,000-pounds (unloaded), more is ALWAYS better!

After driving the finished product, we have to stress one thing about the brake performance on this truck from before the upgrades, and remember our brakes were good, but just regular off-theshelf OEM style replacements.

If you are towing, hauling a load or off oading with an older truck using anything else, you are missing out bigtime, the difference is unbelievable!

8 8: Done and ready to hit the road Seriously, for a few bucks more why not treat your vehicle, and yourself to a quality braking experience… once you try it, you’ll never go back!

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www.rpm-mag.com | april 2016

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