Technique required for undoing the rear brake hose

[DJ908]

Has anybody devised a technique for undoing the union on the brake pipe in behind the rear strut as shown in this picture? Without removing or dropping the strut out of the way.

I have replaced the brake hoses on the other three brakes but I am unable to tighten and hold tight the nut, marked with the red arrow, on the brake hose shown here which will allow me to undo the union nut, marked in blue. It seems impossible to get two conventional spanners in behind the strut, one on the nut itself and one on the union. I want to avoid twisting the chassis pipework that passes through the union.

I have been reluctant to clamp something on the swage on the hose side of the bracket for I suspect that it is possible that if I deform that swage coupling I may not be able to grip the threaded fitting itself.

Thanks

Robert

[nigelrbfurness]

Time being the most expensive thing in the world I would cut the hose fitting close to the bracket with a slitting disk and put a socket or tube spanner on the hex end of the hose fitting. You weren't going to use that brake hose again anyway, were you!

[DJ908]

Hello Nigel

A couple of days of effort and I have removed that old hose, replaced it and have bled the brakes.

I found the only way to get in and cut the hose off the fitting was to use a small Eclipse Junior hacksaw. The only 9/16 tube socket I could find was too long and a standard 9/16 socket too short! But I found among my collection of spanners one ring and open ended spanner where the ring was small enough to slide over the nut face of the fitting after I had opened out the bracket which is welded to the chassis. Then with the union nut shown in blue in the photo supported by another spanner wedged into the coil spring I was able to crack the nut. It took me all one afternoon slowly working the fitting backwards and forwards to work penetrating oil down the thread until I was able to wind the fitting out of that union nut.

Fitted the new hose the next day and bled the brakes. No sign of cracking on the rubber on the original hose and if the new hose lasts like the old one did for 50 plus years then I am never going to be bothered replacing it.

The job has been completed and it was your suggestion that gave me the courage to cut the old hose out. No, I was never going to reuse it and like the one I removed off the RH side some years ago it has been consigned to the top shelf of relics from the Lotus past.

Thanks

Robert

[Tmac897]

Would a crows foot wrench have worked in this case?

https://mobileimages.lowes.com/product/ ... pg?size=sm