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Banjo fitting illegal??

2K views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  1ownerT 
#1 ·
I am putting in a whole new brake system on my 54' chevy and I went down to the local brake shop to get some bolts for the banjo fittings I have on my front brakes. The guy said he didn't have any because these are illegal now? Huh? I've used these before, and have never heard anything bad about these? Should I use a different style fitting for my front disk brakes? Is there some safety concerns regarding these? Is California making up new rules to keep all the lawyers busy?
 
#9 ·
1ownerT said:
If it is a banjo fitting for braided brake line, I believe I have read that they are not DOT legal. There are very strict guidelines for street driven vehicles.
Sheeesh! Someone needs to tell GM, Ford, and Chrysler that...they all use them. GM has been using them for years and now they are on all of the newer stuff even the riceburners.
 
#10 ·
I think he was ill informed. The DOT does have criteria for the lines, but they can often be used with stock Banjo fittings. Motorcycles, which have excellent braking, use banjo fittings in a multitude of places...on the master cylinders(front and rear) and on the calipers(also front and rear). Not to draw any disparaging opinons for those that are parts guys, but my experiences(after 40 years in the business) is that with the advent of computers at parts stores..many are IDIOTS. If it isn't on the computer ,it must not exist. Plus they can't usually fathom using a part from one car on another. I can't tell you how many times I have sent my apprentice in, to save some time, and have him come back with "it doesn't exist". I then have to go to the store,with him to illustrate their ignorance, and get exactly what "didn't exist". I've found that having hundreds of parts books and manuals that I can pull the numbers from and having a working relationship with the Parts Stores(regardless of the ineptitude of their employees) helps a lot. I think parts store employees are not to much higher than the Fast Food employees that punch up the picture on the register instead of the price. They don't pay a whole lot and the quality of the Employees is reflected in that. If you can't get it locally, Summit,Jeg's,Speedway and I could list a dozen others carry them.
 
#11 ·
Henry Highrise said:
Sheeesh! Someone needs to tell GM, Ford, and Chrysler that...they all use them. GM has been using them for years and now they are on all of the newer stuff even the riceburners.
My comment was about braided hose and banjo fittings, although I did not specifically say Earls, Aeroquip, etc. that is what I intended.
This is taken from DOT regulations 571.106. Home made brake hoses do not meet DOT requiremnt's for on road use.

S5. Requirements—hydraulic brake hose, brake hose assemblies, and brake hose end fittings.

S5.1 Construction.

(a) Each hydraulic brake hose assembly shall have permanently attached brake hose end fittings which are attached by deformation of the fitting about the hose by crimping or swaging.

(b) Each hydraulic brake hose assembly that is equipped with a permanent supplemental support integrally attached to the assembly and is manufactured as a replacement for use on a vehicle not equipped, as an integral part of the vehicle's original design, with a means of attaching the support to the vehicle shall be equipped with a bracket that is integrally attached to the supplemental support and that adapts the vehicle to properly accept this type of brake hose assembly.

S5.2 Labeling.

S5.2.1 Each hydraulic brake hose, except hose sold as part of a motor vehicle, shall have at least two clearly identifiable stripes of at least one–sixteenth of an inch in width, placed on opposite sides of the brake hose parallel to its longitudinal axis. One stripe may be interrupted by the information required by S5.2.2, and the other stripe may be interrupted by additional information at the manufacturer's option. However, hydraulic brake hose manufactured for use only in an assembly whose end fittings prevent its installation in a twisted orientation in either side of the vehicle, need not meet the requirements of S5.2.1.

S5.2.2 Each hydraulic brake hose shall be labeled, or cut from bulk hose that is labeled, at intervals of not more than 6 inches, measured from the end of one legend to the beginning of the next, in block capital letters and numerals at least one–eighth of an inch high, with the information listed in paragraphs (a) through (e) of this section. The information need not be present on hose that is sold as part of a brake hose assembly or a motor vehicle.

(a) The symbol DOT, constituting a certification by the hose manufacturer that the hose conforms to all applicable motor vehicle safety standards.

(b) A designation that identifies the manufacturer of the hose, which shall be filed in writing with: Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance, Equipment Division NVS-222, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 400 Seventh St. SW., Washington, DC 20590. The marking may consist of a designation other than block capital letters required by S5.2.2.

(c) The month, day, and year, or the month and year, of manufacture, expressed in numerals. For example, 10/1/96 means October 1, 1996.

(d) The nominal inside diameter of the hose expressed in inches or fractions of inches, or in millimeters followed by the abbreviation "mm"

(e) Either "HR" to indicate that the hose is regular expansion hydraulic hose or "HL" to indicate that the hose is low expansion hydraulic hose.
 
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