Well, today I went to the autoparts store for the second(more like 5 - 6) time to pick up my part I ordered. The first time, I ordered a rear brake hose for my car with ABS front and rear, cause that's what the dealership told me it has based on the VIN. The part came in, looked just like mine except that the end that connects to the wheel cylinder looked like it was made to fit a caliper instead.
So they checked in the computer and found one that connects to a wheel cylinder and that part said it was for a car without ABS. I said whatever and ordered it cause it looked like it would fit. It came in today and I went to get it and it fits the wheel cylinder, but the other end won't connect to my brake line without removing an adapter that was on the old line. The first new part(ABS) had come with this adapter, but the second new part(non-ABS) did not. I figured I'd unscrew mine and put it on this line. I tried that but my old line fit into the adapter with a male fitting and the new line has a female fitting on it. So that won't work either!!
Now that's two parts, one with ABS and one without ABS. There's no other way, and neither one fits my car. They checked the previous model year's part, 97, and also the next year model's part, 99, and it's the same way as the 98 listings. Then they checked the left rear instead of the right rear and found one made to fit right on both ends, but the attaching brackets are different based on left side assembly. You can get it for the left side but not the right??? That's weird!
Then here's the funny part, they actually suggested I order the one for the driver's side and when it comes in, MODIFY it to fit my passenger's side by prying off the mounting brackets(two of them) and reuse my old ones with the new part. These are not bolted on so it would come off easily. They are crimped on. And if it doesn't work, then I'm just out the money cause it's not returnable once it's been modified. I said no to that and just got a refund on the unusable part I ordered.
Then I went to my brother-in-law's house with my old brake line and pried off the connecting parts they suggested to remove before just to see if they would come off without damaging them or the line. I figured what have I got to lose cause the old part doesn't work anyway. Then when I done that, the line freed up enough for air to flow through it, so I blew it out with an air compressor and now it flows freely. I guess the crimped on connector was restricting fluid flow somehow. Don't know why cause it's worked fine all this time until now. But it had the line flattened way out. I reconnected it again, but loosly so it just holds the line up. That's all it needs anyway.
Then I reconnected it to the car and reassembled all my brake shoes, springs, wheel cylinder, and drum. Now I'm waiting on my wife to come home and assist with bleeding the brakes to see if it's going to work. If not, at least the car is drivable again for short distances and can get to a mechanic cause if it doesn't work this time, it's going to get fixed by someone else or driven off a cliff and insurance claimed.