1989 xplorer brake master cylinder issue

[Dopefish]

Hello, I have a 1989 228 xplorer, the master cylinder has a leak so I bought a new master cylinder "Raybestos MC39178" online, it said it would fit this vehicle but the brake line closest to the brake booster is about 0.68mm deeper than the old cylinder so the brake line wont seat in place at all, the second line fits just fine, I thought I bought the wrong cylinder so i went to napa, he looked it up and got the part for this vehicle "dodge B350" but it was the same cylinder so I don't know what to do here, the vin and plate number all come back to a 1989 dodge B350, I was going to get new brake lines to fit but he said they dont make them anymore, im planning a trip in July so I really need to get this figured out!

Any help please!!
Thank you

[wmorrisw]

I would Google the issue to see if you can find help from a mechanic

[98LeisureTravelDodge]

Does the new master cylinder look the same as the old one (other than the port depth)? There was a different master cylinder for vans with "hydroboost" in 1989. Also, it looks like there was a production change in 1990. Compare master cylinder part numbers for 1989 and 1990 B350s on Rock Auto. If your van was built in late 1989, or even mid-1989, it's possible that you need a master cylinder for a 1990 van.

[billn]

Another option is to get a rebuild kit and rebuild your existing master cylinder. They are not that difficult to do.

[Dopefish]

they look exactly the same, you cant even tell the depth issue until you attach that one brake line, I thought about just removing the guts from the new one I bought and rebuilding the old cylinder with it but I can see some small rust divots at the opening so im not sure if it might leak because of that. I might have to compare with a 1990 model and see if that's the issue.

[98LeisureTravelDodge]

Let us know what you find out, and how you solved your problem. Good luck!

[Dopefish]

* Update *

I thought long and hard about this and decided to simply sand down the one brake line spot on the new master cylinder since it was only like 1.5mm too deep, I protected the port with a small square of black tape and pressed in a chunk of "Dap Blue Stik Reusable Adhesive Putty", then I put it in the vice and used my "MAX XR Oscillating Multi-Tool" to slowly sand it down, I thought about using a grinder but i would think that would have melted the aluminum and destroyed the threads, sanding like this worked perfectly and didn't harm the threads at all, gently blew out the bits of metal with the air compressor, pulled out the Dap and tape, tested the line and it fit great, I figured since the bolt on the line didnt seat on the cylinder anyway because it seats on the compression fitting inside that I would be safe so i sanded to like 2mm, problem solved, re bench bled it and its good to go.

[98LeisureTravelDodge]

It's great when a creative solution to a problem like that works out well. Good job!