Originally Posted by
JDNSW
No mention of why this clearance is specified, but I would guess that it is because the clearance will vary both as the pitman arm on the steering box swings and as the link pivots on the ball joints, plus that you really don't want anything that moves rubbing against a brake pipe. And there needs to be a safety margin to allow for things to move that really shouldn't (such as the arm on the relay becoming loose allowing the whole setup to droop a bit) without disastrous results. I suspect that there is nothing magic about the actual figure, and something close to the inch mark would be adequate, especially if you made sure it was measured at the closest approach, checking with the rod twisted down and at the lowest swing of the pitman.
I don't think that movement of the brake line is the issue, so the clips on it are not going to affect the situation.