can some one school me on how to make hard fuel lines? do they have to coil? do i need special fittings?
Youll need some brake line, one of them little tubing cutters that you twist around the line to get a nice perpendicular cut, and a 45 degree double flaring too. You can get the fittings at napa and some hardware stores "inverted flare" fittings i believe is the proper name. Napa guys will know what your talking about if u just say brake line fittings Depending on how much flex you need in your lines if going from frame to body and such coils could be warrented (wrap tubing around jack handle) If mounting everything on the frame dont need coils. use a lot of clamps to make sure your lines dont vibrate especially at the ends or they will eventually break. ...all of this ***uming that you are talking about brake lines lol
I bought a 25' kit on ebay pretty cheap, it came with the ends also. $13 for a flaring kit from harbor freight and I was on my way! I still have plenty line left over also.
3/8 steel line ( for gas lines) is a lot trickier to put loops in than 1/4 brake line tubing. I can't see it happening by looping it around a jack handle , cold . Your best friend for bending small steel tube (or copper too) is a good set of hand held benders .
You only have to use a loop (or 2 is better) if going from the engine to a firewall mounted fuel block since that is where you have to allow for movement. A loop on the engine from one solid mounted component to another is only for looks. You can do it with a 10 buck bender that everyone sells and an economy double flaring tool like Eastwood sells. It just takes a little more parctice and time to make sure that your clamps are even before tightening the wing nuts so you get an even flare. Use some old fuel line or some s**** tubing and do practice flares and bends before going on to the stuff that cost you $. Some practice bends will get you familiar with how to measure in order to end up where you want to be. The pre-flared brake line sections at NAPA are the easiest way to go as you only have to flare the end you cut to length. Here is my truck engine I did a couple of months ago using 3/8 pre-flared brake line sections. It is fun to do if you are not in a hurry and the results can be very satisfying. Just don't get dicouraged when you have to throw away some mistakes. Those pieces may just come in handy on a future project.
Why not just buy a stock flex fuel line from the frame to the fuel pump(Chevy) or firewall to fuel pump(flathead Ford) and use it! They're available for these makes and others and just bolt in. Of course, theu'll only last a decade or so, so maybe you should keep a spare on hand.
Exactly. I would not trust a hard line in that position with all of the vibration and working back and forth. The metal would become work hardened at one or the other of the fittings and eventually crack. I will have a rubber stock type inlet hose from my frame line to the pump. I just don't trust rubber on the pressure side. I've see too many old hoses crack and cause fires. Tom
Good idea. I had to rebend nearly every angle on the repro front brake line kit I bought so I'm not taking a chance on the tank to pump line, rear brake lines, and trans cooler lines. I'll just get rolls of tubing and fittings and do it myself. BTW where do you get annealed line or do you anneal it yourself? Tom
I used aluminum 3/8 hard line for getting my fuel to the front, then braided stainless up to the carb.
I'm in the U.K. but i would think it would be available in the states also, I get mine from a Stainless tube supplier that supplys to the dairy & Pharmacutical installers, It comes annealed and is specifically for bending and flaring.
Surely that will harden it, When i was an apprentice i was taught to heat and let cool slowly ??? [quote="Doc" Parsons;2389478]Take a propane torch and heat it up and cool with water "Doc"[/quote]
I like to use aluminum line they sell via Summit or Jegs. You can get a coil longer than your car and run it from the tank to the carb if you want without any fittings in between, thus no chance for leaky fittings or faulty flares. I run a rubber line from the tank to the line, attach the line to the frame all the way to the front, and then a rubber line from the frame to the pump.
I am with Hellfish, go with the alumimum tubing from Summit or Jegs get the proper Aeroquip type 37 degree fittings and have at it and use hose from the fixed tube to the engine. Looks good and is easy to do. Rex
I like to use stainless for my fuel lines. You have to get double annealed stainless so you can bend and flare it. If you use a scotch brite pad on it it looks just like the old Bundyflex steel lines. Use a rubber line between the firewall and fuel block to prevent cracking of hard line from engine movement and or vibrations. Here are a few pictures of the job my buddy Ron and I did on my car. P.S. if you go with stainless make mockup lines from steel first, the stainless is $4.00 a foot.
Dgas, Real sweet pics. How about some details on the stainless lines... Source of parts and tools?? I am thinking of finally getting rid of my ruby red plastic fuel line that only stays ruby red for about 3 months (using race fuel anyway...) Thanks!
Inline Tube is the place to get annealed stainless.http://www.inlinetube.com/ A cool trick if you like the looks of your red tubing is to make your lines and slide the red over the stainless... I use compression fittings on fuel line works way better than others.
Yeah, I like the looks of the red over stainless. Just hadn't gotten around to figuring out just how to accomplish it. Thanks for the link.
Here is a picture of the whole car. Not quite finished. '32 roadster with 471 blown flathead, T-5 transmission Halibrand quickchange. Running 5.50x16's on front 7.50x16 on rear. '40 ford dash welded to top rail of body, not stuck up under rail like you might want to take it out some day! '40 steering column and wheel. Windshield is chopped 3 1/2", original Mordrop axle. Buick drums all the way around with 39-40 brakes. Home made headlight bar and most everything else.
Being a cheap *******, I can't justify the extra $$ of stainless tubing. Good old Bundyflex. galvanized steel tubing will out live me. In the past I've polished the galvanized steel tubing and hit it with some rattle can clear coat. By the time the clear coat wears off and the galvanize coating deteriorates allowing the steel to be exposed to the elements, gasoline will be outlawed by the EPA. I used the 5/16" inverted flare tubing from the pump to the fuel block for strength and to maintain the shape. I do hit it on the buffer, slip the 3/8" clear red fuel hose over it. You can bunch it up to allow room for the fitting and the flaring tool. Once flared, it pops back to the fitting. I hit the br*** fittings on the buffer too. I like the contrast in colors. The original theory of a coil in the line wasn't so much the vibration control but if the flare cracked inside the fitting (not uncommon on AC compressors), one loop could be cut off, the line re-flared and the line re-connected without having to replace the complete line. Most of the time today it's done for decoration. The original builder coiled the oil line and the vacuum advance line. I reused them.
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