you mean the crazy motherf@#%r who jumped out of a damn commercial airliner with loads of cash and disappeared into thin air? lol
Yes, it's a flash game. Make Chuck Norris Cry: http://www.dailyhaha.com/_flash/make_norris_cry.swf ~Jason
Possibly because copper line is used so infrequently. I've personally seen maybe 3 cars with copper fuel lines in person but have 4 cars on my property right now with rubber fuel lines. You dont hear people say "that fan belt I made out of spaghetti noodles failed on me" for a reason...
I can't recall if I've seen it or not but seems like I have. I still don't think it's some great risk. Like I said, check it alot and see if it's getting hardened. I'll probably go with steel myself just to be safe. He could paint it copper colored probably (I might do that myself just so I see who comes up to advise me on how it's gonna break).
Well, we know how to really start **** at a cruise or car show with our fuel line. Flower wanted the look of copper fuel line........I convinced her that copper wasn't a good idea so we did a compromise........we snaked a 1/4 steel fuel line through a soft copper line, then did the appropriate fittings and bent it up. Now she is happy with her "copper patina look" and I'm satisfied that the truck isn't going up in smoke. You should hear all the comments about that fuel line from uninformed bystanders. It's funny. Perhaps we will have an electrolysis problem some day from the "dissimilar metals" in contact with each other. But then, that could be another whole thread. Oh yeah.......it isn't a rat rod either.
i use copper fuel lines with no problems...Mac's sells the kits although most of what i use it on is restorations so it looks factory correct and those cars dont get driven that often...im not sure what canadian law is..but I know here if it was factory original that way then you are allowed to put it back that wat unless its a safety issue like some early cars that had copper brake lines then all you have to do is put a steel line inside a copper one to mask it...it gets tricky
this subject comes up a lot in the UK as well - copper isnt illegal over here in any way. we have specific copper line to do the job - its all certified etc. etc. in fact when i went to put brake pipes in the roadster its all the parts shops here sell now - the big 4 or 5 parts shops in town, which are nationwide parts stores, said they had not seen kunifer in the last 10 years or so and they werent aware it was available. that got me thinking that every car in town or around town which has had brake pipes replaced in the last TEN YEARS has more than likely had them replaced with copper pipes. ive never heard of any cars going on fire nor have I heard any stories in the news there was any accidents caused by cars with brake lines failing. As it comes up a lot over here I thought I would ask the guy who does my yearly checks (MOT) on cars and he couldnt recall seeing any cars with brakes lines which have cracked because they were copper. he had replaced lots because the steel lines used from the factory rust pretty quickly because we get lots of rain/snow and salt on the roads - and yep he uses copper, hes run his garage for the last 15 years or so and he didnt have any trouble with copper either.... personally I have had maybe 10 cars which have all had copper brake pipes on them and I never had an issues on any of the cars. Yep maybe there has been some which have been damamged through vibration or whatever but they must be very few and far between and you got to wonder if they were installed correctly in the first place.
Kunifer I've got looks like regular copper - typically dull brown-ish - never tried to polish it. Got a p/n? Funny cos I get all my Kunifer from the UK!
When I hear the term "rat rod" I think "street rod" that some trendy yuppie has made look like **** on purpose to be cool/get "Orca-billys" (Radial whitewalls, disc brakes, black primer and red wheels make me queasy). Without a doubt a derrogetory term.
The 46 ford coupe,i had had a factory copper line from the carb to the pump,and if you order a replacement one from macs, it is copper as well...
Flat Ernie... I will stop by the local NAPA this am and get a list of part #s in the different sizes. The online catalog is less than helpful ! Dave
This topic is rather humorous to me. It's similar to the "Spool on the street" debate. What makes me laugh is all the opinions that come from people who have never tried it or have heard from someone else who has never tried it. The only way your going to know wether or not something is going to work is to try it for yourself! Did they have the internet years ago when they decided to try copper for fuel lines then? No. It's all trial and error on our cars. The fear we all have is that all of our hard work will end up a pile of ashes. It doesn't have to happen with the right precautions and general common sense. That being said I have over 20,000 miles on my engine and I plan to run copper on everything else I own at some point. I see nothing wrong with it if installed correctly. I do agree with work hardening but all metals will work harden so take that into account while you are building and make it right. Just my rant on the subject. ******Knuckles
To quote myself...the original thread I was speaking of wasn't talking about work hardening alone. Someone had mentioned about petroleum products in contact with copper over time made the copper more brittle. All petroleum has some corrosive properties on all metals to varying degrees. There is even a standard test for measuring this corrosiveness. http://www.astm.org/Standards/D130.htm. I'm not losing any sleep over it though. Just one of those things you decide if you want the risk. Seems like a pretty slim risk. Now if I were building a vintage plane, I might give it more thought.
Copper may look cool, there are usually tech inspections that you can find in your area where you could ask the question about the legal thing. Steel would be less expensive since the price of copper is so high.
I would ALSO like to know more. I have a great NAPA around the corner, but sometimes (depending on who's working) they need a little "more" information. If the right person is there I'll walk in and they just know before the words come out. But most of the time it's "what year and make is the car and does it have A/C and what color is it, did it have a stereo and the optional fog lights?" On my Triumph I ran steel lines for my oil with DOT cone compression fittings and it looked really good. I'm thinking I might go this direction again.
The NAPA line is steel with a coating on it. I think the coating is teflon or something similar. They are black in color, and the coating acts as a lubricant (for easier bending), since it's slicker than the plain steel. Btw, my 5-window had copper line from the tank to the fuel pump and I just changed it out for steel line.
NAPA copper line part #'s; 1/8-7701500 3/16-7701501 1/4-7701502 5/16-7701503 3/8-7701504 7/16-7701505 1/2-7701506 5/8-7701507 3/4-7701508 ******Knuckles
That's the new stuff that 392Hemi just described? Sounds PERFECT and thank you for the part numbers!! That will make my life (and everyone else who goes to NAPA) easier! OH! Are you guys running 1/4 or 5/16 for your early Ford carbs? I was just going to go 1/4...
My 54 Chevy sedan had copper fuel line on it, so when I replaced it I used copper. It has been 7 or 8 years now and no problem yet, I think that with correct installation (clamp/hangers) and rubber hose at each end you would be fine. Yes, it will work harden, so just don't the ends go unsupported. Tom
"OH! Are you guys running 1/4 or 5/16 for your early Ford carbs? I was just going to go 1/4..." 1/4" line suffices to push a flathead to 100...you have six carbs and lines, I believe, so a quick flip of the slide rule shows you'll be good for 600MPH.
UH OH!!! Only 600 MPH!!!!??? I better go with 1/2" otherwise I'll NEVER make it to the moon!! I'll just fall out of the sky mid-orbit!! 1/4" it is. Easy to work with too.
OK guys and gals, Here is the straight deal... right from the napa catalog.. Copper / nickel alloy (90/10).. # 641- 3347 = 3/16 " 25 ft. roll - 3348 = " 100 ft. roll - 3349 = 1/4 " 25 ft. roll - 3350 = " 100 ft.roll - 3351 = 5/16" 25 ft. roll - 3352= " 100 ft. roll - 3353 = 3/8 " 25 ft. roll - 3354 = " 100 ft. roll This info found online @ napa BUT no size info.... Had to call napa tech and the refered me to the supplier.. AGS ( american grease stick ).. very helpful people ! Dave
What I have found that the part #'s I posted are for bendable copper line. (which I used for my fuel lines) The part #'s Dave Lewis posted is for copper/ nickel designed for hydraulic applications. I will take a look at the copper/ nickel line for future reference. ******Knuckles
Copper is not illegal in Canada. Some people wont use it and have some long complicatcated story of why you shouldnt use it but i have used it on all my race cars and many street cars. Never had a problem. Why do i use it? It doesnt rust , It bends easily and can be easily double flared for a nice safe job. Now for those who are naysayers. Get a holley dual feed line , the chome ones with the sqooping turns. Look inside, past the plating. What do you see? OH!!! Also check to see what br*** is made of. Hope this helps. don
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