I recently had the flexible fuel filler pipe from Bob Drake develop a split causing gas to run out on the ground as I was filling the car. There was a 3 year warranty and so they replaced the part. When I removed the old filler pipe and examined it I found that it was showing a lot of deterioration and appeared to be ready to split along the seams. I called BD and asked them if they wanted me to return the part so they could see the problem. They said they did not need it returned and would notify those who needed to know. They also said this had happened to at least one other customer. Anyway, if you are using this part (which I think is a great idea if they last) I suggest you check it for deterioration. As I said it is warrantied for 3 years.
It is a universal part made to be flexible so it can connect a replacement gas tank with the fill tube. You can go to Bob Drake. com and look at it. It is found in the gas tanks section of the catalog.
Well shoot, I purchased one and was going to use this weekend to install my filler tube. Forget the warranty...I do not want to be somewhere with gas running out on the ground. YIKES! I think I will take a different approach. George
Well the usual naysayers are out there bashing a part they have probably never used - I have used this on two cars where nothing else would work and have no problems to report. That does not mean to say that the problem does not exist, but so far so good, so thanks for the heads up 5brown1. This part seems to be made of neoprene or some similar synthetic and I am wondering if there was any corrosion on the pipe stubs it connects to which may have pierced it near the hose clamp? This would certainly be my immediate su****ion. And while I am at it, Bob Drake and his company are stand up guys who stand behind their products, so could we have a little less bashing from the ignoranti please?
Installed one on a 40 woodie--did the same thing--split at the seam-caught it when I saw a small leak after pouring in some gas--threw it away and made a different setup
Ford has lots of problems with rubber filler hoses on Ranger pickups as well. National back-order last I heard. I certainly wouldn't blame Bob too much, nor the Chinese. It's our modern fuels.
A universal problem I have have with most street rod repop rubber based products is their tendency to age prematurely. Not just BD, but most seem to be leaving out whatever preservative needs to be in the rubber compound. I have multiple street rod parts, bought 3-4 years ago from multiple suppliers, now dried out and not flexible. I do not see the same issues with parts I buy for my daily driver at the local parts store.
It's the fuel eating any and all rubber parts out there not just The Bob's. Really the best thing to do is add these parts to your vehicle inspections that you do to keep your car safe. You remember those inspections that you do, and you should check your fuel tank gaskets as well because corn fuel is eating them too. If in doubt swap it out. Stay safe.
I know a lot of people have viewed this but I'm going to bring it back to the top one more time so others who have the part have a chance to see it. It would be a bummer to have this fail on a long trip. I was fortunate to be only about 130 miles from home when mine split.
I must have missed something, I didnt see any bashing but the OP explaining what he experienced with a certain part, he was told its happened to others with the same item, so he is spreading the word and look, someone had one they decided to not use based on the info from the customer and the place (BD) that sold the item said the same thing. unless things got deleted, I see nothing out of line yet.
One more naysayer that has this POS part crack in 2 places neither on the seam. This has been installed for about 1.5 years, with 2 tanks of gas and garage-time the remainder. I only used a 4" section of this "problem solving hose" to connect a perfectly straight shot between the filler neck and tank. It a SOB to replace this on a 37 panel truck so I am HAPPY to be able to get on here and bash this, one more piece of Drake junk. I find it hard to beleive that someone hasn't noticed good ol' Bob about this problem but I see he still has it for sale on his website. The irony is that my father installed a used piece of "unsafe for gasoline" radiator hose on this truck in 1975 that served fine up until I tore the truck down in 2010. Anyone know where I can get 2" hose that will tolerate the ethanol impregnated gasoline we are stuck with today?
I have had 2 of them split on me. Found out a long way from home at a gas station at fill up time. Lots of money on the ground. Called on the second one to Bob Drake. It seemed to me that the person on the phone had heard this before. Both were less than a year old. Found a gates truck hose with the "close enough" bend in it to work.
I purchased one of these and after seeing just how thin & flimsy the product is I decided to do something different,,this would be a ideal piece for many problem applications if it were to be made from a thicker better constructed material. Mine is still in the top of my tool box. HRP
Makes me wonder why my 53 year old rubber connector is still functioning .... blame it on what you want but it all comes down to ****py quality control and manufactuers dont build in longeviety in there products in modern times.
I cannot express just how thin this rubber is,,no automotive hose I have ever seen is as thin as this,,the rubber will actually stretch,,Bob Drake has made some excellent parts over the years but this is undoubtedly the worst part he has sold,,I'm sure it is made off shore. HRP
I've been using one for a coupla years with no problem. After seeing this post, I just went out and checked mine and it appears to be fine. But thanks for the heads up. Can't be too careful!
Right here: Fuel Hose for Gasoline with Ethanol Sizes to 4 inch ID. Please guys, use real fuel hose for fuel. The USCG rating is a tough one to p***, and the above vendor sells it by the foot. B.
Seems Bobby D must be fishing for a liability suit; I wonder how long before one of these failures results in a fire. I do have to say that it is a great idea in principle, and that is why my pop bought one for me, but then it peeves me to learn there are lots of failures out there and he is still selling them.
Seems to me the same thing could easily be accomplished with straight pieces of fuel hose and a steel elbow with hose clamps. The part even looks hokey.
I used Gates fuel tank hose that is rated for ethenol. Picked it up at the local CarQuest store. Black with a yellow stripe. Since this hose is not very flexible I was going to buy a piece of prebent stainless tube to cut for the radius I needed. Then I could fit two 4 inch pieces of hose on each end. In my parts stash I found a steel fuel filler neck off an old pickup that had a perfect radius for my project and just cut out a section. Perfect fit and cost nothing other than a foot of hose and clamps. Just thought I would share how I solved this. And with good ol USA parts.
Bringing this up again as I just inspected the replacement I mentioned and found it was cracking. It lasted seven years. So better this time. I keep an extra on hand as it is about the only thing that will work on my set up. If you have one on better keep an eye on it.
I don't mind bashing Bob Drake. He deserves it. I bought 4 hubcaps out of Bob's hands at Pate. I tried all four on the right front wheel of my truck which has Genuine Ford rims. One went on with the proper 'pop' and stayed on. One would not even pop and immediately fell off into my hand. One went on with a weak pop and fell off when I drove it. The last fit correctly. Bob Drake denied the defects until I got the Better Business Bureau involved. He sells other ****py substandard parts too.
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