I need to replace my fuel lines from the tank to the mechanical pump. I have the original '54 tank with an '84 351W. I'm not really sure what type of lines to buy. I do know that I want to use the AN fittings but I've never done that before, can someone explain how to do this?
usually we use 3/8" aluminium hard line. i either flare the end and use tube nuts and sleeves to adapt to an fittings or i bubble the end and use a regular rubber hose to the pump.
No problem with doing the lines with AN fittings but it's really not necessary,,I just recently finished up our '54 Ford "Ranch Wagon" and used 3/8" aluminum lines from NAPA,,they are easy to bend and work fine. HRP
I used 3/8 steel ready made lines with connector fittings on my 55. I used fitting wrenches to tighten everything, and have no leaks. Yes, its a bitch to get bent right, but with the short pieces near the ends where all the bends are, it went OK.
Like 54hotrod said, use 'tube nuts and sleeves' with hard tubing. Get aluminum tubing that way you can use a plumbers flaring tool to make the flare - the aluminum is soft enough that it will conform to the 37deg of the -AN fittings. To actually do the fitting you slip the tube nut and then the sleeve over the line, flare the line and the sleeve will slide down and seat on the flare, the nut will tighten to the male adaptor that is on the part you are connecting the line to and when you get wrench-tite the fitting will finish forming and be liquid tite. I've done literally thousands of them and they are totally leak free, tighten and forget them. Way better than double flare. One thing to remember, make your cut nice and square. If you use a tubing cutter have a good one so it don't pinch the line in at the cutting wheel. Try to leave as much meat on the end of the cut as possible - you don't want to ream the end because if it is too thin it'll crack and split when you make the flare, ok?
Oj thanks for the information. Hopefully I won't screw it up too many times. I'm pretty prone to becoming a pro at things like this by screwing it up the first few times. Is there a flaring tool that is better than the others or are they pretty much the same?
I prefer the straight hard tubing for aesthetics. The coiled aluminum stuff is fine but it always looks sloppy to me. No matter how you try you can not get it straight enough for my critical eye. I have used double flare connectors but usually I've been able to figure out a way to avoid them also. Strategically located fuel pumps and fuel filters can solve the 5 foot section problem. I know its annul but that's who I am. I use a hand held bender for better bends. Bends made with the thumbs....look like they were made with the thumbs. I was a steamfitter for almost 20 years and how my pipes look is important to me. We tried using coils of 1/2" soft copper for some chilled water work and ended up going with hard tubing and a bender to get it to look good and it was hidden above a dropped ceiling. I'm too old to change now.
I don't mind advice about being anal-retentive with these things, I'm that way too. I want it to look great all the time from every angle. Being that I've only been into this working on cars thing for a few years, I have more to learn and accomplish than I can imagine. Thanks for the advice and tommy those are funny quotes.
I ran braided off AN fittings on my hard line and used a S/S compression fittings with olives. It's been there for over 7yrs now and hasn't leaked with a HP electric pump.
I do mine using both steel and aluminum. I made the longest run from the tank to the engine bay from steel, as I wanted it strong, and long lasting. Then at the fuel regulator I ran aluminum lines to the fuel block, and each carb. Aluminum is much easier to work, and steel is stronger. Under the car was not a lot of bends, so the steel was easy. Under the hood was a lot of bends, and aluminum worked better/easier for me.
Invest in some good tubing benders and cutters. get some tubing to pratice your bends you will be able too figure out where to mark the tubing and put the bend where you want it. Just take you time and plan it out. The hard line is not hard too work with if you get some good benders and that is money well spent.
I keep my eyes open for tubing benders etc at swap meets since they have a lot of different radius bends on different brands, and if you can get them cheap it gives you a lot of options. For stainless lines it's hard to beat the Ridgid or Imperial benders.
I use only steel, but know many that use aluminum. The fact that no OEM's use aluminum (to my knowledge) is one of the reasons I don't. The other factors are easily breaking the aluminum flare and vibration dampening.
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