Technical A Traditional Looking Alternative To Neoprene Fuel Line-Cool Stuff

safari-wagon here on the HAMB, and I are buddys. He makes custom hose conversion kits for GM LS engines called TechAFX. It's new technology teflon lined, steel braded hose that withstands the abuse from the alcohol laden fuels that eventually turn neoprene into a gummy unsafe mess. Its pretty cool stuff. Now normally, this stuff has to have factory style quick disconnect fittings crimpped on and the look of the hose itself is too current looking. Not stuff us traditional guys are into for sure.

It was too good to not be used on hot rods though. So he came up with, and patented, a br*** fitting design that would allow this hose to be installed with a regular old hose clamp, mine are black but other than the color no difference. Then he had some hose produced with a skin over the braided steel that makes it look like plain old 3/8" neoprene hose you'd get from the parts store.

After Autorama he gave me some hose, fittings with pipe thread for the fuel block and some that screw into the needle and seat on my Strombergs. He said, "hey try this stuff out and tell me what you think". I'm pretty tough on traditional cars with alternators, disc brakes etc. I know i'm not the only one around here like that either. He knows I'm an A-Hole about that stuff too and I suspect that's why I was the Guinea Pig, lol. He knew I would be honest.

So a few months ago I pulled all my old fuel lines and set about installing all the stuff he gave me. It's easy to install, no different than regular 3/8" neoprene. Looks wise it's no different either. I've put 400+miles on this stuff so far and it's rock solid. People don't even notice it unless I point it out and that was the whole idea. New fuel safe hose that looked the traditional part. I was in Perrysburg with my 31 AV8 pickup last night. Went to hang out with the Rollin Bones at their first stop on their annual Bonneville run. Truck got looked over pretty good. No one noticed it wasn't 3/8" neoprene.

This might sound like a commercial for something safari-wagon sells. That wasn't the intent really. This stuff is just friggin cool and people need to know about it. I know I don't want all my hard work goin up in flames and I've had rubber hose almost make that happen for me. Anyway, here are some pics of it on my truck. Check it out. I think it's pretty cool.

 

Heck,I am looking directly at the line and it looks basically the same as whats on my cars,,is this in production as we speak? HRP

 

BTW,,your fan belt looks might loose! HRP

 

Very cool!

 

Yeah it's available. Cool stuff huh? I think it looks right at home with my "traditionally leaky strombergs" lol. I'm sure safari-wagon will see this and chime in but you can PM him. Generator was off being serviced when the fuel lines were being done HRP, lol.

 

I could dig it! How do we get this stuff? Is it going to be put on the market or do we get it from safari-wagon?..................

 

TechAFX.com is his website addy or you could always shoot him a PM

 

Does the extra weight of the steel braid cause the line going to your front carb to sag, or does it sag less than standard line? Thanks for the info, your engine looks great.

 

Can I get it in red/orange

 

Thanks Harv. Here's a straight on shoot I just took. It's actually not heavy like you would think when you hear "steel braid".

 

Thats what I asked, like the old red neoprene that Edelbrock used to sell! I don't think so unfortunately.

 

Mine is old Edelbrock stuff and been on for a couple of years. Wondering how long before it goes bad.

 

Didn't I actually find that hose on Ebay and point you to it when you were trying to find some? I did for someone I remember. Cool *** T-Bucket. The red hose is friggin cool but hasn't been made for a loooong time. When it was being made, gas was just, well, gas.

 

neeter'n a *****ers peeter

 

I just replaced mine with new stuff I got at a local parts house. It is for the new **** gas.

 

Was that you? Thanks for P.M.ing me. I bought all the guy had. Think he thought I was a little touched for wanting all the red hose he had. That was all I needed to complete "the look" I needed.
That's what the HAMB is all about. Helping each other.
Thanks again.
Gary

 

I think it looks great.


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As I was scrolling down through this thread, I was thinking the same thing! Too bad its not.

 

Thank you! Link saved. And now....... my mental clock takes over.



It's a little "pricey", but so is replacing a car, if a regular hose deteriorates.

 

Friggen gearheads...

 

Ethanol & additives in today's gasoline oxidize EPDM rubber very quickly & only a Teflon (PTFE) hose is impervious to these chemicals. No rubber hose is immune to degradation, but worse than that, I found out that the entire aftermarket is *****d up with inferior Chinese rubber hoses that rot even quicker.


My biggest peeve with my rod (other than ****ty repop Wheel Cylinders) was having to replumb the rubber bits on my fuel system every year. I hated smelling the gasoline that weeped thru the rubber hoses just weeks after the new hoses were installed. I was hell-bent to find an alternative that would let me keep the old school look. At that time, my only option was to use AN fittings, which are period correct, but not what I wanted. That meant that the only option I had was to design a proper solution, so I did.

PTFE & rubber hoses each have different size IDs, use different attachments & you cannot interchange the fittings. I wanted to use a screw clamp to retain the hose, but rubber fittings either wouldn't fit or wouldn't seal Teflon hoses. That forced me to design, fab, & test the TX fittings that Scotty installed on his (killer) A-bone. They are offered thru TechAFX's website.

Scotty's no-bullsh*t approval stands for something big in my book.

 

BTW- I did look at the red & orange outer coverings. The old neoprene hoses are translucent & I couldn't get them to tweak the look & make it "right". Samples looked too much like they belonged on a rice-burner...

 

When you figure in how many times you would replace neoprene to be "safe", against how long this stuff lasts I'm not sure you'd be out any more money. Like I said earlier, I've had a rubber hose go before on my old Y-Block powered truck. Spung a leak while I was driving, just a pin hole in the middle of one of 6 hoses (weiand dragstar 6x2). I was driving and saw it out the windshield ******* straight up and landing right on the header! It was vaporizing as soon as it hit. I was in the middle lane, couldn't get over and I was freaking out! Finally got into a parking lot and shut down without a fire breaking out. I honestly don't know why there wasn't a fire. Only person I could get hold of was my sister. She showed up 30 minutes with 6 foot of new hose and I changed it all out right there in the lot. The next 2 summers I changed it out at the begining of the season just to be safe and checked it all the time.

When I plumbed the 3x2 my A pickup I used steel from the tank forward and plumbed the carbs with 1/4" NiCopp which didn't have enough volume. I still had to use a small 6" piece of rubber also which didn't thrill me. So this stuff was a good solution for me. I don't worry about it anymore.

 

Man that stuff looks great..


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Yup. Cool stuff right there.

I've seen it in person and it is top notch stuff.

I need some of this in my life.

.

 

So is this some how better (or different) than the ethanol resistant fuel line that I've been using ? I've never had any issues.

 

that is awesome!
I'm tired of changing fuel line every six months. went as far as buying a spool of the "best" neoprene line I could find... right now I'm changing twice a year on three motorcycles and two cars.

 

Hm Last time I saw a braided hose do that was when it had too much pressure. Not that I'm questioning it but you can tell it's a modern engine most likely fuel injected.

BTW I've seen this stuff, Yes it's pricey but worth it IMO.

 

So there is no way to slip this over the end of an existing hard line and just clamp it down?

 

No prices on your website!