I was thinking of replacing the clear plastic pipes from tank to fuel pump and from fuel pump to bulkhead connector as they are yellow and feel a little brittle. Are clear plastic fuel pipes correct, as the the usual supplier is selling the two pipes (C24757) for $140. Should the original pipes be cunnifer or something similar? Thanks for any advice.
Rob
S1 DHC
The factory correct fuel lines aren’t clear plastic, but a white nylon which naturally yellows in time, and is attached without hose clips on the banjo fitting barbs. Assuming your banjos are in fine shape, you can just buy nylon line by the foot and save quite a bit compared to the assembled line sets. I don’t recall if SNGB sells bulk line, but I know Moss does for about $1.50 per foot (https://mossmotors.com/white-nylon-fuel-line)
Or if you aren’t concerned with factory correctness, any auto parts shop has fuel hose; you’ll need corresponding hose clamps too.
I feel that fuel lines are an important safety item especially in the boot in case of an accident. I replaced mines with fire marine USCG certified fuel hoses. Much thicker walls and resist to flames much longer.
It is a safety issue and you should let your comfort factor be the prime factor but if you do a Search I don’t feel that you will find much history on J-L about those lines failing due to brittle fracture. In the great scheme of things, they have lived a pretty sheltered life, say compared to those in the engine compartment.
BTW, here is how the S1 Authenticity Guide describes them. Not sure what car you have?
FUEL LINE
Clear nylon type material, not reinforced with cords, that rapidly turns a light yellow
Beware the pump to bulkhead pre-made fuel lines from both Moss and SNG are not the correct length. You will end up with a situation like this, where the two lines don’t follow the same path near the pump as the originals did.
Here is another picture of how it looks installed with the extra long loop.
The original looked like this:
The Moss and SNG premade lines are identical except the SNG version is about $35 more. If you want to make your own lines using your own fittings be aware the SNG bulk line is 8mm ID whereas the original was 1/4" (or about 6mm). To use the SNG bulk line you will need their fittings too. The Moss bulk line does not give a diameter, but if you find out let me know. Personally I don’t like the extra long loop and would prefer the original routing. I have returned both kits to SNG and Moss and am on the hunt for the correct fuel line to use with my original fittings.
Rick OBrien
65 FHC in FL
Tweety’s were original 1962 issue, and were as flexible and robust as new, AFAICT.
I left well enough alone.
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And exactly why I brought up the bulk line from Moss, which seems to fit quite snugly on the banjos and can be cut to the right length. And it’s a lot cheaper too.
I’ll share a tip I got from Jerry Mouton 20 years ago. It is a royal pita to get that hard nylon over the banjo barb. It’s also very difficult to clamp it without it slipping or being crushed. The easy solution is to screw together two pieces of wood. Drill a hole between their faces that is just a bit smaller than the OD of the tube.
Unscrew them and lay the tube in the channel with enough sticking out to cover the barb. Then stick the whole thing in a vice and clamp tight. Now hammer the barb in with a mallet. No heating should be required.
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OK great, thanks. It wasn’t clear if you had actually tried it.
Rick
My reproduction outlet (90 degree) at the top of the tank had no barb. If you use regular fuel line it will only stay on by the friction supplied by the clamp. At minimum this requires a fuel injection style clamp which applies a more even clamp. with a remote pump this fitting is under suction. An original style 3.8 with an in tank pump puts this fitting under pressure.
By the way, it should be noted that nylon is the material of choice for automobile manufacturers these days, based on its compatibility with all fuel types and its very low permeability (which is essential for meeting EPA requirements). The nitrile rubber hoses do not usually meet the EPA requirements, and it is possible that one might detect a slight fuel odor in the boot due to its permeability.
For USCG approval, the hoses simply have to meet the SAE and/or UL requirements that pretty much all quality hoses meet. Interestingly, the USCG does not care about the permeability much and hoses which meet their standards do not meet the class standards set by EPA.
Regardless, I do not believe one can go wrong with either type. If you’re looking for authenticity, the bulk nylon is an economical way to go over the pre-made kits and can be cut to a more correct length, but if one prefers a connection with hose clamps then a quality SAE compliant nitrile rubber works just fine.
BTW, the nylon hose can be a bit tough to install onto the banjo barbs. Some advocate using a heat gun to soften up the nylon a bit so it is easier to push on, but I’d argue against this. I think this could allow the nylon to stretch a bit too much and lose some elasticity and it would not be as tight and secure in the long run. I’ve used a golf club shaft rubber clamp to hold the tubing in a vise and then pushed the banjo onto it with some light taps from a rubber mallet.
I’ll magnify that: use a rubber mallet.
Grainger’s sold me a roll of the white nylon fuel line for 20 odd dollars. Might look at their site.
Richard
I used a pot of boiling water and dipped the ends of the tubing for a few moments before pushing them on the barbs by hand. Once it cools they are on solid.
I then dipped various parts of the tubing in the water to soften and held them in a shape to match the shape of the originals until they cooled. It takes a few tries to get the final shape and makes the installation easier.
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Thanks everyone for the good advice.
Rob
A similar idea and easy to make:
- Take two small pieces of wood about 3" X 3" and 3/4" thick.
- Clamp them together to form a sandwich 1-1/2" thick.
- Drill a hole, a couple of drill bit sizes smaller than the OD of the tubing, down the center of the two pieces of the wood. You want half the hole in each 3" X3" face of the wood blocks.
- Place the end of the nylon tubing between the two blocks with about 1-1/2" sticking out and and chuck that into a vise.
- Use a soft face rubber mallet to tap the banjo fitting into the tubing.
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I just bought the bulk line from Moss and it appears quite large. The original line is 1/4"ID (.250) and the Moss is 5/16"ID (.312), each having a 1/16" wall. I called Moss and as far as they can tell it is intended to work with OEM fittings i.e. they don’t sell a special fitting for their bulk line (like SNG does). The fitting shank is about .306" and the barbs are about .350"
Here is a comparison, would you use it?
Rick OBrien
65 FHC in FL
Rick;No, get the proper hose or it will leak.
Regards, Joel……
I used Tygon fuel line available at Aircraft Spruce. Very easy to work with.
Mike
I might be wrong but the new hose ID is .312 while the bard OD is .350
That is about 40 thou of interference. That should really stretch the hose and seal well. Or will it?
Seems ok to try for me but others can comment
Dennis
69 OTS