metal fuel line replacement in channel

[sovereignsamba]

I'm about to attempt this for a friend, any tips? This is what I've figured out so far, unclamp it at the back & wherever else is needed, remove the access plate behind the beam, attatch the new line to the old one & pull it out from the back. Has anyone else ever done this? Or attempted it?



SHANE

[turboblue]

There was a blurb on this in a recent HVW magazine. I think it was in the tech section. Pretty detailed. I don't have it here so I can't tell you which month it was.
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Gary

Turbo VW Sand Drag Buggy

"If you don't run into the Devil every once in awhile, you must be going in the same direction!"

[RareAir]

Hot VWs just did the article last month (Jan 05) You may not be able to remove the old fuel line as it is welded in several places. Rather just trim off the ends and run a new line inside the tunnel.

[volks67beetle]

Shane,

I have heard that this is a major pain in the arss... most of the time I have heard people running copper tubing or metal fuel line either under the car (YIKES) or along the tunnel under the carpet...but that way requires poking holes in your fire wall if you do that make sure you use rubber grommets or the wall will cut the line...as I am sure youknow that... but anyway... I am sure running it through the tunnel would be hard but not impossible.... yet it will vibrate if it is not attached to the tunnel inside like the original...but again I have never done this so that is what I assume will happen. Let us know how you do...will ya?

[gerg]

The Bentley actually has a VW method in it for running a replacement fuel line down the passenger's side of the shift tunnel - much like the brake line is on the driver's side. I'd scan and send to you but I am in Orlando and then New Orleans until 1/29. Also, search the topic because I am sure that we had a really detailed account of someone here on the Samba that went through this (running it inside the tunnel) and I know we each posted pictures to it. Search posts under my user name and look back about 8 months or so.

Good luck!
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Gerg

. . . I got 99 problems and my bus ain't one . . .

'65 Sunroof Beetle
'65 Vert
'60 Singlecab

[Alan Willis]

The easiest way to do it is with two people! first bend and flatten the end of the old fuel line and new fuel line together,and wrap with electrical tape(on the motor end)next remove the access cover from the front and have a friend pull on the old line while you push in the new line.It's a slow process but is good for 40+years!
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die schwarzen Schafe #666

[sovereignsamba]

thanks for all the help! you guys are great when it comes to this stuff. I think I'm still going to attempt to run it inside the tunnel, & Maybe smear some JB weld on the outside of the line before I send it in so it will attatch to the inside of the tunnel & not vibrate. When I heard of this shop wanting to run the gas line under my friends car I knew I had to try to do something else.

[frank-k]

I did mine last year. The body was off the pan and I was replacing the pan head. I tried putting it in from the front and the rear and it went in easiesr from the back. The biggest problem I had was I used an english measurement line instead of metric and it is slightly larger. The line is not welded in but runs thru some metal tabs bent around it. I could get the new line to slide thru all but one of the bent tabs. This ended up being an all day job but would have been about half that if I'd given up on the one tab sooner. The metric size line is available but the only company I could find that had it had a minimum order $ and I would have had to buy forty feet. I don't think trying to tape the lines together will work because the tape will make the lines to fat to slide thru the tabs but you could use a stiff piece of wirethat will fit inside the old line and pull it thru as you pull out the old line. Hot VW's has a letter from someone who used a similar method. I think it is in the Feb issue. It isn't an easy job but I think it's better to replace it in the stock position, good luck

[Bruce]

I just did this last week. The job is a lot easier than most people make it out to believe.

With the body off I would believe its easier to insert it from the rear. But if you have the engine in and a body on, the front is the way to go.

First, remove all the cover plates up front, then take the back seat out and remove that one too. I took the cage off my incandescent trouble light so I could stick the whole bulb inside the tunnel at the rear.
With my biggest wire cutters I cut the front of the fuel line as far back as possible. Then I did the same at the shift coupler hole. Remove the pieces you cut off.
Now feed in the line from the front, making sure you go underneath the cross brace at the front of the clutch tube. Feed it all the way to the shifter coupler then stop. Insert a piece of welding rod, or straightened coat hanger wire into the frame fork from the rear until it comes out by the shift coupler. Place the end of the wire into the end of the fuel line. Then continue pushing the fuel line until it comes out the frame fork hole. I then marked the position of the fuel line at the front where it exits the pan. I pulled the line out and cut it off, then re-installed it in the fork at the rear. Now that its in place, you have to secure it. I used nylon tie straps. Use as many as you can. I used really long ones, and wrapped them around the new line, securing it to the old line. You can install them through small openings like the e-brake hole with long pliers or surgical hemostats.

[luis]

I did not have as good luck as Bill. Perhaps he has small hands and he obviously is a better mechanic than me. Here is what I did to replace the fuel line. Do not use copper. Used standard 1/4 diameter fuel line if nothing else can be found.

Point 1, 2, 3 are where the line enter the front of the bug and nothing hold it in place there except the rubber grommet and the front of the tunnel. In the tunnel there are only tabs that are bent over the line and gblakeney has confirmed this. Once inside the tunnel tie wrps can hold the line to the existing metal tubes for the cluth and throttle calbe.

Point 4 is difficult to manuver if you insert the line from the front. I would go from the ass forward as its easier.

to be honest I was never able to enter one solid piece of line. I could only make it from the rear to the mid point and from the front to mid point. I kept the threaded ends of the lines and joined them with a brassed cupler. No leaks works fine.

Here are links to what i did.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=90331&highlight=

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=85052&highlight=

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=84369