| Author |
Message |
jashv
Samba Member
Joined: September 01, 2004
Posts: 428
Location: Shepherdsville, KY
|
 Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 4:52 am Post subject: |
 |
|
For some reason yesterday I was all tied up in the math of the sizes I didn't pay attention to price. If you purchase two of the manifolds and 8 threaded to barb fittings you're looking at $95  Suddenly the van-cafe units have gotten more appealing Vanagon parts suck, why do we love these bricks on wheels so much. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
bluebus86
Banned
Joined: September 02, 2010
Posts: 11075
|
| Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 12:36 am Post subject: |
|
|
| like the original poster, i used old Porsche 914 fuel rails that i just happened to have, all steel, can probably be bought used for cheap. these wont fail ever. painted them pretty orange, so they look nice. No need for fancy machined parts, save money! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
jashv
Samba Member
Joined: September 01, 2004
Posts: 428
Location: Shepherdsville, KY
|
| Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 4:58 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Does anyone sell 914 rails ? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
msinabottle
Samba Member
Joined: September 20, 2005
Posts: 3492
Location: Denver Area, Colorado
|
| Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 7:10 pm Post subject: Musings... |
|
|
I'm DEFINITELY re-doing Winston's fuel lines with PolyArmor metal fuel line. In my program of 'de-polymering' his fuel system, I'm pretty sure that I'll replace the old nylon fuel rails, although I do think Chris/10cent is correct to say that's it's not that severe a risk. I just don't want any risk.
Such Porsche 914 rails as I could find, new aftermarket, are as expensive as the two aftermarket options for Vanagons mentioned elsewhere in this thread--still for sale, in our classifieds and by Van Cafe.
It would be NICE to get metal fuel rails to which I could attach flared, screw on fittings from the metal fuel lines--Look, Ma, no clamps! But I haven't seen any. What I'd end up doing, as of now, is to metric bubble flare my new metal lines, then use short lengths of the best Gates or Goodyear rubber fuel lines with clamps on both ends. Not an ideal solution, but workable... They might have the advantage of dampening vibration.
I muse, and invite your thoughts...
Best!
_________________
'Winston,' '84 1.9 WBX Westy
Vanagon Poet Laureate: "I have suffered in
many ways, but never, never, never in silence." |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
morymob
Samba Member
Joined: November 09, 2007
Posts: 4683
Location: east-tn
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 4:04 am Post subject: |
|
|
| I used the metal ones of the Bay/FI, had plastic one crack and a dripdown onto ex pipe,dodged the bullit that time, NO more plastic. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
bluebus86
Banned
Joined: September 02, 2010
Posts: 11075
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 8:33 am Post subject: |
|
|
I think the 914 and bay window metal rails are identical if that is any help in locating them. they are nice, no threaded parts to leak, the ends are barbed, but you need hose clamps too.
there has been no performance issues with these rails. you do not need to worry about the lack of extra volume of the 914 rails. there is huge volume already in the system with all the hoses and such. the volume issue is a non issue on the vanagon,
My vanagon has been running great with these 914 /baywindow fuel rails. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
The Machinist
Samba Member
Joined: November 16, 2009
Posts: 42
Location: Santa Cruz
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 11:31 am Post subject: |
|
|
| randywebb wrote: |
you have to wonder why VW went to the trouble of putting those little rubber discs in the ends of the stock ones -- maybe they are supposed to function to reduce pressure fluctuations??
if an Al one works fine under all conditions, that would be an improvement tho, as plastic will not last forever |
That circular piece on the end of the stock part is a plastic plug crimped on with a metal ring. Not exactly leak-proof, but I'm sure they sorted them out.
I machined the Van-Cave fuel rail as efficiently as I could to get it to be a direct replacement for the OEM piece and to minimize the danger of leaking. I pressure test every single one at 90-100 PSI, which I understand is approximately 4x the pressure that runs in the fuel system.
Additionally, I found that the BMW rubber fuel line will hold that pressure without hose clamps. Not that I recommend that, of course. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
randywebb
Samba Member
Joined: February 15, 2005
Posts: 3815
Location: Greater Metropolitan Nimrod, Orygun
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 12:51 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Thanks for the X-section - I'm still wondering why VW made them that way...
_________________
1986 2.1L Westy 2wd Auto Trans. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Altoona
Samba Member
Joined: November 14, 2011
Posts: 505
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 1:06 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| randywebb wrote: |
| Thanks for the X-section - I'm still wondering why VW made them that way... |
The limitations of injection molding, I presume. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Navy_Flyer
Samba Member
Joined: January 08, 2012
Posts: 474
Location: Charlottesville, VA
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 1:21 pm Post subject: |
|
|
"That circular piece on the end of the stock part is a plastic plug crimped on with a metal ring. Not exactly leak-proof, but I'm sure they sorted them out".
Not quite - look closer - there is an o-ring there - you can see it in cross-section if you look closely where the two pieces mate at top and bottom. Makes it virtually leak proof since the crimped on metal end piece keeps it all compressed/together.
_________________
1987 Westfalia, Automatic. EJ25 VANARU Conversion |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
randywebb
Samba Member
Joined: February 15, 2005
Posts: 3815
Location: Greater Metropolitan Nimrod, Orygun
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 1:43 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Altoona wrote: |
| randywebb wrote: |
| Thanks for the X-section - I'm still wondering why VW made them that way... |
The limitations of injection molding, I presume. |
they could easily have made a "U" in the end of these things w/o going to all the trouble of an O-ring, plug, and metal crimp
_________________
1986 2.1L Westy 2wd Auto Trans. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
The Machinist
Samba Member
Joined: November 16, 2009
Posts: 42
Location: Santa Cruz
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 2:49 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Navy_Flyer wrote: |
| Not quite - look closer - there is an o-ring there - you can see it in cross-section if you look closely where the two pieces mate at top and bottom. Makes it virtually leak proof since the crimped on metal end piece keeps it all compressed/together. |
Good eye! That shows up better in the picture than in person. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Altoona
Samba Member
Joined: November 14, 2011
Posts: 505
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 2:56 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| randywebb wrote: |
| Altoona wrote: |
| randywebb wrote: |
| Thanks for the X-section - I'm still wondering why VW made them that way... |
The limitations of injection molding, I presume. |
they could easily have made a "U" in the end of these things w/o going to all the trouble of an O-ring, plug, and metal crimp |
You have to be able to remove the part of the mold that is on the inside somehow. One end needs to be open and then capped after the fact. You could perhaps make the piece totally enclosed using rotational molding, but I am not sure that kind of technology was available or economically feasible then (or now) for a part like this. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
