I finally went, the Steel Tunnel Fuel Line. Question !

[nextgen]

Well I bought the Redline Tranny oil and was trying to get at the Filler plug.

All over the youtube it says , make sure you can remove the filler plug, before dropping oil.

Will, I guess this is a good thing, obviously my 40 year old steel fuel line was corroded and I just tapped it.

You know the rest of the story.

Got to fix it fast. Think I need about 8 feet of the 1/4" line but going to buy all they have is 14 Feet. $30 not bad.

Just checking if that length should do it. There are a lot of bends??


Below is were I put my brake line 20 years ago. The old brake line rusted and shot fluid on my leg. The will Never rust if off the floor. BTY the Brake line is above the pedals, looks like is resting on it.

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[GARRICK.CLARK]

14 feet is more than enough

[nextgen]

Thanks, now to get the 17mm Allen socket adapter to loosen the tranny plugs.
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[nextgen]

If you ever had the steel gas line crack in the tunnel you will not forget it, especially if you are in an area you cannot stop and leave the car.

I once drove 30 miles with a friend in sub freezing temps with the windows open so we could get some fresh air.

Lucky this time I smelled gas in my friends Townhouse parking lot. His neighbors would have killed him and the EPA would be after my ass, if I did not stop the dripping.

I took off the front tire and use a vice grip to gently squeeze the line under the tank and stop the flow. I would not have been able to go home and sleep if I didn't fix it.

Then the hunt was on to find 1/4" steel line. That is not as easy to get as it may sound. This was an emergency and I could not wait a week for steel tubing.

Finally I checked out Advance Auto Parts and they had exactly what i needed.
a 25 ft roll of 1/4" coated steel tube for brake and gas lines.

Cost $30 bucks including tax and it was in stock . It is called Poly Armor, PAC -425 Poly Coated Steel. 25 ft is more than I need, but good to have if I screw up, which it brings me to a question.

I bent my other line by hand, but it was thinner. Going to do some tight bends or just make the bends larger then I need. Any suggestions other then using a tube bender. I don't want to kink the line.
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[Pruneman99]

In a pinch without a tubing bender I've laid the line down on a flat surface and used a mandrel to carefully bend the tubing around it. Go slow and take your time.

Big sockets or a can of soup work ok

[Bryan67]

I`ve done this a couple times. there was a good article years ago in Hot VW`s that is a big help. Cut the old line off at the tunnel and push it in. It`s easier with e brake, shifter and pedals out if you can. Straighten the line out but slightly curve the end up a little. And you don`t need a tubing bender to bend the tubing. You can do it by hand. Carefully feed it into the hole towards the back of the car, and carefully feed it through to the front. It may take awhile, so be patient. One of the things in the article was to drill a little hole at the end of the new line to hook it and pull it up through the hole at the front of the pan. It also helps if you use a hole saw and drill a bigger hole in the frame head. I found a perfect grommet at my local Ace Hardware to fill the gap. I think it was 1 1/4" with a 1/4" hole in the middle. Hope this helps.
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[nextgen]

Yes guys the trick is to not kink and that can only be caused by too sharp a bend.

This stuff is 1/4"
tube but really stiff, I am not at the car yet today or maybe even tomorrow
and just running the possibilities over in my brain.

Funny how we forget, the bends under my pedals that i did for my brake lines years ago are not sharp. As you can see in the photo below.


like you said get the straight first.

The rear carb end is not a problem, a couple of degrees out of the hole and right to the original pipe and hose location

The front -- tank end after it the hole will need to go up an over the tunnel.

Again not a big deal, should work out ok.


I have to get back to the bug to really see,

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[txoval]

You just need a cylinder to bend the line against...could be a piece of pipe, tin can, etc. this will keep you from bending it too far.

[GARRICK.CLARK]

I fitted my steel petrol pipe from the frame head access plate between the front beam. Removed the gear box block under the back seat to get better access to it. And eventually got it through original out let on the chassis fork. Don't forget to put some masking tape over the end of the pipe.

[nextgen]

Actually I got finished to get 10 feet straight, left the other 15 feet on the reel.

No bad at all I was trying to work a 10" piece while it was still on the roll. That was tough.

Did not cut it off the reel Till I get to see the car on Monday.

I like this stuff. Got a great coating,

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/poly-armour-pv...Poly-Armou
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[raygreenwood]

[nextgen]

Not going to do the tunnel , as in photos the gas line will right next to the brake line.

You just don't know what is going on in that tunnel. Keep it off the floor so it can't get wet. The tunnel is one of my worst fears.

Other parts you can hear it going like the Tranny or the engine, or a visible rubber fuel line.

It goes and can be very dangerous. My wife said take take it to Auto Repair place. I said, it is leaking gas in my friends Townhouse Community. I have to stop that first. The last time I needed welding work done to my bug and it smelled of gas. The guys said bring it back when you find the leak. I am not putting it in my shop. It was just a bunch of fuel lines around the tank.

Actually now that I stopped the leak I am happy I got this time bomb disarmed.
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[raygreenwood]

[nextgen]

Just finished the job. Not exactly easy, it takes some before hand thinking, due to the fact you can't unbend a tight bend.

My bug is a 74. I ran it along the drivers side tunnel. The tube can run straight out from the front firewall to the rear firewall then connect to the carbs hose.

The issue is on my 74 the tube has to go over the master cylinder and it's hoses, than over the tunnel to my electric pump. That is a tough bend due to the stuff in your way and you want to stay clear of moving parts like the steering links.

So I figured this is the best way to go. I starter from the front of the bug.

I Cut 13 feet of tube then feed it in under the steering rods into the front fire wall. As it entered the cabin I started to coil it. I left enough of the tube near the master cylinder to start bending slowly. keep pulling the tube from the cabin till i got a flowing bend over the tunnel and miss the master cylinder hoses and steering rods. Now I had the rest of the 13" tube to deal with.

Of the 13 feet of tube I at least had 11 feet of in cabin. It was one monster bent tube that i had to get into the rear firewall slowly. No real bends after you get it out the rear firewall.. It is just slowly feeding it in without kinking the 11 feet in the cabin. The more that goes thru the firewall the straighter it gets in the cabin till you get it nice and straight tube alone the tunnel. I ended up with about extra 1 1/2 feet. Which was not fun to cut off with a hack saw. I used a 1/4 " drill to deburr were I cut the tube an then a file to clean up the outside.

Ray that Poly Armour is TOUGH!!!!!! You can hand bend it but it is the toughest tubing I ever hand bent of 1/4"

Done, sweated my ass due to storms I was trying to beat out and I did.

Toasted myself with a cold beer!!!!!
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[nextgen]

A post above shows my brake line along side my tunnel.

This photo was taken today Gas line attached to the brake line.

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[raygreenwood]

[nextgen]

It was only really tough when you have a foot of area to work in. Trying to get around the the other parts in that 1 foot and you have 2 feet of the tubing to bend.

Other wise it was not that much more effort.

Like I said you have to plan it out and the other old warning. Measure 3 times ( or more ) and Cut once.
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[earthquake]

I think I would slip a full length piece of rubber fuel over it but that's me.

eQ
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69 DUNE BUGGY
79 INTERNATIONAL SCOUT II
05 SCION XB SERIES RELEASE 2[#437]
95 Chevy C3500 dually
98 Ford E150
Link to Kelly J. Nolte 3/20/53 - 11/6/08
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DEATH TO CHINGERS!
[From a military recruitment poster in the novel "The Stainless Steel Rat" By Harry Harrison]

[nextgen]

Earthquake, Well Ok, but as I mentioned I had 11 feet in the cabin that I had to wrestle with, It can be done but it would be a job. Unless you slit the rubber line full length and then slip the 1/4" steel line inside it.

It may look better but, I am the guy that ripped out my headliner, all insulation, just to make sure nothing can hold moisture that can cause rust.

Yes on a Stock untouched classic I understand, but mine is far from that
Stainless steel floors etc..

My headliner had mouse pee stains and turds. Ripped it out and used BBQ black paint --- then ran some Chrome strips from Autozone.

I like seeing metal. OK IT IS EXTREMELY LOUD, Notice all the toggle swiches, they cover were the radio was. Can't hear it anyway, ha.

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[nextgen]

Forgot the Toggle switches were the radio lived.

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