PRNDL

That piece of fuel line is one looooong piece.... about 8 ft !! :) It has the 2 O-ring type connectors already on and a nice length of shielding over the fuel line.
Then I went to NAPA and got a few of the 3/8 screw on fittings (whichamacallits) at $.29 per. I also picked up an extra length of fuel line at NAPA to practice on, but with 8 ft of new GM fuel line I should have plenty of extra to screw up. I already bought a pipe bender and a flaring tool. Now to re-read Lars' instructions and have some fun! :)

Interesting that the "OEM-style" pump to carb fuel lines that you buy from the corvette vendors for $30 contain about $5 (retail) worth of material.

MJ

Flareside

Hey Mark, practice your double flaring first, since it's the hardest part. I still can't get a good flare every time :confused: The tubing always gets pushed out of the clamp instead of flaring like I want it to. At first I though it was my cheap flaring kit, so I went and bought a better (read: expensive) kit at Sears. Still have the same problem! I finally got it to hold by supplementing the clamp with my trusty bench vise. Clamp the flare kit clamp around the tubing, then clamp the flaring clamp in the vise. Lots of clamping!

Anybody know why my clamps don't hold?

-Joe


[Modified by Flareside, 5:20 PM 11/29/2001]

DVG73

MJ,

Did I understand :confused:that the fuel line from Mr. Ripoffwrench (GM) was only $5. Great deal from them if so, if not how much did it run you. I need to do the same thing in the near future, just curious on the cost.

Thanks

Turbo-Jet

mark, what style of tube bender do you have? i first tried a screw-type with plastic rollers and mandrel. it was a POS and did a great job of kinking the tubes. get all metal hand-lever type... they work great, esp with a little grease on the dies.

ps: and don't forget to put the nut on before you flare or else it doesn't work so well :)

flareside (hehe ironic name...) did the flaring tool(s) you used have a knurled clampling surface?

rainman69

The clamps are designed to be held in a bench vise. :smash:

Flareside

Cam, both of the flaring tools that I have are knurled in the clamping area. Doesn't seem to help. I tighten them until the metal touches, but the tubing still slips. If I mount the clamp just as Lars' fuel line paper pictures show, the tubing will slip every time. The only way it works is if I clamp the entire assembly in a vise to increase the clamping pressure.

Flareside

rainman69, the flaring tools have a "handle" that sticks out the side that gets mounted in a vise (look at the pictures in Lars' paper), but the vise in not intended to actually clamp the tubing.

PRNDL

questions questions.... The GM part was +- $21. My dealer charged me GM list price. I plug the part # into the database at http://www.gmpartsdirect to get the GM wholesale and list prices. The Napa 3 ft fuel line with flared ends (and .29cent fittings) was < $5. The GM piece has the O-ring type fittings and the shielding and is 8 ft long... so is that comparable?

The pipe bending tool i bought looks a little like a tile cutter. The flaring kit does not have any instructions :eek: so sounds like it will be a challenge. MJ

Flareside

Mark, I made a new pump to Qjet line for my car this past weekend, and it only took me 4 tries! I hope you're more talented than I...

It did, eventually, come out very nice.

MikeC

I have a bunch of 3/8" stainless that I am getting ready to make a fuel line with just need to borrow a bender and a flaring tool. Thank god for mechanic friends with all the tools I don't have.

Anything special that I should know about with the stainless pipe instead of regular mild steel?

Edzred72

You will definitly need a pipe bender. Using a tube bender will require you to weight train for two weeks prior to the job :jester Flaring stainless, especially a double flair, is difficult. Stainless tends to crack much easier than copper or steel when stressed. I've tried bending and flaring stainless tube for a special HVAC application, using a very good flare tool and bender, and could not flare it! You could be more expierenced with stainless than I, and someone else may have a trick or two to add.. but from what I've attempted..it's tough!
Good Luck :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

gerry72

Yes, Joe. You're still buying cheap-assed tubing flair tools. Get a unit from Rigid. It costs a lot more than those units you've been buying, but hey, they really work.

Flareside

Gerry, I thought that was my problem, but my wallet's not willing to accept that solution...

Flareside

Mike, I tried stainless. I could bend it with my $20 Sears bender, no problem, but forget about double flaring it without an industrial strength flaring set. It just laughted at my Craftsman flaring tool.

MikeC

My friends got a good flaring tool set, They should be able to handle it. Thanks for the advice. I figure I have the material, I might as well try it.

Now to figure out a line that will work with a Quadrajet, Edelbrock, and holley duel feed. That shouldn't be too hard all I have to do is put the fuel filter in the right place and make up 3 different pieces to mate to each carb.

And Yes I change my carbs like a woman changes her mind