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I need to bend up a new fuel line for our '77. Stock fuel pump running up to a Edelbrock carb. I created a mock up line with parts I had in the garage (see image below), but would like to make a final piece without the small section of rubber I used in the middle, and with as few connections as possible.
With that being said, I'm looking for recommendation on line type, bender type, best way to make the flares etc. My limited experience with bending lines ended up with poor results.
Use a piece of welding rod to get your base idea. The 3/8" fuel line at the parts store is easy to bend........just buy a premium tube bender with the yo-yo looking wheel on it that accepts different size lines......mine is 3/8" on one side and 5/16 on the other. Buy longer than you need and buy two because YOU WILL ruin one doing it.....use it as a reference. When finished, buy the correct single flare AN adapters and go AN on both ends, your Edelbrock line has it on one end already......get the flare to -6 adapter to screw into the fuel pump......
Use a piece of welding rod to get your base idea. The 3/8" fuel line at the parts store is easy to bend........just buy a premium tube bender with the yo-yo looking wheel on it that accepts different size lines......mine is 3/8" on one side and 5/16 on the other. Buy longer than you need and buy two because YOU WILL ruin one doing it.....use it as a reference. When finished, buy the correct single flare AN adapters and go AN on both ends, your Edelbrock line has it on one end already......get the flare to -6 adapter to screw into the fuel pump......
Jebby
Thanks for the reply Jebby. Any recommendations on a bender brand and a good quality flare tool? I don't mind paying for quality if it helps me get better results.
I just bent up a fuel return line for my in-tank electric fuel pump using copper/nickel line. It is designed for fuel, oil and brake line so it will take plenty of pressure. It is much easier to bend then all steel. It won't rust either. I have used both. You can get it for around $40 for 25' on Amazon or eBay.
I would suggest something slightly different. Use a coat hanger for your mock up as that is easy to bend. For your fuel lines use copper/nickel material. This is very easy to bend and flare. However, you do not have to flare it at all. You can use compression fittings with AN fittings that attach to the pump and carb. The copper/nickel material will have a slight copper appearance which you may or may not like but this is the easiest material to work with. The compression fittings can be bought from Jegs or Summit.
Agree that you should get a copy of Lars' fuel line paper.
I just re-plumbed my '73 with copper/nickel lines (NiCopp). As mentioned, you can get 25' coils on Amazon or you can get sticks of various lengths at most parts stores. They come with standard brake flare fittings which you can use or toss as needed. AN style fittings generally use 37 degree flares which is a different flaring tool and more expensive. Ridgid makes a good one for around $120 or so. I believe Lars' paper shows you can use 45 degree flares with AN lines and it will hold pressures for EFI so should be fine for your carb. 45 degree flaring tools can be cheaper but some are junk so you want to source a good one. As mentioned compression fittings are an option for AN and should be fine for carburetor fuel pressures. The key thing about using a bending tool is learning where to mark your lines for bending and then where to line those marks up on the tool. Different angles require the marks to be lined up in different places.
For tools, I really like my Ridgid flare tool. It does 37 degree flares so I can fit everything up with AN fittings. You can find them online or even Amazon. I do my lines in stainless. I have a distributor called PAC stainless nearby and can get a lot of stuff from them.
Last edited by Sigforty; Jul 22, 2020 at 01:43 PM.
My two cents: no compression fittings and no rubber hose on the pressure side of the pump. Get a inverted flare to -6 fitting for the fuel pump, determine the length of hose and use teflon line braided stainless hose (Aeroquip, XRP, or Earl's- not the cheap crap sold under house brand name), and what hose ends you need at the pump and at the filter. You live a bit far from me to recommend a hose company. I use Clark Equipment in Pottstown, Pa to make up these hoses for me.
Google "Cunifer". Cu...copper, Ni.....nickel, fer.....iron. This alloy is approved for use as gas line tubing. Like copper, its easy to bend and double flare. With it's nickel and iron content, it's much stronger than copper. It's been used in some european cars, Volvo.
Absolutely want all stainless fuel lines? Mock up your gas lines, or brake lines, in copper tubing. Double flare and add fittings. Send to In-Line Tubing. They'll laser scan your mockup and send you a double flared stainless steel line wth, stainless steel fittings, if you want. ....If you want to mock up copper tube brake lines, make sure you use correct OD diameter lines. The local hardware store copper tube may not be correct. HVAC repair stores sell the correct OD.
Cunifer tubing, exposed to the atmosphere, takes on a typical copper line patina, although with a hint of a purplish hue.
I just bent up a fuel return line for my in-tank electric fuel pump using copper/nickel line. It is designed for fuel, oil and brake line so it will take plenty of pressure. It is much easier to bend then all steel. It won't rust either. I have used both. You can get it for around $40 for 25' on Amazon or eBay.
Here are a few pics of my fuel line setup. I also used 3/8 brake/fuel line and used a cheap bender. For the AN flare, you are supposed to use a 37 degree flaring tool, which seem to be hard to find. I got one from Summit and it's cheap. But it worked. The pictures are not so great, and I also sleeved the bare line with some DEI heat sleeve. It looks sort of sloppy and not even sure if it's needed but I had it so I figured it couldn't hurt. I started with Lars' instructions also. From the fuel pump I have a 90 NPT to AN fitting, then a bent line, then into a Summit regulator, then into a fitting that will hold the gauge (optional) and a couple more fittings into the Edelbrock fuel filter. After the filter I am using a standard Edelbrock dual feed fuel line into the carb (AVS2 800). It all has worked great so far.
Thanks for all the awesome tips and tricks. Once I got the spool of copper / nickel 3/8" line, I did a couple of practice flares and bends and set out on the finished piece. Just need to get the correct fitting to attach to the Edelbrock filter I have and then I can finish up that end and get it in place. Pretty happy with how it turned out.
Fuel Line Tips Needed
