Post by brigond on Apr 2, 2013 22:07:09 GMT -5
Since I recently experienced (I believe) vapor lock. I decided to change the fuel lines that I was going to change anyway. Well its good that I did it sooner than later. I replaced the lines with fuel injection line instead of your standard fuel line. This line can be bought at your local auto parts store. Ask for fuel injection line J30R9. I read that this type of line holds up much better than standard fuel line. I read about this in an article that was recommended by DynoDave, from Hot Rod Magazine. The article states that the best fuel line to use is PTFE...Teflon line. I didn't opt for this because I believe they use special fittings. I'm not sure if you can just clamp them.
I decided to go a little further and wrapped the line from carburetor to pump. I had some high heat material that has been laying around for about 15 years. Its supposed to shield radiant heat up to 2000 degrees. I don't remember how much I paid but I do remember that it was a little pricey for a 24 x 12 piece. Eventually I'm going to go with a crate engine so I'm not too concerned about appearance. The car runs very good so I'm going to just enjoy it until the funds allow me to go with an engine swap. I also changed the the section from the pump to the steal line. I'm not sure if I'm going to wrap that. There is also a 5" piece at the tank that I will change.
It ain't too pretty and maybe its overkill but I will be able to rule out vapor lock at the fuel lines. The car came with a 1/2'' black spacer so it "shouldn't" be vapor locking at the carburetor. The lower section from pump to steel line was in bad shape with visible deterioration to the exterior rubber. The interior did not appear too bad but there was some crud trapped in the filter.
I included a picture of the silver heat wrap. It has an adhesive back that helped a lot. I cut it enough to overlap and meet both ends. when the two ends met, I was able to pinch them together with the help of the adhesive. You can see the seam in the photo. In hind site, I could have pinched the seam on the underside to make it less noticeable. I than added zip ties for added security. The more I look at it, I don't think it looks so bad. Its not too bulky either. I wish it was black though.
I haven't had a chance to test it yet. Even though I have a 1/2 '' spacer under the carb, my gut is telling me that it may also be a heat issue there too. I hope not, cause I can't think of any other fix, other than a new carburetor and spacer.
I decided to go a little further and wrapped the line from carburetor to pump. I had some high heat material that has been laying around for about 15 years. Its supposed to shield radiant heat up to 2000 degrees. I don't remember how much I paid but I do remember that it was a little pricey for a 24 x 12 piece. Eventually I'm going to go with a crate engine so I'm not too concerned about appearance. The car runs very good so I'm going to just enjoy it until the funds allow me to go with an engine swap. I also changed the the section from the pump to the steal line. I'm not sure if I'm going to wrap that. There is also a 5" piece at the tank that I will change.
It ain't too pretty and maybe its overkill but I will be able to rule out vapor lock at the fuel lines. The car came with a 1/2'' black spacer so it "shouldn't" be vapor locking at the carburetor. The lower section from pump to steel line was in bad shape with visible deterioration to the exterior rubber. The interior did not appear too bad but there was some crud trapped in the filter.
I included a picture of the silver heat wrap. It has an adhesive back that helped a lot. I cut it enough to overlap and meet both ends. when the two ends met, I was able to pinch them together with the help of the adhesive. You can see the seam in the photo. In hind site, I could have pinched the seam on the underside to make it less noticeable. I than added zip ties for added security. The more I look at it, I don't think it looks so bad. Its not too bulky either. I wish it was black though.
I haven't had a chance to test it yet. Even though I have a 1/2 '' spacer under the carb, my gut is telling me that it may also be a heat issue there too. I hope not, cause I can't think of any other fix, other than a new carburetor and spacer.