When you guys (and gals) buy your braided line and your AN fittings, do you have to have the fittings pressed on? If so, how? Do you do it yourself or have a shop press them on for you?

Other than looks what are the advantages to running braided lines? My car has the stock 3/8 steel line from the OEM replacement in tank pick up tube on up to the crossmember, then it has rubber hose from the pump on up to the carb. Should I change it?

What brand line/fittings do you prefer to use? Aeroquip? Russell? Summit?

Dawg,
AN fittings do not press on. The fitting has a sleeve that screws onto the main body of the fitting and compresses the hose. Steel braided hose is actually very easy to work with, make sure that you use hacksaw blades with as many teeth per inch that you can find, and wrap the hose before cutting. I wrap the hose with electrical tape before cutting, as this helps keep the steel from fraying - then remove the tape before installing the fittings.
Steel braided hose is very strong, but there is no real benefit when used in automotive applications, other than aesthetics, in my opinion. My preference for AN fittings and hose is Earls or Russell.

It can all be done in your garage with a vise and hand tools. Though I found a cutoff wheel makes it cleaner to cut.

It can all be done in your garage with a vise and hand tools. Though I found a cutoff wheel makes it cleaner to cut.

Same here. Before cutting the hose wrap the hose with duct tape really tight and use a die grinder/cut off wheel. Works like a champ. I switched to Aeroquip Socketless hose this year. I'll be curious to see how it compares to regular braided hose. It's not supposed to seep fuel (read smell) like regular braided hose. Unfortunately there is not a large variety of fittings available for the socketless hose at this point, so you're kind of limited there.

http://www.smarthome.com/images/89061big.jpg

I use Klein cable cutters. Wrap the hose tightly with tape (I use electric tape), and cut the hose in the middle of the tape. Use a quick cutting motion and you end up with a very clean cut with the braided ends curved inwards. You don't get the debris generated with cutoff wheels and the cutters can be used anywhere.

Dawg,
AN fittings do not press on. The fitting has a sleeve that screws onto the main body of the fitting and compresses the hose.

Hhhmm....interesting. Some of our equipment uses high pressure braided lines and usually the fittings (of an AN style) are pressed on by our hydraulic shop.

The sleeve you speak of....is that the outter part?

The compression...you must mean when the inner part (barb) presses outwards on the hose to the end?

The sleeve is the red part of the fitting that the hose goes into. The rest of the fitting unscrews, and has a long threaded nipple with a tapered end.

FWIW, I use a med size set of bolt cutters to cut the hose to length. It's quick, and less messy than the cutoff wheels or hacksaw. I'd love to try the cable cutters, but I'm too cheap to get some.

The first step is to put the sleeve on the end of the hose. To do this, I put the sleve in the vice with the hose opening up. I lube the end of the hose and sleeve with a couple drops of oil. Push the hose into the sleeve. I found that twisting the hose while pushing on it helps a bunch.

Then I flip the hose/sleeve over, so the threaded end is pointing up in the vice. Lube the threaded nipple on the hose end, and screw it into the sleeve. ALL the way down. I stop 1 rev or so short of bottoming it out. Mostly because I like to line up the nut flats because I think it lookes neater.

Oh I get it now....

We have air compressor quick disconnects that work in the same manner....slide the collar on the end of the hose, then push the barbed fitting in the hose, compresses it so no fluids come out.

Wonder how well the Summit brand stuff works? :)

Ever try the Aeroquip hose with the push-lok fittings? Love this stuff, it will never leak. Very easy to use.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v224/kalthoff1/elky052.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v224/kalthoff1/elky054.jpg

Other than looks what are the advantages to running braided lines?
The stainless steel braid acts as an "armor" to protect the hose. Problem is, that braid will hacksaw it's way through anything it rubs against.

My car has the stock 3/8 steel line from the OEM replacement in tank pick up tube on up to the crossmember,

That's good.

then it has rubber hose from the pump on up to the carb. Should I change it?

Yes, you should change it. You need enough rubber (flexible) hose to allow for engine shake, and perhaps very short pieces to connect sections of hardline to each other, for example, above the fuel tank where the sending unit tubes connect to the main fuel tubing that runs along the frame rail. You should NOT use flexible hose--even expensive steel braided stuff--"just because", and particularly on the pressure side of a gasoline fuel pump. There are legitimate reasons for using that hose, but "it's easy" and "it looks good" are not two of them. Use double-wall seamless steel tubing wherever possible, and flexible hose should be kept to a MINIMUM.

What brand line/fittings do you prefer to use? Aeroquip? Russell? Summit?

I used Aeroquip for 13 years at the company I was with at that time. So Aeroquip would be my first choice. Overall, I prefer stainless braid over teflon liner to stainless braid over rubber liner. So I'd be asking for Aeroquip 2807 series hose and the matching hose ends if it was my car.

Ever try the Aeroquip hose with the push-lok fittings? Love this stuff, it will never leak. Very easy to use.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v224/kalthoff1/elky052.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v224/kalthoff1/elky054.jpg
I tried that stuff before (AND WHAT A PAIN IN THE @SS) i TRIED HEATING IT UP with a hair dryer, lube,WHAT WORKS FOR YOU??
i LIKE THE PRICE AND LOOKS (HEEEEEELLLLLPP).

I tried that stuff before (AND WHAT A PAIN IN THE @SS) i TRIED HEATING IT UP with a hair dryer, lube,WHAT WORKS FOR YOU??
i LIKE THE PRICE AND LOOKS (HEEEEEELLLLLPP).

i have it on my vega and only thing i used was wd-40 and then push it right on there had to hit it a couple time's on the vice to get it all the way in but it was really easy....

I got close to 75ft of stainless hose & over 50AN fittings on my ride. Great stuff IMO. If at all possible use a cutter ONLY! A cutoff wheel gets burnt rubber in the hose & a hacksaw blade just plain sux. Trust me your fingers will appreciate it if you plan on running alot of this stuff. Use rubber electrical tape also. After the cut you just roll the tape off the end and you will have zero problems. Secure all the lines where possible. What the guy above said is very true. This stuff will saw it's way through anything. Good luck

i have it on my vega and only thing i used was wd-40 and then push it right on there had to hit it a couple time's on the vice to get it all the way in but it was really easy....
What brand did you use? i tried earls ,and it sucked!! (very hard rubber).

I have the socketless hose on my race car and it has worked great for a few years now. The guy at rons said my pump will put out about 100psi at high rpm's and I have never seen any leaks. ( Great stuff )

A cutoff wheel wors very nicely. I assume if you have a die grinder and a cutoff wheel, you have air to blow out the lines. It's fast and easy. There are several ways to cut it including a sharp chisel and piece of aluminum stock to back the hose up with. The hacksaw works but, can be a pain. The two methods I find are the best are the cable cutters and/or cutoff wheels. You never have to worry about the wheels getting "dull".

In my opinion If your only going for looks just run braided line from the pump to the carb and leave the stock 3/8" line from the tank to the pump. Unless your adding some serious power your 3/8" line would do fine. I made the mistake of running braided line all the way from the tank to the pump and had alot of fumes weeping from that large amount of line. I switched back to mostly hard line with braided only at the flex points, tank to frame and frame to pump and the fume problem was gone.

Good Luck

Jason, I used a little oil on the fitting. Put the fitting on the ground (where it wont get beat up like mine with the barbed side up. Push the hose down hard, and dont stop til its all the way on there. No smoke breaks or youre S.O.L.
I managed to cut a bad piece of hose off them, have to be careful not to ding the fittings if you plan to reuse them. That hose it tough stuff.

Anyone know how to sharpen knives? :D

Yes, you should change it. You need enough rubber (flexible) hose to allow for engine shake, and perhaps very short pieces to connect sections of hardline to each other, for example, above the fuel tank where the sending unit tubes connect to the main fuel tubing that runs along the frame rail. You should NOT use flexible hose--even expensive steel braided stuff--"just because", and particularly on the pressure side of a gasoline fuel pump. There are legitimate reasons for using that hose, but "it's easy" and "it looks good" are not two of them. Use double-wall seamless steel tubing wherever possible, and flexible hose should be kept to a MINIMUM.


As of right now I have rubber line coming off the 3/8 stock line to the fuel pump to allow for engine shake....then I have rubber hose coming out the pump on up to the chrome dual feeder line for the Holley.

I've been debating on running two braided lines off the pump to both bowls on the Holley....or maybe just running one line with a tee splitter.....heck I've even considered using the same set up all of the L78's came with.

As of right now I have rubber line coming off the 3/8 stock line to the fuel pump to allow for engine shake....
That's good.

then I have rubber hose coming out the pump on up to the chrome dual feeder line for the Holley.
That's not so good.

I've been debating on running two braided lines off the pump to both bowls on the Holley....
That's very silly.

or maybe just running one line with a tee splitter.....
That's still somewhat silly. (when you say "line" you mean hose, not hard tubing, right?)

heck I've even considered using the same set up all of the L78's came with.
Wouldn't that be all hardline? There's my vote. Everything from the pump to the carb shakes the same way. Hard line for the whole thing. Cheap, light, non-porous, durable, easy.

Line, hose, fuel passage......call it what you want.

I'll probably end up with the hard line since it'll atleast look factory.

Wonder what size fittings they come with? I've got a 120 gph Carter on the side of the block. It's this one right here:http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=CRT%2DM6901&N=700+115&autoview=sku

(when you say "line" you mean hose, not hard tubing, right?)

Line, hose, fuel passage......call it what you want.

It's not a matter of calling it what I want. A "line" is imaginary in mathematics and a very poor term in plumbing. Hose, hardline, pipe, or tubing are descriptive terms that help prevent confusion and ambiguity.

This page might help you Junkyard... http://www.goodvibesracing.com/XRP%20Hose%20Assembly.htm

And step number 2 is very important and sometimes over looked even by those that know better. Don't be afraid to oil or neverseize the threads either.

It's not a matter of calling it what I want. A "line" is imaginary in mathematics and a very poor term in plumbing. Hose, hardline, pipe, or tubing are descriptive terms that help prevent confusion and ambiguity.

Since you want to be politicaly correct, we will refer to it as "metal fuel tubing".....that way no one gets the first bit confused. :rolleyes:

Yes I was referring to the metal fuel tubing.....but then again I see I'll have to custom make my stuff since I have the wrong intake....and that tubing is expensive....I could probably make it cheaper than I can get a premade one for.

Better yet I think I'll save my money and keep what I already have. Other than being simple and low dollar there's nothing wrong with it. It's worked for years and it works now.:)

I made the mistake of running braided line all the way from the tank to the pump and had alot of fumes weeping from that large amount of line. I switched back to mostly hard line with braided only at the flex points, tank to frame and frame to pump and the fume problem was gone.

Good Luck

I've heard several people report the same thing, but I ran braided hose tank-to-carb on my 69 a couple of years ago and have never noticed any fumes. Are you running racing fuel? I run only 93 unleaded pump gas. I'm wondering if the racing fuel creates more odor than unleaded pump fuel.

:confused: Please check your NHRA rules if you ever plan to drag race your car at a sanctioned track. You may not pass technical inspection if you have more than a few inches of plain rubber gas hose in your system. I think stainless braided flexible fuel hose can be any length, and meet the rules.

Keith

Mike, no racing fuel. Just plain ole Amoco Ultimate. The stuff I used was the steel braided with the rubber liner that all of the parts houses sell. I think the hose with a teflon liner won't weep fumes but its more expensive and takes different fittings.

I would like to add one thing that most people seem to over look when using S.S. braided covered line it is that it degrades just like regular pressure lines.. the only thing is with the covering on it you don't see the cracks start & know to replace it before you have a complete failure ..... service life is apparently the same as any high quality hose between 10 to 15 years depending on heat an vibration ..... just a word to the wise :D

http://www.smarthome.com/images/89061big.jpg

I use Klein cable cutters. Wrap the hose tightly with tape (I use electric tape), and cut the hose in the middle of the tape. Use a quick cutting motion and you end up with a very clean cut with the braided ends curved inwards. You don't get the debris generated with cutoff wheels and the cutters can be used anywhere.

I must agree with the cable cutter, they work great for making lines. Here is a couple of pics of the ones i use.
http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/data/500/tool-1.jpg
http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/data/500/tool-2.jpg

I would like to add one thing that most people seem to over look when using S.S. braided covered line it is that it degrades just like regular pressure lines.. the only thing is with the covering on it you don't see the cracks start & know to replace it before you have a complete failure ..... service life is apparently the same as any high quality hose between 10 to 15 years depending on heat an vibration ..... just a word to the wise :D

Thank you.

I would suggest that ten years is generous in a gasoline application for steel braid/rubber hose. First guess: You won't get ten years. My friend's car burnt because of old braided/rubber fuel hose, and an electric fuel pump that kept the fuel comin'. Folks wonder why I advocate double-wall seamless steel tubing.

The best you can hope for is to see rubber squeezing out among the steel wires of the braid. At the point that the rubber extrudes, the hose is already well past the service life. At worst, you just see flames.

:confused: Please check your NHRA rules if you ever plan to drag race your car at a sanctioned track. You may not pass technical inspection if you have more than a few inches of plain rubber gas hose in your system. I think stainless braided flexible fuel hose can be any length, and meet the rules.

I have heard something along those lines concerning rubber hose, and I'll address that issue when it comes time for the track.

I have heard something along those lines concerning rubber hose, and I'll address that issue when it comes time for the track.

In my experience they allow up to 1 foot(total) of rubber hose for fuel plumbing.....

1 foot total rubber line is the rule. That means if you add up all the 1 and 2" sections you can't have a total of more than 12" in the fuel system (for plain rubber line)