Hello all,

I'm assembling my car and I'm having trouble deciding on the best route for the fuel line and I was looking for some suggestions and pics. This also needs to be NHRA legal as it will be mostly a drag car and occasionally a street piece.

My car is set up with the cell mounted in the trunk so I can mount the pump and lines there. My biggest question is whats the best way out of the trunk, past the rear, down to the framerail?

My next question is when the frame was done it was boxed and the chassis builder put one 2" hole at each end. If I'm not mistaken, he said I could run the fuel lines through it. For some reason I thought there was a rule against this so any clarification is helpful. I also read in the general NHRA rulebook that the line must be enclosed in a 16" length of 1/8" thick steel tubing when passing the bellhousing area. Is it safe to assume that the section of the frame where the factory lines pass through accounts for this or does it need to be done another way?

The last question I have would be has anyone ran the fuel line down the left side of the chassis instead of the right side? Is there a reason that you wouldn't do this? My battery is in the trunk also and I just didn't think it would be a great idea for the battery cable and fuel line to follow the same route. I thought it might work better if it followed the brake and NOS lines instead.

This will be an 8 second car when completed so any help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

If you can run the fuel line throught the frame, then great. I have mine that way, although mine isn't boxed.

I also have the battery cable running inside the car so it's not next to the fuel line. Your gonna have to have the starter solenoid next to the battery out back, so the batter feed cable is dead all the time except for when cranking, so there's no danger of having it in the interior. I ran mine over the wheel house behind the interior trim panels and it runs in the channel under the door sill trim/carpet area.

Todd,

Thanks for your input, I appreciate it. As far as the battery cable goes, I was thinking of running it through the car, but was unsure if it was legal to do so. That will make things much easier. If you don't mind me asking what size battery cable are you using? I would think with the solenoid mounted in the rear, you would have to run a larger cable than normally required.

Also, if the cable is dead except when cranking, how do you get power to the front of the car for the lights and accessories? Again all help is appreciated!

Thanks!

Tony,
I have a Powermaster starter in my 12.5 to 1 540. Powermaster recommends for 10' of cable, which is probably what you will need, 0 gage wire! For more than 10 ft. you need 00! I am running about 11 ft. 0 gage in mine for the positive and I think 2 gage for the negative. The positive goes directly to the starter. From there I ran about a 2 guage wire to a homemade connector I put on the wheelwell in the area where the battery used to be (in the front) and then connected that wire from the core support, which is for all of you electrical stuff, to the homemade connector. I also hooked a couple other things, like the MSD ignition, to that homemade connector. I ran the negative cable all the way to the engine block and also grounded the engine block to the frame. Make sure all connections are clean and tight for that 580 beast!
I dont know if its NHRA legal or not , but the two cables and the fuel line are running on the inside of the frame as much as possible.

In my old Camaro I used 00 welding cable from the battery in the trunk to the starter and routed it inside the car also. I didnt run a ground cable the distance, grounded to the trunk and ground engine to the frame in front, occasionally had a hot start problem.

Guys thanks for your input I do appreciate it!

SS540,

Thanks for the cable sizes.......I'm going to measure the distance and route I need to run and see if I can get away with the 0 gauge. I'm looking to run the smallest (read lightest) cable I can. Can I ask why you ran a separate ground all the way up to the motor? Did you have a hot start problem? I would think that if you attached the ground to the frame and then grounded the motor to the frame that the frame would act as the cable. Someone please correct me if I don't know what I am talking about which is entirely possible........lol.

I had the same idea as you in running the wire off the starter and to a connection point. I have a front harness hookup, plus a whole separate fuseblock for all the accesories. I'm looking for some additional info from Todd also, as I like the idea of the main cable being dead except for cranking. I just need to know how he wired the rest of the car.

As for the battery and fuel lines being tied together, I'm really trying to avoid that. It is probably legal, as the rulebook is vauge but I was just concerned with a spark and any kind of slight fuel leak. Maybe I'm being too careful, but not to long ago I had a motor explode in the lights and I was all over the place in my friends truck. Luckily, we had all the proper safety equipment and all was well. I'd hate to think what would have happened if something wasn't right.

Rapid Robert,

Thanks for your input! I assume that the hot start problem was because the Camaro didn't have a full frame and it wasn't getting a good ground? Again just my assumptions but I'm gonna try to use as little cable as possible.

Also guys, how did you put your battery/starter ends on and where did you get them?

Any additional help on the fuel line routing is appreciated too!

Thanks,

I routed my fuel line up the right frame rail right beside the oem fuel line,then went inside the frame (enclosed part) as it goes by the starter and flexplate and came out of the frame where stock fuel line does. I don't remember it ever not starting, probably just didnt have a good enough ground. I bought mine at a heavy duty truck parts store and had them crimp the ends,and these were some heavy duty ends.

I bought the Summit 1/2" aluminum line, and it literally took me 5 minutes to run it in the stock location up the frame rail and through the front part of the frame like the stock fuel line does. The stuff is very easy to bend with your fingers and isn't too bad about kinking.
It took me longer to remove the stock steel line than it did to run the new one, that stuff makes it a breeze!

Tony,
Yes, the reason I ran the ground cable from the battery (in the trunk) all the way to the block, was cause of starting problem I had. I wanted to eliminate any possible problem. I think you will be just fine connecting to the frame below the battery and then from the frame to the block in the front. Especially since you just did a frame off right?? Just remember, connections clean and tight!! Ya, that 0 gage stuff is huge, heavy and expensive! I dont want to have any embarrasing starting problems after dumping loads of $$$$$ in a 540!
Nick

Hey guys,

Thanks again for your responses, I appreciate it!

I figured out how I am going to route the fuel line. The line will be coming out of the trunk (somehow as that is the only part I have not figured out) and into the stock frame before the rear wheelwheel arch. It will run inside the frame all the way to the front, except for a short section where the frame makes the 'S' bend before the front wheel. The line will come out where the stock fuel lines do in the engine compartment.

I also purchased both stainless steel and the fabric-like coated socketless hose. I assumed the socketless stuff would be lighter but to my surprise, they were almost exactly the same weight which was 4lbs for a 20ft section in the box. The socketless hose had a noticeably larger inside diameter, which I thought was wierd since the were both made by Aeroquip and labeled -10 line. I wasn't real happy with the quality of the stainless either which is my next post............

Thanks,