Copper work hardens from vibration, then snaps. So, no. Buy steel brake line in 5/16" and use that. Decent parts houses will stock it. Ralph
Yes it can be used as fuel line, has been used as fuel line for decades and will continue to be used as fuel line. Any kind of metal work hardens. Just make sure the line is properly supported.
It was used for years with no problems BUT it needs to be installed and mounted in such a way it can not viabrate and move. I had a 51 Seagrave fire truck that fuel and Brake lines were copper still just fine after 50+ years. That tubing however was much heavier wall than what you get at Ace H/W. Botton line use steel unless YOU know what you are doing. Under hood fuel leaks can be exciting!!
^^^^........ perfectly fine.... I bought a car used, and some goof ran the line from front to back with copper, and painted it black..... I drove it for a few years and then when I did new brakes, disc front ect, I found this.... I was upset, but it worked.... It is not fine for brakes, but gas, is fine.
I was wondering if copper would absorb heat under the car faster causing vapor lock.Just a thought.I know it heats up faster than steel when you torch it.
my great grandfather plumbed his 1940 Buick with copper fuel lines. Then polished it. Is well supported and rubber was used from chassis to pump. Looks pretty cool. I will reuse/redo it like he had when I get to that point
I ran copper fuel line on a strip down with a Flathead back in the late 60's,,we were fling down the road and the fuel line cracked,,,burnt the car to the ground!. Go ahead and use it,,,I have already learned my lesson. HRP
copper is for household plumbing, steel is for fuel and brakes untill I see a house moving down the street and stop on its own, I will use steel in my automotive plumbing .
The chrome Holley dual lines have been copper since the beginning of time and the standard for hot rods and racers using 4 bbls and have never been a problem.
My '40 Coupe had copper lines to rubber and I never had a problem. It ran a full race Flathead Merc. Quick and easy way to prevent vapor lock on the copper lines is to clip a wooden clothes line to it.. Disapates heat... Old Hot Rod trick.
read it again . not skim it I said on its own ... not on a truck .. and as old as it is , I dubt it had copper plumbing more than likely lead or galv pipe , thats if it had running water init .
two points to consider before you take a beautiful Rolls Royce and decide it's ok to run home improvement grade copper lines. 1. Short, straight runs. 2. Soldered to Brass fittings and rigidly mounted all over the place. That Copper has absolutely no chance of wiggling. I have Cunifer and it's tinted a copper color-ish. Not copper.Just not silvery colored either.
Compression fittings work fine for connections.. I've seen broken steel lines and broken copper. It's durability is on how it's all plumbed. That was just the first car that I knew that would have some non-ferrous bling on it..
Copper plated steel tubing is okay for fuel lines, but not copper tubing. Years ago I almost did a stock restoration on my 1940 Ford Coupe. I bought a roll of the stock replacement fuel line; it was steel that was copper plated. I wanted to use a larger diameter tubing, so I wound up using plated steel line with double flared fittings. I originally ran about a 36 inch length of copper tubing from the steel tubing at the frame rail to the firewall (Because the copper was easier to bend.), then rubber fuel hose to the carburetor. The first time I had my car NSRA safety inspected, they failed me! I was told that copper tubing is made with a seam that runs along it's length, and that it would eventually crack alongside that seam! I took the time to replace that length with the plated steel line.
With gasoline now a mixture of petroleum distillates, alcohol, and other chemicals, more than word of mouth research should be done as to what effect it has on copper. Add the already mentioned problems copper lines are subject to from mechanical forces, and I figure copper lines are for plumbing houses. Personally, I'm looking at stainless steel, with the appropriate fittings and clamps. The way I see it, we build our rides like airplanes, with attention to detail, and with apologies to the biker jingle from yesteryear, should use the best and screw the rest. And, boys and girls, before you utter a word, until they bring back traditional gasoline, from the era specific to my build, I'll use what works best in this one. Nuff said.
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