Advice on making hard fuel lines

I am helping my friend finish his 36 ford tht he just got back from paint and we ran the fuel lines from the tank to a bulkhead using stainless ptfe lines -6

We hid the fuel lines in a channel in the chassis.

Now we want to run hard lines from the bulkhead to the fuel regulator on the firewall and we are not sure how to go about this.

We need to mate the hard lines up to a -6AN male fittings.

My brake flaring kit does have a 3/8 and 5/16 flaring die which are 45degree

Now we are considering using aluminum, copper or stainless but not sure what size tubing we need, i think 3/8 is the closest to -6AN

What sort of material would work best with the crap fuel we have these days? I know stainless will be the hardest to bend and flare but we dont want any potential leaks that could start a blaze on tne exhaust manifold

Now what flare degree do we need 45 or 37? What sort of fittings do we need to get to mate to the AN fittings? We want the lines and fittings to be permanent like hard brake lines.

Going for a traditional look imstead of rubber hose or braided hose.

Went to Napa and Autozone earlier looking for brass fittins and the non english speaking personel looked at us like we were from another planet.

 

I think it takes 37 degree flare to fit an fittings. Speedway has the tools and the fittings to do what you need. Good luck.

 

-6an is 3/8....you need 37*. And hydraulic hose shop will be able to set you up with either a flaring tool or flare yer line to mate to what ya want. Ask NAPA for JIC fittings, JIC will mate up to AN...and brass fittings will work...they are 37* JIC

 

AN threaded fittings are 37 degrees. There are a TON of possibilities. Do a bit of checking on the internet and you'll find exactly what is needed. And, searching will also give you a few ideas as to how to plumb the systems.

 

If you're so concerned about being traditional why are you going to use AN fittings?

 

there is a guy here in Akron Ohio. The company name is SUR&R. He makes the fittings you need I am sure..... Look his Number up, give him a call, he will walk you through, give you the part numbers, and you can order them at your local parts counter.... I also know SUmmit sells the fittings but are pricey.

When I did my race car, I ran back and forth quite a few times but I am 20 min away.

 

You can rent one from autozone for $1
I don't know if you did it before but if you didn't make sure you double flair your ends. I used 37 deg when I made my fuel lines. Bought 5/16th army green color "brake line" as they advertise and fittings from the same place (fitting section).

 

Thanks guys so i need to get 37 degree JIC fittings female

What fuel tubing material can you guys recommend is one better than the other and what will give the least amount of headaches?

I can def borrow a 37 flare tool

 

Was just browsing my jegs catalog they sell kits but they use this red and blue slip fitting with a compression collar and that will not look right on this car.

 

McMaster Carr has a good selection of S.S. AN fittings. I've done the fuel lines on both of my hot rods with S.S. tubing and all S.S. AN fittings. One nice thing about it is it is single flare, no double flare.

As far as being traditional, the Army/Navy fittings have been plentiful since WWII.

 

Awesome we buy from them at work thats good to know they have ss fittings. So these are only a single flare? Id so thats much easier because double flaring stainless is a bitch.

 

Being single flare, the 3/8" S.S. tubing is very easy to work with. I use a RIGID brand flare tool that I got from Inline Tube.

 

Yes, A.N. stuff is 37 degree, single flare.

 

If you have a local speed shop pop by and ask them if they have a fitting in stock to adapt from the AN fitting to flared tubing,and see what they have laying around,or what they can recommend.Local speed shops are fading away fast,and we need to give them our business every chance we get,because they are great in situations like this,where you get actual hands on help from a guy behind the counter,who probably has a ton of real world experience.
I wouldn't worry about double flaring fuel lines as someone posted earlier.They see minimal pressure,whereas brake lines see thousands of psi trying to stop a few thousand pounds of rolling steel,and therefore need the strength and safety that a double flare provides.
Just make sure you practice your flaring for a while on scrap pieces of tubing,just to make sure you dont make a boo-boo on your perfectly bent final runs....


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The most commonly made mistake when making AN lines,is forgetting to slip the ferrule and the nut for each end onto the tube before you flare the last end. I hate when that happens.

 

Was just on the mcmaster site and found the fittings, which tubing did you buynthe offer so many versions i would hate to order the wrong stuff with too thick a wall. Can you post me a part number? Thanks

 

I bought the tubing locally, from The Right Stuff, so I could get a long piece. You want seamless 304 S.S. x .035" wall.

 

I took my bulk head fitting and cut the -6 male part off one side, drilled and tapped for 1/4 pipe. Then I used 1/4 male npt x 3/8 female inverted flare fittings for standard 3/8 brake line you can find at any parts store. I also used a 1/4 street elbow coming out of the tank to save room. Cheap easy and no fancy tube nuts or special flares.
If you end up going this route let me know I bought 20 of the brass fittings online ill never use them all, but they were cheaper for 20 than for 3 from the parts store.
I'm not home at the moment but I can get you pics later if u would like.

 

There is a coiled "stainless" steel line available that can be flared to 45deg (for brass flare nuts) or double flared for inverted nuts if you like. Summit sells it. I've never used it (and won't) but it might be an easier solution than hunting up all the stuff to do it with AN 37deg nuts...

 

just ordered up the tubing and fittings from Mcmaster Carr

i also ordered a 37 degree flare punch for my Brakequip flaring kit

should have everything in a few days but wont get to playing with this until the weekend.

 

I used one if these. They make them in all silver and all black too which look far better IMHO.


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One more thought.... Does anyone have an opinion on aluminum fuel lines being corroded by the alcohol content in fuel?


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yeah i asked this and nobody seemed to comment so i went with stainless 304 tubing

i really like the look of copper and aluminum lines under the hood though

 

I have 1/2" aluminum fuel line on my musclecar....from tank to firewall.....no corrosion issues in the last 15 years its been on the car....

 

From what I've seen in the small engine industry the ethanol problem is increasing...what worked even two years ago may not be good for 6 months now. To some degree we just have to wait and see. I know I've worked on engines with gas 2,3,5,10 etc years old that would still burn and have drained gas that sat over the winter and is even worse.

FWIW take the dash size, divide by two & set it over 8 to know the fractional size.

-10 = (10/2)/8 = 5/8
-8 = (8/2)/8 = 4/8 = 1/2

 

True.....I've "fixed" many lawnmowers for fellas at work in last couple of years...all from evaporated fuel in the carbs and the debris it leaves behind...and corrosion.

 

guys i was messing around on a small piece and have a hard time bending this stainless tubing i got 3/8 with 035 wall

can you guys suggest a good bender that doesn't cost a fortune? i found a few only but they are well over $150 and i was trying to avoid that.

 

You'll get what you pay for unfortunately. I bought a cheap one and it bent while I was using it. Might check on craigslist or borrow.

 

I am not sure if a hand bender will work well for stainless line that big. I haven't tried it myself.

You might be well served to figure out your bends in some cheap brake line or similar material, and then take it to a hydraulic service shop to get the bends duplicated in your stainless material.

 

If you get a chance look at Swagelock fittings - super high quality and no flaring allowing for some "fudging". Made for high pressure systems and really seal well. If you like the look of copper and brass line, you might look at the Cupro-Nickel lines available at American Grease Stick (yes, it's a real (big) company) - cool name huh?