An excellent article on Cunifer, including its allow composition, uses, why copper was phased out and why steel had issues. An easy read. http://www.brakequip.com/pdf/ezibend_2.pdf
I ran cooper in my last motorcycle and they looked great..same with the break lines...but constant tightening and leaks due to the shaking. My coupe I'm doingng hard stainless for breaklines and not sure with the fuel line to the banger Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I had the same thing happen to a 73 Dodge power wagon factory stock steel line. Some days you are the dog, some days you are the fire hydrant. Copper will work just fine for fuel, work hardening is only a problem if you do a shitty job and don't support it, steel will do the same, just takes a little longer. There is nothing in modern gas that will eat copper. Zinc is what ethanol eats. Brake lines are a different story, not only because of work hardening but also because of the lower burst strength of copper. In modern systems ( especially with disc brakes and power boosters) line pressure can be great enough to balloon/burst the soft copper.
My present house was built in the '40's, the original copper and brass plumbing is still intact. I used to live in a house built in the '80's, had multiple burst pipe issues due to the crappy materials used to plumb the place. A plumber friend tells me that's very typical, that most of the pipe and fittings now available are very thin, tough to solder well because the material has a lot of impurities in it, and made offshore. I'd bet that the copper you're about to use to plumb your ride is nowhere near the quality used by Rolls in the '30's or Olds in the '70's. I'll bet the material they used was an alloy, not just soft copper. You wanna plumb your ride with Chinese copper? Roll the dice. Carry an extinguisher. Cross your fingers.
Copper is for moving water. Just do steel like every one here that knows what their talking about suggested. It much more cost effective.
Back in about 1965, I put a new Stewart-Warner electric fuel pump on my `40 coupe. The instructions said DO NOT USE WITH COPPER FUEL LINE. I don`t know why...That`s just what the instructions said...so I used steel.
Thats funny because a lot of Moroso and other fuel gauges came with a copper line kit with them at one time. Most all companies recommend braided lines today to install them.
Those lines for Holleys are steel. Never use copper lines for fuel. As said before copper work hardens and breaks. You don't need a ire under the hood
I'm pretty bummed I didn't know about this stuff before I plumbed the brakes and fuel lines in my F1........
Transport refrigerators are plumbed with copper and handle vibrations of a diesel engine and up to 350 degrees of heat. I use copper for fuel because it works.
Back in the time when Chrysler engineers were disseminating info on racecars they warned us to not use copper for fuel lines. It is a great conductor of heat and causes vapor lock. Steel is what the Mopar engineers recommended. I'll trust their judgment.
I have copper lines, but I have no idea what I'm doing, and I've been faking it through this whole ordeal. Matt & Blake took those pics
The biggest problem with copper for fuel is running from the firewall to the carb where the engine is moving back and forth. You get the most work hardening when there is movement or flex involved. There is no movement from carb to carb or tank to engine compartment. I would still use copper coated steel.
Deddybear: I have copper lines, but I have no idea what I'm doing, and I've been faking it through this whole ordeal. I like a man who's honest. Looks good and works engineers be damed!
See that there is no way for the copper to wiggle between the carbs & there is no work hardening. Long runs of copper with minimal support will eventually cause problems. Minimal length runs of copper with substantial support will last longer than we will.
Great analogy !!!! SO true...... They sell rolls of aluminum tubing at Summit for race car application. Aluminum is rigid and has ages. Ask any mountain biker..... Race cars vibrate.... SO if aluminum being brittle can handle that envirement.... Copper is forgiving, will certainly do the same.... If properly supported...... When the car is moving, no way will copper cause vapor lock. WHen its still on a hot day, in traffic. its not gonna be as bad as your engine compartment...
Here is a pic of a the fuel line pulled from a Holley that i had laying around....Hmmmm...Also a pic of the line on my Ariel, chrome is gone, but not too shabby for 74 years old..
Over the years, American automobile manufacturers have used (in alphabetic order) at least aluminum, brass, copper, and steel for fuel lines. Copper was used in some performance applications (ie Oldsmobile J-2). Aluminum was used for fuel lines on many Pontiac tripowers. Copper was used from frame to engine on millions of vehicles produced in the USA. However, the manufacturer would generally install a coil in the line to minimize the effect of vibrations. We reproduced original style fuel lines for many years. Many were copper, and we had no issues. Just to throw another issue up for discussion: we were once asked to produce some fuel lines in stainless. I contacted a stainless supplier who asked what alloy of stainless I wished. I told him I would check, disconnected, and called a manufacturer of stainless tubing. The stainless engineer told me stainless should NEVER be used with the standard 45 degree automotive fuel fittings, as stainless should not be flared more than 37 degrees. And this manufacturer refused to sell us stainless tubing. As many have stated in this thread, copper must be correctly supported, and certainly has less strength than steel, but may generally be used successfully. For my own vehicles, I use copper, aluminum and/or steel in the engine compartment; but all lines under the vehicle that might be exposed to rocks, etc. will be made (if I make them) from steel. Of the engine fires I have experienced, only one was caused by a fuel line, and it was a cracked flare of a steel line. The fuel lines that give me the jitters are those made of plastic. Remember the old clear red plastic lines sold by J.C. Whitney in the '60's??? Fire just waiting! Jon.
Not ideal - It can be used - but why? Copper piping needs to be mounted so as to reduce vibration - which inturn causes the metal to become brittle - and crack. Putting some coils in the run can spread out the movement somewhat - but again why? Copper fuel lines can encourage vapor-lock too which is no fun on a hot summer cruise. As for brake lines - use the proper stuff that's made for the job. That new fancy bundy tube is nice and maliable and won't crack up like copper. Good for fuel lines too.
This is that new NiCopp that you can use for brake lines. Kinda pricey but looks good and can take lots of pressure. I used refridgeration T's and sweat them with silver solder.
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