Has anyone ever got fed up with that dangerous piece of rubber gas hose that goes from the carburetor to,in my case, an in-line fuel filter,then goes on to the fuel pump? Has anyone replaced it with steel or aluminum line where it goes from the carb. to the pump? Or at least from carb. across the top of the motor,so the rubber piece won't crack and get gas on the top of the engine. Is there a metal replacement kit or something,or does a person just fabricate one himself? I know on the several 1978-9 ford trucks with a 400 engine this has always been something to have to check regularly for cracks etc. from motor heat. I had an engine get on fire years ago because of the rubber hose failure,but was able to distinguish it before any real harm. I have heard of instances where a truck has burned up because of this. Maybe I am missing something,what do all of you do about this? Thanks Randy

 

I'm pretty sure my truck always had a metal line from the pump up to the carb. Might have been added by the PO though.

...Then again, when I replaced my fuel pump I remember that the mine was connected to the fuel pump via a screw-type fitting. If it wasnt so damn cold outside id go take a picture for ya.

Either way, I know my truck has a 100% steel line from the pump t the carb. 3/8" steel line maybe? Dont quote me on that size though.

 

Some guys will opt for a rubber line to address vapor lock. Bend up a hard line and see is it works for you. It isn''t hard and it's a task worth learning how to do.

 

I actually took some rubber hose and wrapped it around my metal line in hopes of insulating it.

 

Most all the truck I have and have seen have or once had a solid metal line (3/8?) with a few angle bends going from the fuel pump up past the water pump to the carb.

I have seen a long metal line with soft line just from the end to the fuel pump cause the threaded fitting became and issue when the mechanical fuel pump was replaced.

And I have seen the solid line stop short of the carb so an inline filter can be added then soft line the rest of the way.

Time to go hit the JY for the metal one, as far as the rubber fuel line becoming dry rotted and crack an issue.

Here is a question, are you getting the cheapest soft line available from the parts store or are you getting the more expensive "fuel injected" quality soft fuel line?

I heard there is a difference, maybe urban legend, but I understand the FI line is made of better material and lasts alot longer???

Or that might be BS to just sale it, over the cheap stuff?

 

I replaced mine with braided stainless and with screw on AN anodized ends. It looks good to. Just my 2 cents.

 

Ford had a metal line from the fuel pump, up to about 3" from the carburetor. Then they had a short rubber line from there to the carb. They were notorious for vibrating and cracking the rubber part and dumping fuel on the intake. A simple cure was to cut the metal line back another 3" and use a slightly longer rubber hose so it didn't vibrate as much. ....These days, we have better hose. DO NOT buy fuel hose. Buy fuel injection hose. It's much more expensive, but it doesn't dry out and crack like regular fuel hose.

Depending on the engine and carburetor, you got either 5/16" or 3/8" steel line. A fun fact to think about is, NHRA doesn't allow any more than 12" of rubber fuel line on a vehicle in the entire system. That includes back by the tank. They do that for a reason. ....to minimize the risk of fuel leaks.