Review of Tangerine's stainless fuel lines. Options

[Jakeodoule]

If this is in the wrong place, sorry.
I installed they're fuel lines last night and I must say it is a great product. It beats the hell out of trying to get the right bend on some brake lines. Plus they are stainless. They went right in according to directions and the bends are perfect. I had my motor out already but I could see doing it with the engine in place no problem.
They are a bit $pendy, but if you were bending them yourself from brake tubing I could see spending a ton of time to get them right. Also whats your car worth after all the time and money you put into it. a 150 bucks is not alot of money if its burning on the side of the road....

I think the engine compartment lines could be a bit longer to reach down around the corner of the hell hole but overall I give them an A+
Thanks and I will now drive without worrying about the plastic fuel lines.

[zymurgist]

Cool review! I spent a lot of time bending the fuel lines in Babydoll using truck brake lines. It looks good but man, did it take a while to get it right.

But...

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[Jakeodoule]

just go to they're site for pics and pricing.
I could cut open my tunnel for a better pic if you want....
http://www.tangerineracing.com/stainlessFuelLines.htm

[Vysoc]

If this is in the wrong place, sorry.
I installed they're fuel lines last night and I must say it is a great product. It beats the hell out of trying to get the right bend on some brake lines. Plus they are stainless. They went right in according to directions and the bends are perfect. I had my motor out already but I could see doing it with the engine in place no problem.
They are a bit $pendy, but if you were bending them yourself from brake tubing I could see spending a ton of time to get them right. Also whats your car worth after all the time and money you put into it. a 150 bucks is not alot of money if its burning on the side of the road....

I think the engine compartment lines could be a bit longer to reach down around the corner of the hell hole but overall I give them an A+
Thanks and I will now drive without worrying about the plastic fuel lines.

I also installed my Chris Foley Tangerine Racing Stainless Steel Fuel Lines last week, after much work trying to identify the original 1975 high Pressure Fuel Injection lines that were runnning through the tunnel. I decided to yank them out and replace them, after inspection of the lines, they were indeed in excellent condition. (The old ones held up better than I ever could have imagined). I believe this was because the 1975 models had the fuel pump under the gas tank thus the lines needed to be able to handle the fuel injection pressure and were thicker or more substantial. I do not know that these lines were any thicker/different than the lines that ran through from 70-74 but the Capt. or others could probably weigh in on that.

Anywho...I installed the stainless steel fuel lines by myself, was it easy no, two people would make it very easy just like the instructions call for, back and forth a couple hundred times....but once I got them in they fit perfectly.
I have much better piece of mind knowing that every piece of fuel line has been replaced as well as all the lines under the gas tank and in the engine bay. In my case piece of mind cost about $225.00, but I won't be second guessing any old pieces of fuel line or connections. The Chris Foley Lines are very nice, the key for me was unbolting the shifter, I did not at first and could not get at the tabs that hold the lines in place.

Vysoc

[zymurgist]

just go to they're site for pics and pricing.
I could cut open my tunnel for a better pic if you want....
http://www.tangerineracing.com/stainlessFuelLines.htm

Those lines are a work of art. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif)

[JeffBowlsby]

Do these metal lines bang together especially in the center tunnel, when going over bumps in the road? If not...why not?

BTW The 1970-74 fuel lines were Nylon 6 which is milky white when new. Nylon embrittles with exposure to moisture over a long period of time. The 1975-76 cars have black-colored lines which seem to be much mroe durable, but I do not know what material they are.

[Jakeodoule]

I would think they wouldn't bang around. There are metal tabs in the tunnel you bend over the top on the lines just like the plastic ones. Assuming you bend those over tight I would think it won't be a problem. My car is a 76 and yes the plastic did seem tougher than some older teeners I've had. It does crack if bent too tightly though.

[tat2dphreak]

Do these metal lines bang together especially in the center tunnel, when going over bumps in the road? If not...why not?

I put in aluminum racing lines from Summit, Jeff, and put little clamps with rubber cushions on mine. mine is only a single(carb) line, but no I don't hear them bag or clank when hitting bumps. I thought about splitting a rubber line and wrapping the line in the tunnel for more shock resistance tho

these lines look great, tho, they were not available when I did mine, so I used aluminum as an easy to bend/shape alternative(cheap too)... I did it in a matter of only a couple of hours

[Vysoc]

Once the stainless steel lines are in place they are set in there quite nicely and tight. There is a fairly substantial tab under the shifter that is folded over them and they fit in perfectly. Remember they run through a very thick piece of rubber grommet in the front firewall and grommets in the back and lay perfectly against the right side of the tunnel. The bends in the stainless are perfect they are quite stable.

Vysoc

[JeffBowlsby]

That actually describes my question and concern perfectly.

With the sheet metal tabs simply bent around them, its metal to metal in a vibration environment. At some point (OK, OK, it may be a long time, bt still...)the metal will wear through due to friction, the location may rattle becasue the metal tabs open up just ever so slightly. I would think these connections would be best to isolate at contact points with some kind of tape, rubber isolator or similar.

Also if they 'lay perfectly against the right side of the tunnel', are the fuel line surfaces in light contact with the chassis?...and if they are in contact, do they rattle to teh chassis when going over bumps? What has been peoples experience that have had them installed for awhile?

Once the stainless steel lines are in place they are set in there quite nicely and tight. There is a fairly substantial tab under the shifter that is folded over them and they fit in perfectly. Remember they run through a very thick piece of rubber grommet in the front firewall and grommets in the back and lay perfectly against the right side of the tunnel. The bends in the stainless are perfect they are quite stable.

Vysoc

[neil30076]

Also if they 'lay perfectly against the right side of the tunnel', are the fuel line surfaces in light contact with the chassis?...and if they are in contact, do they rattle to teh chassis when going over bumps? What has been peoples experience that have had them installed for awhile?

I have a single SS line from Tangerine for my carb set up - easy install, but if they do rattle i sure can't hear it over the exhaust noise, and i have yet to drive with the top in place here in Sun Diego! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/lol-2.gif)

[iamchappy]

No need to review as they are fabulous.....

[ChrisFoley]

At some point (OK, OK, it may be a long time, bt still...)the metal will wear through due to friction, the location may rattle becasue the metal tabs open up just ever so slightly.

and if they are in contact, do they rattle to teh chassis when going over bumps?

The lines certainly won't move around enough for wear to ever be an issue.
They are quite stiff and the wall thickness is more than adequate.
I doubt they will rattle audibly, as they will be filled with liquid which will act as a damper.

I suppose if someone was a real worry wart they could split a piece of fuel hose and slip it over the hard line inside the tunnel wherever contact with the chassis or metal tabs, or with each other, was likely.


Thank you Jake! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Cevan]

Mine have been in for 7000 miles of New England driving (not the smoothest roads). I have never heard them bang together. In fact, I haven't really thought about them since I put them in.

[bandjoey]

With the tough new rubbers, why not just run rubber line from the front to the rear? Boat supply houses have the rubber grommets to protect then through the firewall and could even be placed every few feet in the tunnel for protection.
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[oh no, not again!]

Thanks for the review Jake! Now I know my effort in bending those 3/8" stainless steel lines is worth it. I can attest to the thickness, too....it's amazing how my bicepts are shaping up!
~Heidi
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[2-OH!]

Jeff:

I used the SS lines as well, but I sliced a few pieces of rubber hose (about 6" long)with the ID the same size as the OD of the lines...Slipped them on the outside of the lines and then Nylon Tie-wraped them together...I did not use the metal tabs at all...No banging, no clanging, no chaffing...

2-OH!

[bperry]

At some point (OK, OK, it may be a long time, bt still...)the metal will wear through due to friction, the location may rattle becasue the metal tabs open up just ever so slightly.

and if they are in contact, do they rattle to teh chassis when going over bumps?

The lines certainly won't move around enough for wear to ever be an issue.
They are quite stiff and the wall thickness is more than adequate.
I doubt they will rattle audibly, as they will be filled with liquid which will act as a damper.

I suppose if someone was a real worry wart they could split a piece of fuel hose and slip it over the hard line inside the tunnel wherever contact with the chassis or metal tabs, or with each other, was likely.


Thank you Jake! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Isn't Stainless harder than regular steel?
So wouldn't the tabs wear before lines?

I read in one post where somebody put heat shrink tubing over the lines
to prevent any sort of rattling.

--- bill

[ClayPerrine]

I have done the lines in my car from scratch, using bulk stainless tubing. I even wrote a how to article for here. You can search for it if you like. But after installing 8 sets of these lines for various 914s I have worked on, I highly recommend them. I can do them with the engine in the car in 2 hours now.

And I do split a piece of low pressure fuel line and wrap it around them in the middle of the tunnel, just because I am paranoid.

Definitely a good product.

[Gigamight]

Thanks for the thumbs up on this product. I have been thinking about getting a set. The idea was made a necessity yesterday when I finally got around to removing my gas tank and as soon as I got it a couple inches up I heard ".....SNAP... CRUNCH..." yep, the lines were so bad that the disintegrated as I pulled the tank. I took out a section and turned it to powder with a little pressure. I definitely plan on doing some SS.

What about between the SS lines and the tank and then to the pump, etc. My PO had some funky makeshift shite that is lousy, I don't know what is supposed to be there. Can I get something as durable as these SS lines for those runs?