How can I tell if the tunnel fuel lines have already been replace? Someone messed around with something in my tunnel. There is a large opening cut in the top of the tunnel near the front of the car and the existing service opening in the rear of the tunnel has been "expanded". The firewall in the engine compartment where everything comes out of the tunnel looks messed with too...tho it's hard to tell because it's so gooped up with undercoating.

It looks and feels like the lines in the tunnel are copper coming in from the engine compartment side, but somewhere near the front of the tunnel they feel like they turn into plastic (or rubber). It feels like a very smooth transition...almost like the tubes were butted up against each other and taped! The plastic tubes feel smooth and solid and flexible...not brittle.

What were the original fuel lines like?

Early cars had plastic lines that are semi-transparent with a yellowish tint to them, later cars had black plastic lines.

The stock plastic lines go all the way from the front under the tank to the back inside the engine compartment.

Anything other than that is not stock ...
Andy

My car is a "72. It's definitely hard-line coming in from the engine compartment and looks like stainless steel under the gas tank.

Not exactly Andy The description of the plastic lines is spot on but the plastic ends *inside* the tunnel near the cluster linkage where it mates with two steel J shaped lines that pass thru the rubber grommet seen at the bottom once removing the Tank. The lines are pressed & perhaps heated on those lines which are barbed at that end.

Mhmmm, i'm pretty sure on my '70 car the lines were plastic all the way, through the grommet.

It's been a while since i put in the SS lines and of course i didn't keep the old lines.
Andy

Agree with Andy, recently pulled the old feed line on my '72 - plastic all the way through the grommet - now SS.

Here's a tunnel pic from underneath (from Pelican, I believe). Plastic fuel lines are the 2 on the right. Back of car at top of pic.
Paul
Click to view attachment

A cut out tunnel front and rear sounds like a clutch tube repair IMO.

Clutch tube repair sounds right, but still not sure what's up with my fuel lines. Is copper magnetic? Whatever I have in there is magnetic thru the the rear service panel.

I found this picture.

Someone put brake line tube in. Most SS, and all copper is non-magnetic. Brake line is usually plated with a wierd green coating.

Interesting. Maybe I'm looking at the wrong lines in the rear of the tunnel. I've color keyed the picture of the tunnel. The pink is the fuel line, right? What's the green? While we're at it what are the others?

I found this too. Is everything correct?

Pink looks like fuel lines to me.
Others, don't know what is what.
Obviously, clutch cable, throttle cable, speedo cabe, rear brake lines, and heater control cable all go through there. Maybe more...anyone.

Yepp ...

All years had the metal "J" section at the front with the plastic tube shrink-fitted onto the barbed end, as shown in the picture.
'75-'76 cars had black tube instead of tan, as mentioned above.
'70-'71 cars had two smaller grommets instead of a single large one under the tank.

Pink are the fuel lines
Large Green is Cutch cable tube
Small Green is Throttle cable tube
Blue and Orange are Heater flap cables.

Jim

I mistook the green tubes (clutch and throttle) for the fuel lines. I reached in there again last night and found the plastic lines. They were really tucked in there against the side of the tunnel. I guess I have the original fuel lines after all. Can you just replace the plastic part of the old fuel lines?

I replaced mine with Chris's Stainless Steel fuel lines.

Clean, simple, quick. Great product ...
http://www.tangerineracing.com/stainlessFuelLines.htm

Andy

I know I should just get Chris's SS fuel lines...and I probably will. It's just that I'm broke and trying to save $$$. I still need to address my brakes and get a new windshield. I just want to make this thing safe and be able to drive it again. This car will never be a show car or a racer. Other than a joy ride on a nice weekend it'll just sit in the garage. Would it be so bad to just run high pressure fuel line right from the gas tank thru the tunnel to wherever it goes next...fuel filter...fuel pump?

You state that you would like to make "this thing safe". Then save the little amount of money it takes to get the Stainless Steel lines and do it right. Your car is the '72 which has the lines I would replace. I replaced my '75 with black lines they were ok (but different than the early lines), the CFR lines are very good and very easy once you figure out what you are doing. It is worth the piece of mind. Anyway going with any length of high pressure fuel line is expensive, just go with the SS.

For what it's worth,
Vysoc

The original plastic lines lasted 37 years. Why would high pressure fuel lines be unsafe?

I have a set of Tangerine Racing fuel lines for my /6 resto. But I'll tell you this; If the original fuel lines are still soft and pliable, you don't need to replace them. At least not at this time IMHO. Save your money right now for something else on the car and do the fuel lines later if you chose to do so. If they're hard and brittle, they will crack easily and should be replaced.

Hard to tell what kind of condition they are in. What I can reach feels flexible and smooth.

Check the ends in the engine compartment. That's where they get hard and brittle. You can easily pull the rubber hose from the plastic lines and check them that way.