Looks like the Previous Owner of my car used the rubber fuel lines in the center channel of the car instead of the hard plastic lines or stainless steel replacements. How big of a problem is this? I have to do a clutch tube repair so the car is off the road. I really don't have the $$ right now to put in new fuel lines but If thats what needs to be done I'll just have to find a way. Any thoughts? just trying to sort through this car and keep it on the road.

Not a good idea. Some things are worth doing correct. At the very least you could get a long steel brake line to travel the distance.

Ya, I think its a huge safety concern let alone a DOT requirement. SS or equivlent would be recommended. I'm sure someone here would have the real and technical explanation. Years ago someone explained why NOT to put a live fuel pressure gauge in the cab, raw fuel spewing during a wreck.

Any idea as to why this would be a problem. Trust me I'm uneasy about it and don't doubt that its not optimal, just wandering why.

Are the stainless steel or ridged plastic lines that much more durable than the flexible rubber ones. Again I'm not trying to argue a point, just trying to better understand why the rubber lines are not suited for the center channel and how they might fail.

A few things off the top of my head:

Moving parts that could possible cause wear to hose:
shift lever & rod, throttle & clutch cables and heater lever.
Hose could chafe against sharp edges inside the tunnel.
All rubber hose deteriorates over time and will eventually leak.
You can not easily inspect the hose for damage or deterioration.
A fuel leak in the passenger compartment is really bad!

Jim

When the clutch cable grounds out to the body and then melts the fuel line it would get toasty quick

What about the braided fuel line like that used on boats?

looks like I'm in the market for some new fuel lines. Any suggestions as to what product to use and where to buy? The garage does smell like a refinery and maybe this will stop that. One of my favorite things about these cars is the VW Vinyl smell of the interior so maybe I'll get that back if I replace the fuel lines.

Plastic and rubber fuel lines fail differently. The plastic ones brake and cause a massive leak, easy to spot immediately. The rubber ones can have minor leaks that might get unnoticed.

You don't want the rubber ones.

Best I know of:
CFR SS Fuel Lines

Jim

High pressure FI hose is a little pricy. I would imagine that the PO did not use this and used standard fuel hose. This is not rated for the pressure that is is being used for. I believe the plastic will last a long time in the tunnel because is is protected from the elements better. It is the plastic outside the passenger compartment that is the first source to fail. The SS fuel lines ones are nice, safe and easy to install. Compared in price to high pressure rubber hose, the difference is not so great.

I used SS tube. I bought a 20 footer and had lots left over.

The problems with rubber is it can crack and just gets old. The fuel injection lines on the vanagons is the number one cause of fires!

jcl

You can use 60" brake line for the tunnels as well. Not quite as nice as you'll get with Chris', but functional and safe. You'll have to cut the tips on both ends, and use a pipe bender on the fronts once they are into the trunk. Tape em up as you snake them through so you don't get any debree in the lines. Good luck.
Side note, if you plan on relocating the pump to the front, use 5/16ths for both feed and return. Update to a late model pump. Otherwise, 3/8ths for the feed if your not updating.

I bought everything I needed right here from Rotary'14. Craftsmanship was superb, shipping was quick, and the price is RIGHT! Knowing that I will never have to worry about them again is worth every penny. He also sells all the hardware you will need. I replaced every inch of fuel hose in my car and used all new clamps. You will probably be amazed that your car hasn't caught fire once you see the condition of a few of your old fuel hoses.

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=110158

Thats the easy button. I have more than 60$ in mine. At that price you cant go wrong!!


jcl