With the show-me-your-jack thread leaving me slightly less convinced that I'm going to be able to drop the motor in my garage as it stands, I'm wondering if anyone has done the Tangerine fuel line upgrade on an SBC conversion without removing the engine?

It looks like it kinda-sorta-oughta be possible, feeding the lines through the triangle under the engine mount...

(I have one line in the tunnel right now, but it ends with a wonky fitting and I need a return line anyway...)

We just installed a pair without removing a 3.2. The fuel line positions are at the very lower edge of the firewall. Should be doable.

Search for pictures of an open tunnel herein. It helps to know what you're up against inside the tunnel.

I've vacuumed a pound or more of rust flakes out of the tunnel recently (some the size of playing cards), so I've been looking at tunnel pictures quite a bit already (and wondering how much of it I can suck up in the shop vac before I should be worrying...)

I was just thinking that I might get to a point where I couldn't get the L-shaped parts at the end of the line past the engine mount, since to get a clean shot at the firewall I'll have to go over it. Sounds like I should just give it a shot and see.

Don't know if this video will help.

Merry Christmas!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxFRQTWLetw

in my experience, when you start to feed the lines in they lines are positioned slightly down and angled to the right towards the pass side rear tire iirc. biggest hassle will be accessing the little metal holding tabs for the lines in the tunnel (start with this. console? plan on pulling it) and feeding the lines thru the big rubber block at the front (later) or the 2 rubber grommets (earlier. prob plan on replacing them too. rotary914 stocks them). i think removing the tank makes the process much easier. you're going want to replace the soft fuel lines anyway. an extra set of eyes and hands certainly doesn't hurt the procedure.

forgot…slipping the black plastic metal tab covers, that are all over our cars, on the tunnel tabs will help insure there are no annoying rattles when you're finished.

k

Video made it look simple. I had a hell of a time just getting the lines through the tunnel, and had the wife come out and push from teh engine bay while I guided the front.

It would be my guess that you wouldn't be able to get through the tight spaces in the sbc engine bar unless you just a straight line without the 90 into the engine bay. But doesn't hurt to try.

I think it's possible but considering how hard it was for me with the engine out, I wouldn't want to try.

I did mine with the engine out, and 2 people, one feeding, one pulling/pushing, following the line thru the tunnel. I was amazed how well it went. Maybe I just got lucky.

Do you have leaks NOW, and need to do the lines tomorrow, or could you wait and do then when the engine/trans is out for other service?

I'm gearing up for a carb -> EFI conversion, and so far it's the only thing that might force me to drop the engine...

[edit: already have one steel line in there, but there's a loose-ish fitting on the back end of it rather than Chris' nice bends, so I'd prefer to ditch it if I can.]

In the process of changing mine. Pulled out the old plastic lines to find that they had been repaired (I use the word "repaired" very scrasticly) in multiple place by using rubber hose and clamps. So what kind of genius thinks clamping down on a plastic line that has already failed with whose clamp is a good approach for a repair?

Can't wait to get Chris's lines installed. Little did I know that I was sitting on potential bomb! So glad to have vendors like Chris that do it right.