I replaced the fuel line in my 55 Commander Coupe today. It was badly rusted and I was having trouble starting the car. It wasn't really too bad of a job. I am 72 and wasn't relishing getting under and fighting fasteners, getting back up to chase tools,and manipulating the line. I took off the front and back wheels and that made the line accessible all the way front to back. The bolts holding the line clips to the frame came out with only a little back and forth movement. I started replacement at the tank and worked my way towards the front and it was not hard at all. I was using 5/16 steel brake line for a replacement. It wasn't real easy to bend but it was doable. I used a bender for a 90 degree bend where it crossed over from the inner side of the frame to the outer side. If you are thinking about this job and do your own work I would encourage the project. If I can take on an ornery job and succeed- any one who tries can do it also.
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Kudos!!! Nice and easy does it all the time!1957 Studebaker Champion 2 door. Staten Island, New York.
"Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think." -Albert Einstein -
GREAT! It would appear that you and I are chained to the same oar. When I use to do this as a younger man, I'd use Stainless line. However, now I'm wondering if that's really necessary...Comment
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fuel line
I can appreciate every thing you say I am 75 and crawling around under a car is not easy. Did the car start any easier?Originally posted by gpete View PostComment
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Did the same on my 63 R2 Hawk. Used CNE line, very easy to bend. I'm 66, was able to run ONE line from the tank to the pump as original.Comment
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It must have been sucking a little air as it now starts much better. Never really thought about stainless line. O'Reilly Auto Parts just said they sell brake lines for use as gas line. My Commander had three lengths of line with junctions in between. About five feet was copper at the rear.. Must have been repaired years ago. I bought it in 62. Stainless would be a good choice for a car driven very much but since I use it very little, I think it will last indefinitely in steel. I lived in Northern Illinois in the 60's so the car was exposed to salt. Part of the line had lasted sixty years, but was pretty crusty. Now when I look at the car it even seems to look better.Comment
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The steel lines don't seem to last like old ones did, My 2002 Jeep had brake line rust down going to back, I ran a 33 Willys 19 years and lines showed no rust. A local garage buys the lines in a big roll , said It is a booming business on 10 year old vehicles . The jeep is kept in all the time when at home, their is no rust anywhere else on it!Randy Wilkin
1946 M5 Streetrod
Hillsboro,Ohio 45133
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When I replaced the fuel line on my 1948 Coupe, I discovered that the line had completely rusted away where it was clamped to the frame. What remained, was a combination of crusty rust and dirt, forming a tunnel for gas to pass through. That explained the raw gas smell present from the day I laid eyes on the car. As soon as I removed the clamp, whatever that mixture of mud and rust was there, fell to the floor as dirt. There was a gap the width of the clamp, in the rusty fuel line. No trace of the missing line that was once there.
That was one of the incidents that made me realize that getting the business coupe back on the road...was not going to be a weekend project. Instead, it was six years.John Clary
Greer, SC
SDC member since 1975Comment
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Maybe the originals were galvanized coated.Comment
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With the government concerns with safety and environmental damage, etc. I don't know why they don't make car makers use brake and fuel lines that don't rust out. I really like both my 91 and 99 Olds 88's, but the fuel and brake line on both cars rusted out within a few years, while the rest of the car was still rust free. Brake and fuel lines are the two most important things on the car to be concerned with going bad.
I bought long rolls of brake line off ebay so I can make new lines in one piece. My 1950 Champion has a copper fuel line, but I will replace it with original steel line.Comment
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OH NO!!!Originally posted by TWChamp View PostWith the government concerns with safety and environmental damage, etc. I don't know why they don't make car makers use brake and fuel lines that don't rust out.
PLEASE!!!
Let's see if, for once, we can do something practical without..."We're from the government, and we're here to help you."
Good Grief...I'd rather buy a car with no fuel line and fabricate my own than have the expense of having to comply with yet another government regulation built into the price.
John Clary
Greer, SC
SDC member since 1975Comment
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There's two ways to look at this...exterior corrosion, and interior corrosion. I used Stainless line to prevent both. Then I thought that the cars would NEVER be driven on salt, let alone in freezing weather and I used Silicone brake fluid. Well...so much for the expense of Stainless line. Besides, it's a pain to bend and straighten. Now, it's off to NAPA for the replacement straight sections of galvanized. BTW...the silicone fluid NEVER gave me a bit of trouble with swelling of the rubber brake system pieces. What is this CNE stuff?...Comment
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I totally agree, but made the comment knowing how the government likes to run our lives as well as the auto business.Originally posted by jclary View PostOH NO!!! PLEASE!!! Let's see if, for once, we can do something practical without..."We're from the government, and we're here to help you."
Good Grief...I'd rather buy a car with no fuel line and fabricate my own than have the expense of having to comply with yet another government regulation built into the price.
Maybe some of these TV lawyers will start a class action lawsuit against rusting brake and fuel lines.
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I'd be in favor of that suit, but ONLY if they add in headlight covers that degrade to opaque in short time.Originally posted by TWChamp View PostI totally agree, but made the comment knowing how the government likes to run our lives as well as the auto business.
Maybe some of these TV lawyers will start a class action lawsuit against rusting brake and fuel lines.Comment
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Hmmmm I never knew the problem with newer cars. My 97 Olds 88, which is my daily driver, does not appear to have a problem but I guess I should check it. I inherited the car with 29,000 miles on it 6 years ago and now it has 64,000 miles on it. Of course it has been in Tucson all the time so rust may not be a problem. I still have the original window sticker in the glove box.
Thanks for the information
Bob Miles
Tucson AZComment
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