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Fuel Line

9/29/2010 to 9/30/2010

This is the front engine pan.  It was missing off my car but I found this one and cleaned it up.  The only problem is that when I went to install it I found that I had used its mounting holes when I ran the new fuel line.  The picture on the right shows the problem.
When I ran the fuel line I could not snake the line over the top of the front suspension like the old line did.  So I ran it under the bump stop.  Now the suspension is out of the way so I can do this right.  But first I need to make some clamps for the new fuel line
I used a scrap of the 5/16" fuel line and a piece of paper to make a pattern for the clamp.  An old license plate will be the donor metal.   A few minutes with a Sharpie and a center punch and the clamps are marked out.
Best to drill out the holes before cutting out the clamps.  Once the holes were drilled I cut the clamps out with tin snips.  Two clamps are done.
Next I need to figure out the routing for the new fuel line.  I am using a length of #4 solid copper wire to simulate the new fuel line.  I want it to end at the same spot so I twisty-tied it to the end of the old fuel line.  The brake line under the radiator shares the mounting holes I will be using so I tied the wire to it across the front of the frame cross member.
Here is the new routing behind the shock mounting hole, across the top of the frame, through my new clamps, then down to the end of the old fuel line.  Once I had this all worked out I measured the wire to determine how much fuel line I needed.  52".  Guess what comes in 51" lengths?  I bought a 51" length and hoped the extra inch could be made up.
Using a tubing bender I measure, bend, and fit.  The big problem until most of the bending is done there is no way to fit the line in place so I am working a three-dimensional shape more or less by eye. 
My youngest daughter caught one of my less dignified car-repair looks.  This is right about the time I decided I had irredeemably screwed up the line and it would never work.  Then I went to bed.  
After stewing about this all day at work I looked at some pictures of the old fuel line and figured out a simpler and slightly shorter routing.  I carefully reworked the line to make it fit.  It is ugly as sin but it should work just fine.  At left the line leaves the union, goes up the frame rail, then dives behind the shock mount hole.  The right picture shows the line circling the shock hole, dodging the steering box and motor mount, and diving for the front frame cross member.
The line sits back in the cross member but needs a slight bend to dodge the engine pan screw that will be poking up though the frame.  Then it bends up to the fuel pump feed line.
Finally the pan is in place!  It really is kind a of a pain and I will have to drop it to do almost any work under here.  There is a laughably small hole under the radiator drain petcock but no other access to the engine now from underneath.