Replacing The Fuel Line In The Chassis
by Garage Weasel on Jul.01, 2021, under Chassis
I purchased a 10' coil of 6mm OD (4mm ID) tubing to replace the original fuel line that runs through the chassis. It was corroded and damaged inside the tunnel and needed to be replaced. I used the original line as a pattern to bend it to the proper shape to fit. It was quite a challenge to make something coiled up match something that had mostly straight runs. I started on one end and once I had around 8" of a section matching, I taped it to the pattern and continued that until I got to the end of the old line. I had previously cut the frame head end of the line off to make it easier to repair this end of the tunnel, so I didn't have a pattern to follow for the rest of it. I used an old picture as a reference to determine the original shape. The bends here have to be clear of the installation and removal of the shift rod that goes from the shift lever to the transmission. Before I weld the bottom plates back on and close up the tunnel, I will have to check that the shift rod can be easily installed and removed. When I removed it when disassembling the chassis, it was very difficult to remove. I'm not sure why.
The original line was crimped into the spacers that mount the various tubes inside the tunnel. The only way to remove it was to to cut off the part of the spacers that were holding it. Fortunately, it was on the end of each of the three spacers and was easily cut off. I made new holders and then drilled and tapped them so that I could mount them to the spacers. I crimped the holders down until they were snug and will later put some rubberized caulking on them to keep the tube from rattling in the holders. I also put Loctite on the screws securing the holders to the spacers. I put silicone tubing over the last foot or so of the line where it feeds through the forked area to keep it from rattling where it contacts another tube and the inside of the fork. I then fished a copper wire through the fork into the tunnel and then taped it to the line so that I could pull it through the fork.
Note: When done, I had 18" left over from this 10' copper coil.
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