Reproduction Parts for 1916-1964 Chevrolet Passenger Cars & 1918-1987 Chevrolet & GMC Trucks


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Discovered something today the hard way.

1966 327 Corvette
I was replacing the fuel line from my carb to the fuel pump. Removed the line at the carburetor. Then while underneath the car, I cracked the nut on the lower end of the line. Gas leaked out at a fast rate. I expected some to flow from the line.... but it didn't stop.

That's when I realized that the pump is LOWER than the GAS TANK. So the gas was siphoning out from the tank. But I expected the fuel pump to stop the gas from flowing.... WRONG.

I learned today that the valves in the fuel pump do NOT prevent back flow.

The fix appears to be to clamp off the rubber hose between the gas tank and the steel fuel line. That should work long enough for me to replace the short carb/pump fuel line.

Bill B


Wilwood Engineering1955-1957

Willwood Engineering

Wilwood Engineering designs and manufactures high-performance disc brake systems.
Wilwood Engineering, Inc. - 4700 Calle Bolero - Camarillo, CA 93012 - (805) 388-1188


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bill: snap-on makes a tool to gently compress the rubber hose between the fuel pump and the metal line going back to the tank. also, you could jack the front end of the 66 up but wait till u have run nearly all gas out of the tank before replacing the fuel pump. i'm guessing the bottom of the tank is about a foot ,at most, above the fuel pump inlet fitting. mike

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Mike,
Someone else recommended jacking up the front end of the car. But I have it in "winter mode" which means that the tank is topped-off with ethanol-free gas. So, the difference in height from the top to the pump is more of an angle than I want to attempt. stressed

I can't get at the rubber line on the intake side of the pump. (No room and I have A/C), but I did manage to find the rubber at that rear of the car where it connects to the line and then to the sending unit. I managed to get a very long needle nose pliers in there. Tomorrow I'll put a bunch of rubber bands on the pliers and pinch off the hose at the back. Then I should be able to remove the steel line between the carb and the pump.

Thanks for your come-back. This was sure a surprise to me when the gas didn't stop flowing out of the pump. Ha!

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good luck. seems like u have it under control. i just sold one of our vets, a 64 365 c-60 silver/black leather coupe we've had since 1972. i'll miss the old girl. trying to cut down on the number of vets the kids will have to deal with when the ground hogs start delivering my mail. hopefully another 5-10 years of suckin air before i'm outta here. mike

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Yep... that is exactly my philosophy now too.

By the way, I tried using long needle nose pliers today (about 12" long) with 6 or 7 rubber bands around them.

It wasn't strong enough to clamp the hose and fully stop the gas from leaking out.

Off tomorrow to look for a radiator hose pliers.

--Bill

By the way, I gave up on the front hose, and I'm only trying to clamp the rear hose - between the steel line and the tank sending unit.

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Hey Bill, I don’t know if you have enough real-estate maybe you could try using a long nose Vise-Grip and sliding a small rubber tubing over each end to protect your rubber gas line.
Just a thought!
Rory

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I like the idea of using a rubber hose. I wound some electrical tape on the jaws of my manual needle nose, but tubing would have been better.

Here's the regular tool that is recommended by most everyone. It was $14 at Harbor Freight, with the 20% coupon the price was $11.

[Linked Image from vcca.org]


While I was shopping, I saw these and they looked very interesting. The place where I'm trying to get into, is very limited, so this extra length would be an advantage.
[Linked Image from vcca.org]

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I was able to close-off the rubber fuel line with the radiator hose pliers today. Just barely enough room for the handles under the rear fiberglass panel.

With the fuel finally shut off, I removed the fuel line from the carb to the fuel pump. Tried to put the new line in place, but it is too long. About 7/8" too long. And that's a bunch too much.

Ended up putting the original one back in and with the nuts only finger-tight I managed to force two bends into the line to move it off the intake manifold and off the lower radiator hose. Got about 1/2" to 3/4" clearance. That should help a lot in preventing vapor lock in the future. So I think this project is done. I'll start it in a day or two to see if there's any collateral damage (eg. gas leaks). Ha!

Now, if only I could get the Powerglide to stop leaking. :-)

Bill B

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If you are having problems with fuel vaporising you could try a piece of rubber hose that is loose over the steel pipe. This provides insulation from the hot parts and ventilation as well.
Tony


1938 1/2 ton Hope to drive it before I retire
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Good idea. Rubber hose.

I managed to bend the fuel line with a screwdriver and chisel so that it's about 3/4" away from engine and hoses. I can squeeze my finger in between it now. That air gap should make a big difference in keeping the temperature from rising too much.


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