Aluminum fuel line Vs. the rest

[Washout]

I'm replacing my fuel lines as I upgrade to fuel injection and wanted to hear the pros and cons of using Aluminum fuel line from the tank to the engine compartment. I've got a roll of 3/8 aluminum, but the guy at Marrens fuel injection felt that aluminum was a poor choice because to oxidation issues if the car sits for extended periods of time.

[soybean]

I used a roll of 5/16ths steel line from Napa when I redid mine a few years ago and haven't had any problems yet. I'd be interested too in hearing about the difference between the two.
Jarrell

[Gary]

Timely question. I almost bought some aluminum fuel line from Summit last week.

[guyopel]

I would not use it in your area ( with the use of salt on the roads ) . Also I would be concerned with breakage at fittings where you have to make a flare . JM2c

[Washout]

Originally Posted by Gary Timely question. I almost bought some aluminum fuel line from Summit last week.

The guy at Marrens is from CT so I would guess that salt on the roads plays a part in his position. It just made me wonder when you see all of the pro shops selling aluminum fuel line. BTW, Thanks Gary, I liked your idea of taping the fuel tank to 1/4 pipe in order to run 3/8 from the tank instead of the 5/16.

[oldopelguy]

While perhaps not the least expensive option, you can minimize the chances of corrosion with the aluminum tubing by covering it with heat shrink tubing. I know not everyone has a few hundred feet of it taking up space in the shop, but still.

FWIW, my green wagon has had 3/8 aluminum fuel line on it for almost 8 years, and even after 2 years in NY it still looked pretty good last time I looked. I was always more worried about the line breaking because of aluminum's not so nice work-hardening qualities.

McMaster Carr sells a full line of zinc plated steel line for very nearly the same price as the aluminum stuff from Summit or Jegs, if you wanted to go that way instead. Part # 5176K25 is a good place to start. At their prices, and with their service, that's what I'll be using to replace all the fuel lines in my Opels from here on out. They also have aluminum coated steel too, in slightly smaller sizes.

[BobCGT]

I am upgrading to EFI on my GT as well and Ive used 5/16 steel lines from the tank all the way to the engine compartment, except of course fuel injection type hoses at the pump and filters.The steel lines were easy to bend and to double flare.

[Gary]

Originally Posted by guyopel I would not use it in your area ( with the use of salt on the roads )

Last time my GT (or any of my other Opel's) saw road salt was in the "Blizzard of '78" where Southern New England got hit with over 4 feet of white crap. The GT was like a snowmobile when I worked it around all the stuck cars.

[namba209]

I guess I can step in here and add to the somments of steel vs aluminum tubing, based on my years in the aircraft industry, where both are used. So here's the applications. On engines, landing gearand flight controls. both jet and recips, no aluminum allowed, stainless only, it has to do with the heat and vibration. Aluminum is used in non stressful environments but has to be supported a maximum of every 14" to minimize the "work hardening" Stephen referred to earlier. Use only aluminum fittings on aluminum line and steel fittings on steel lines. The reason is simple, dissimilar metal corrosion and if you use a steel fitting on an aluminum line you have leaks. Aluminum does not have the rebound characteristic of steel, once you torque it down it crushes and stays crushed. Exposed aluminum will turn chalky as it corrodes so it's easy to inspect for corrosion. The reason aluminum tubing is used in the aircraft industry is because compared to steel lines, it is a lot lighter, which is a concern, when you're using a couple of miles of tubing in an aircraft. I guess I should add the working pressures too. On commercial and military aircraft normal working pressure is 3000 PSI. HTH.

[Manta72]

For my car, I used Aeroquip stainless steel braided hoses and fittings all the way from the tank to the carburator. Size of the hose was -6 AN. Also got an Earls in-line filter. Works really well and looks really good. Got all parts from Summit Racing too.

[Washout]

[QUOTE=Manta72;123222]For my car, I used Aeroquip stainless steel braided hoses and fittings all the way from the tank to the carburator. Size of the hose was -6 AN. Also got an Earls in-line filter. [QUOTE]

I'm considering nearly the same setup and the Earl's in-line filter as well. The Earl's filter I looked at was 35 micron which is fine between the pump and your regulator. I've read where the filter between the tank and the pump should be 100 micron or more, what did you use there?

[Manta72]

I am using a 2 X 20 Weber DCOE for my car so the fuel system is slightly different. Notably, I am using a lower pressure FACET fuel pump which runs only at 0.4 bar (6 psi) compared to 4.0 bar (60 psi) for the EFI system. For this system, I used one Earl's (EAR-230206) filter between the pump and the carburetors and one Russel (RUS-645150) universal fuel filter between the tank and the pump. Your requirements for EFI will definitely be different but I think Summit Racing should have something for you...

Biggest benefit of using an Aeroquip system though is its extreme good looks! I also replaced all my brake lines with Aeroquip braided stainless steel braided hoses!