fuel line seals

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Scrap
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fuel line seals

#1

Post by Scrap »

RE: 1957 FL: I have new cad plated steel fuel lines from a reputable vendor. Tank to carb and crossover. The rubber seals were so difficult to install they got mucked up. I ordered some seals from another first class supplier and they are also a struggle. I even tried a little lube. Am I doing something wrong or is there a prefered place to go for seals? I don't remember having this kind of trouble 30 years ago. The seals that came with the lines are flat on both ends. The second set are flat on one end and very slightly beveled on the other. Which end should face the tank fitting.
Thanks.
As a side note, I was going to replace the OEM fuel shutoff rod with an aftermarket petcock that eliminated the rod. It threaded into the tank and included a banjo style crossover line. The threads were so poorly cut that it was useless, the banjo fitting was completely blocked off from the crossover, the flare on the copper line was green and crusty from corrosion from the acid from the plating tank that was not neutralized. Nothing new when it comes to aftermarket, but what a piece of crap! While I'm complaining, the three 6 volt battery chargers from Harbor Freight all were dead right out of the box....they should state on the box " not to be used for charging batteries"
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Re: fuel line seals

#2

Post by RUBONE »

Sorry to hear of your troubles. Hopefully you didn't use your forum name on your orders! :mrgreen:
FlatHeadSix
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Re: fuel line seals

#3

Post by FlatHeadSix »

Scrap,
Just a side-note on those trickle chargers, most of them have solid state regulators built in to the circuit and will not charge unless there is a minimal amount of charge already in the battery. It takes a few volts to get them to kick in. So, put a big (higher amp output) charger on the battery for a few minutes to give it sort of a jump start, then put the Harbor Freight trickle charger on it, you might be surprised. Don't leave the big charger on the battery for very long and make sure it is topped off with distilled water both before and during the charging process.
mike
Scrap
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Re: fuel line seals

#4

Post by Scrap »

RUBONE wrote:Sorry to hear of your troubles. Hopefully you didn't use your forum name on your orders! :mrgreen:
I was born at night, but not last night.
(don't remember who said that, but it's a good line). Even my wife doesn't know my forum name, as matter of fact, I'm not sure she knows my real name.

Thanks for your pity, how about some advice.
Scrap
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Re: fuel line seals

#5

Post by Scrap »

FlatHeadSix wrote:Scrap,
Just a side-note on those trickle chargers, most of them have solid state regulators built in to the circuit and will not charge unless there is a minimal amount of charge already in the battery. It takes a few volts to get them to kick in. So, put a big (higher amp output) charger on the battery for a few minutes to give it sort of a jump start, then put the Harbor Freight trickle charger on it, you might be surprised. Don't leave the big charger on the battery for very long and make sure it is topped off with distilled water both before and during the charging process.
mike
Appreciate the feedback. It was not a trickle charger...6/12 volt 2/10 amp charger. I bought a Shumacher, like the one I fried, made in Mexico instead of the USA but it worked liked it was supposed to.
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Re: fuel line seals

#6

Post by RUBONE »

Scrap, are you sure you have the seal rings for a fuel line and not for outside oil lines? They oil line type are a size smaller. The seal rings should just slip on, no fight. They work on compression, not a tight initial fit.
Robbie
Scrap
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Re: fuel line seals

#7

Post by Scrap »

RUBONE wrote:Scrap, are you sure you have the seal rings for a fuel line and not for outside oil lines? They oil line type are a size smaller. The seal rings should just slip on, no fight. They work on compression, not a tight initial fit.
Robbie
The local HD dealer, (I live in New England) to my surprise had "V-Twin" seals in stock. Fit like they were supposed to. I just assumed the specialists would be the first choice. The local dealer is actually a fairly good resource, the parts manager is exceptional! If you have to buy aftermarket, he knows what fits what and what you need to complete a project without returning 10 times. He even gives you a variety of extras that you can return, just keep the one that works best. For Pans and Shovels, it's better than 9 out of 10 shops.
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Re: fuel line seals

#8

Post by RUBONE »

Scrap,
Sounds like the other guys were giving you oil line seals for BT. Did you use the word "filter" by chance ordering them? That would skew things. The filter seals are larger than the strainer seals!
Three sizes of those things, and '63-'64 Pans use all three!
Robbie
Scrap
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Re: fuel line seals

#9

Post by Scrap »

RUBONE wrote:Scrap,
Sounds like the other guys were giving you oil line seals for BT. Did you use the word "filter" by chance ordering them? That would skew things. The filter seals are larger than the strainer seals!
Three sizes of those things, and '63-'64 Pans use all three!
Robbie
The new fuel lines I received came with seals, they were too big to fit into the female fittings that slipped over the steel tubing. The seals I ordered next were based on the part #'s from the book and verbally described to the supplier during the phone order, they were beveled on one end but they were also a tad too big. The filter on my Linkert is the stock gas strainer and uses the same size fitting and seal as on the tank. Just bad luck. Who said lightning doesn't strike twice? I'm used to trying to find stuff and the snafu that goes with it. This site makes it so much more fun.
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