Squishy fuel hose

[NAM VET]

About a year ago as I was competing the restoration of my truck I put new fuel hoses on the connection between the tank and the large and small filler pipes. For the smaller half inch connection, I used some nice pretty blue silicone water hose left over (not thinking to check to see if it was fuel-proof) and then bought a larger section of reinforced fuel line hose for the 4.5 inch length for the big pipe. A month ago, down at the coast in my truck, noted a small gas leak from one or the other, and when I snugged up my clamps, the one on the smaller hose was pretty loose. Fixed that. The larger hose was made in Italy, and I got it from a local industrial supply/repair place where they do hydraulic lines for road machinery and such.

I only use non-ethanol gas but when I was at the beach, before I found the local marina was happy to fill me with the proper fuel, I had to add some ethanol 10% to just keep driving around, not much, enough to perhaps make a 5% mixture in my tank. When I got home to UpState SC, and got around to a re-grease and fluid check, I noted my big gas hose was very "squishy" with bulging ends outside my clamps. So having just filled up locally, had to run my tank level down, and in the meantime, used my Digital calipers to measure the diameters of the big and small pipes, and ordered a foot of fuel proof special silicone hose (for race refilling from track cans) from Pegasus racing, and a foot of half inch rubber fuel hose from my local NAPA.

Nothing with these repairs goes according to plan, and when I removed the two hoses from the tank and filler, found that the larger pipe is flared to 2 and a quarter inch, so had to re-order the larger proper special silicone hose, and then installed them, worrying all the time about a spark and being burned to death.

My brother in law, many decades ago, was welding on a gas tank, and when it exploded, he spent half a year in a burn unit, and wears the results of that for the rest of his life. I hate working with auto fuel. I had a TR8 with a fuel leak, and it caught fire and burned just after I crawled out from under it. Can you see why I just hate working around gas fumes in cars?

I double and even triple clamped both lines, and all is well now. I really think my failing fuel hoses were just not suitable for any mixture of ethanol, and would have failed at some really bad time.

Oh, note the actual size of the flare on the larger is 2 and a quarter inch. The special racing silicone hose is not cheap.

All the best, guys, NV

[just me]

Gates Rubber Gold Stripe hose is best for that application. Sold by the inch at NAPA. That's right. Inch. Pricey, but correct. I also use it on the "volcano" on my Catalina 22. Lasts for years.

[Cal_Gary]

I'm not fond of working around the fuel tank/hoses either but sometimes it's a necessary evil. I was more than happy to drop my tank and send it off to be boiled out, pressure-tested and sealant applied inside. I recall my degree of caution when I was welding up my shattered rear cross member just inches from the tank. A scary thought if the tank had cooked-off.
Safety First, gang.
Gary

[m-37Bruce]

Safety first is always de-rigur!

[Kaegi]

I am also a fan of the napa gold line hose. its like original stuff and lasts multiple decades. I have never liked the silicone hose as it is soft and cuts too easy.