Factory hard lines from fuel tank to pump?

[fordguy40]

Hey guys,

Just getting together some parts for the fuel system revamp on my newly-acquired 1980 C30 (350 4bbl, CA emissions). Trying to get it roadworthy/safe and as close to factory as possible for now and am hoping that someone can verify whether or not the supply and return lines to the fuel pump are solid all the way from the tank; the pump-to-carb line was cut for an inline filter and I have a solid replacement on the way, but the tank-to-pump lines are rubber for a few inches leading up to the pump.

Is this how the truck came from the factory? And if they're supposed to be completely solid, does anyone have any feedback on the repro lines offered through LMC?

TIA,
Jose

[Prong]

You should have rubber lines for about 8" coming off the frame to the pump to allow for engine "flex".

[fordguy40]

Thanks for the quick reply! Never considered the frame-to-engine flex, so that makes sense.

[hatzie]

There should be rubber sections at the sender, switchover valve, and fuel pump.
Originals would've been SAE J30R7 fuel hose. Use SAE J30R9 fuel hose for any replacements. OEM hose clamps would've been Oetiker or constant tension band clamps... probably the constant tension band clamps.

If you need to... You can make up your own steel or stainless lines from coiled seamless tubing. Beads at the ends will help retain the hoses.

[fordguy40]

Thanks for the info, hatzie....I'll be looking for that fuel injection-spec hose since it seems that the gas here really eats away at rubber (some of the lines the truck has on it are the consistency of chewed gum).

[hatzie]

E5, E10, & E15 Ethanol blends will eat the old J30R7 hoses and even the pre-1994 or so J30R9 and J30R10(in-tank fuel pump) hoses. The other thing that can get eaten is older fuel pump diaphragms, older accelerator pump cups, and float needle tips in the carb.

I run J30R7 hose for PCV and Evaporative Charcoal Can vapor purge hose. I try to use J30R9 for the vapor collection hose, between the tank and the can, because liquid fuel could possibly end up there.

[fordguy40]

A carb rebuild is definitely in the works, since it takes a while to get it running again after sitting for a week; guessing that all the rubber in the carb is probably hosed.

[Gregski]

hello my California buddy, let me know how your SMOG, DMV, Registration experiences go, I know that we live in a very car unfriendly state, I had a guy drop his 1976 C10 truck price from $1,800 to $500 bucks about 5 years ago as he was desperate to sell it but since it was not the original engine was having an incredibly difficult time finding a buyer, I opted for my SMOG headache free '74 and love it

[fordguy40]

Yeah, still have to get it smogged to complete the title transfer and am not looking forward to it. But from what I can tell, the smog setup on this truck isn't too convoluted and seems to be complete, so I'm hoping that just throwing in a new pair of cats and a bit of gas line antifreeze in the tank before I go in will help.

Only good thing about this whole smog mess is that it will force me to go with something like an LQ4 swap if I want to upgrade and still remain compliant.