Help Braided Fuel Line Or Regular Lines

I am just gearing up to start to rebuild a cj5 75 and I have questions to the group:
1. Should I use steel braided fuel lines or not?.
2. I have some brake line left over and I do not know if I can use brake line as a fuel line?
3. The fuel line coming off the fuel sending unit is that rubber fuel line then connects to the mental line correct?
4. Does anyone have a measurement of the size of fuel line I should be use?
5. Any website to order the fuel lines?
Thank you!
John D

 

Welcome.

Steel brake line is essentially the same thing as hard fuel line, and conveniently the fittings are often the same too. Assuming you have the adequate diameter, = probably ¼" or larger.

When you use rubber be sure to get high quality, and ethanol resistant - not the hardware store chinese garbage.

 

Yep, use steel brake line. It's cheap and the safest option. Identical to steel fuel line of the same diameter. 5/16" to the carburetor and 1/4" return.

For a '75, the fuel line should be steel except for short lengths of rubber between the lines and the tank, pump or carburetor. Vapor recovery lines are nylon. As mentioned, I would use some quality rubber line for the connections, especially for the inaccessible places like at the fuel sender. Gates or Dayco is good, and they have "fleet grade" products that are a step up from the generic fuel line.

 

Also, you're in the wrong forum for a '75. That's an intermediate Jeep.

Welcome from Boston!

 

Tim and Pete thank for the information! I am was excited to be on the forum so I will make sure my future posts are in the right places. Thanks again.

 

Remember, you can use Brake line as fuel line, but you do not need to reverse flare it when you cut it because as fuel line it does not need the reverse flare, it dose not have the pressure that brake line does. Just so you know, you can take the top off your fuel pump and rotate the top 180* so the inlet is to the back and the out let is to the front, making it easier to make lines. Good luck. Welcome from Michigan.

 

seeing as you are from pa i would use nicopp lines to prevent rust.

 

I've only used zinc-plated steel for fuel lines. In my experience in salt-encrusted Massachusetts, it's the brake lines that tend to rust out, especially the line across the rear axle. The fuel lines have a lot less exposure to salt spray, due to their position above the fuel tank, up in the frame and in the engine compartment. Nicopp is great for brake lines, and it's all I use. However, I think it's a bit over the top for fuel lines.

The 3/16" Nicopp line can be purchased on eBay for close to $1/ft in a 25 ft roll. Looks like 5/16" Nicopp is about $2/ft in bulk - zinc plated steel less than half that. I put a bubble on the end of fuel lines, using step one of the double flare process. This gives me a little more peace of mind regarding the fuel seal, but I have in the past simply cut the tubing and connected it with short lengths of rubber line, with good results. Putting a bubble on the end of each line is a little more insurance that the line won't accidentally pull apart.

Nicopp is a lot easier to bend - you can often cut your piece to length and bend it in place. With steel, you need to use a bender (I have this Robinaire bender - great! Amazon.com: Robinair (18548) Four-In-One Tubing Bender: Automotive ). Typically, if I did not have a sample to work from, I'd bend coathanger wire to the shape I needed, and make the bends in my tubing to match. In steel, you can adjust the bends some by hand once the tubing is in place, but the initial shape has to be close to what you want.

 

I can not tell you guys how grateful I am for your knowledge! I'm ordering part as I write! Thank you!

 

I upgraded the fuel lines on my 75 when I installed TBI. I just used rubber hose on the ends for convenience.. I bought straight larger steel fuel lines at NAPA and ran em along the frame. I pulled the old out and lucked out and got the new in.. As I recall I used the old feed line for the return.

 

Zila,
How hard was to up grade to a TBI. I want to do that and what parts would I need? Thank you!

 

It wasn't hard. I bought a kit instead of messing with a buncha JY parts..