Fuel and Return Line Routing
Turbo Mini Forums

I am adding 5/16 fuel and return lines to a MK 1 Traveller. It is left hand drive so it may not be standard for most people on this forum.

I am looking for pictures of how the lines route past the rack. On my car the pinion is on that side. I did not take a picture of where the original line routed but it looks like it comes up on the inside of the pinion
I wll post a picture of the the current mess I have made. I am attempting to use stainless which requires a little finess in bending. Unfortuantely it is finesse I do not posess.

So for now I am just looking for photos showing hoe other people have done it.
Terry

Best photo I've got mate hope it helps. Alan.

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Have you thought about using aluminium hardline instead? It will be 10 times easier to bend and work with? Though i suppose it depends on what fittings you are using.

I did think of or am thinking of aluminum or plain steel as well. My tube bending skills are not up to using stainless.

I made a jig to help me with the bends on the long run and I thought I could pass the two lines by the pinion on the outside, but I failed. I mesured and checked many times, but in the end, it is not working

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I've used flexible nylon hydraulic hose. Piece of cake to fit.

Where'd you get that from andy? Sounds like my ideal solution!

It's this stuff, but black:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290327141438

Same stuff as on modern cars.

B-e-a-uuuuutifulll.

What kind of fittings do you use with the nylon pipe ? I'm liking this idea

And if the fittings are easy, then maybe a combination of hard lines and soft lines. The only place I really had trouble was around the rack.
Terry

A mix is the best bet. I couldn't be arsed bending the pipes (and lacked the skill and tools).

So I ran copper from the heal board to just above the front subframe, and rubber pipes beyons that. My copper pipes run between subframe and rack.

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

Some plastic ones that clip through the floor and hold both fuel and brake lines, but I'm a tart lol

On 17th Jun, 2013 Hoops said:

What kind of fittings do you use with the nylon pipe ? I'm liking this idea

On 16th Jun, 2013 apbellamy said:
I've used flexible nylon hydraulic hose. Piece of cake to fit.

I used copper, microbore central heating tube, 8mm and 10mm.

Same route as the original, just two next to each other.

Because it is a common plumbing material there are proper bending/forming tools readily available to get the tight bends to match the original.

I tried the semi-rigid nylon first (as Andy says, because it's what modern cars use) but couldn't get tight radius bends without it kinking (even with warming it first).

Only got photos of the back but it's behind the steering rack at the front.

Also, if you screw a bit up, just cut/join using solder fittings (like it would be on central heating) which take up no space at all unlike compression fittings.

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

I did initially put my lines above the rear frame, but wasn't confident with the fittings I used. In the end I ran them below the subframe in one length front to back with some nice sweeping bends. Don't forget heat wrap stuff where you pass close to the exhaust.

Found a picture of the front (it was in my "bodywork" directory instead of the ""fuel lines" directory...)



The grey stuff is heat shrink sleeving which I put over it in any location where vibration might cause it to touch anything and also at every clip location as steel touching copper and salt water isn't a good mix (I used the original steel clips). The earlier photo was a trial fit, the heat shrink went on later.

EDIT - although it's a RHD rack mounting plate, you can see the place where the LHD hole would be and they would clear it, just like the brake pipe clears the RHD pinion shaft.

Edited by Rod S on 18th Jun, 2013.

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

Excellent photo which clip did you use to space them so closely, just the original bending type with the heat shrink between them?
I am trying to use Rover MPi clips which seem yo work well.
I need to develop more patience and accept that I wasted US $50 on stainless

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

I ended up ordering some of this copper/nickel tubing:



It is expensive but if it is as easy to work with as this for brakes, I will be happy

Edited by tmsmini on 19th Jun, 2013.

Wow Terry,

That is expensive....

8mm copper in the UK

http://www.diy.com/nav/fix/plumbing/plumbi...3?skuId=9274333

And that's for 10metres (approx 32ft).

Kunifer has its advantages over copper (I use it on my brake lines too), mainly improved fatigue life and slightly better corossion resistance but it's 80% copper anyway.

I'd recommend buying or borrowing the proper forming tool for the bends (again you should be able to get/borrow a plumbers 8/10/12mm tool) as the larger diameters kink more easily than smaller (eg brake).

EDIT - I say the 8/10/12 plumbers because it is a lot stronger than the smaller brake tube benders even if they go up to 8mm (I have one for my brake lines and it didn't really do the 8mm tube well).

Edited by Rod S on 20th Jun, 2013.

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???