fuel line size....

[speedo]

what size hard plastic fuel line am I looking for..CIS..3.0 getting stuffed into a '73,,,and I have the correct fuel pump for motor....,I understand I can use the return line that is in the tunnel as it doesn't need to be high pressure...but can't find the high pressure fuel line anywhere. Needs to be plastic so I can get it through the tunnel...I think it is 12mm. Can anyone confirm, and link me a source of the line please? Also, am I going to need a different fuel tank? PO had a 2.4 with webbers....which has since gone away....but the stock tank remains.

[Jim Sims]

Stock '73T's had steel fuel lines in the tunnel. Are they missing? The '73's also had the fuel pump mounted in the rear, underneath on the driver's side so there are no fuel pump mounting provisions up front by the tank in a '73 chassis. '73 CIS fuel tanks were indeed different. I don't believe any of the US '73T 's came originally with carbs so you likely either have an MFI or CIS tank already. Jim

[speedo]

car is still at painter, so I can't check the tunnel for the steel lines yet....why can't I adapt those lines to the 3.0? I was thinking of mounting the fuel pump in the smugglers box if there is no way to mount it up front. My thought is that since the webbers used a low pressure pump, that the lines had been replaced...maybe not...fuel pump was located in the rear under the seat..whats the difference between a MFI and CIS gas tanks? I think the 2.4 was previously MFI...will this gas tank work with CIS? it's got the three holes of which the rightmost is plugged.

[Jim Sims]

The lines will probably work if they're big enough for your fuel delivery needs. The rubber/fabric portion of the fuel lines merely slipped on the steel lines and were secured with hose clamps. In a 1973.5T with CIS the supply line was C9x15 (9mm ID x 15 mm OD) which maps to Pelican VH-9-14 and the return line was C7x12 which maps to VH-7-12. The 73.5 CIS fuel tank has two nozzles on the bottom for fuel line attachment (supply and return). The CIS tanks had plastic internal baffling and I suspect the return was routed to a position in the tank away from the supply intake to keep the hot return fuel from being immediately drawn to the pump where it might cause cavitation. There is no fuel pump wiring up front in a '73. I have seen fuel pumps mounted in the smuggler's box; be aware that this space can communicate to the car's interior if the car had A/C or the rubber cap covering the nozzle in the bottom of the smuggler's box is gone. Jim