surfer455

I am installing the Fuel Tank and Sending Unit on a 1971 Olds 442. I previously gave this car to someone to restore, and he basically gave it back to me in 442 pieces. I am working only from a service manual and assembly manual. I originally purchased a new Spectra Premium Tank and Sending unit but returned it because the Spectra tank came with a filler tube that was soldered on crooked and the sending unit looked poorly made. It also had a filter tube instead of a filter sock. I then purchased a Dorman Tank and sending unit. The Dorman sending unit's ground wire was too short, so I soldered an extension on to it.

Here is my issue: There is no way to connect the fuel lines other than looping them around one of the vapor lines. If I try to connect them with a short piece of hose, the hose will be crimped. The person that "restored" my car, put in new fuel lines. He is supposedly a guru here in the area, but I wonder if the lines are wrong. It seems that it would have made more sense of the lines were 6 inches shorter. I am enclosing photos of me looping the fuel lines around the vapor line and then heading to the fuel line. Does this make sense? When I purchased a Vapor and Fuel line kit from InLine Tube, it came with approximately 2-foot 1/4" inch and 2-foot 3/8" rubber hose for the fuel lines in addition to all the short 2-3 inch rubber hoses for the vapor lines on the back of the gas tank and for the Standpipe. So I am wondering if the factory ran these long pieces of rubber fuel lines between the sending unit and the metal fuel lines that head to the front of the car. Please look at my below photos and descriptions. Does anyone have any photos? Many thanks for your help!


The two hoses with the red and green clamp on the bottom of the photo are coming from the fuel sending unit. Right above these two lines are my stainless fuel lines that are right against the trunk floor pan. The hose to the left covered masking tape is the unconnected vapor line which attaches to stainless line with the gray cap. The hose to the right capped in masking tape is the end of the fuel line coming from the sending unit. The next photo is a close up showing the 1/4" and 3/8 " stainless fuel lines with the red caps. (The 3/8" pipe is hidden above the rubber hose in this photo).

Here is a close up of the previous photo showing the 1/4" and 3/8" fuel lines that are up against the trunk floor pan. They are capped in red. The two hoses to the left are coming directly from the sending unit which is at the bottom of the photo just like the previous photo. The hose to the right is the end of the fuel line that started on the sending unit. (It is just resting here at this point).

Here is a wide shot of me routing two fuel lines starting at the sending unit (see the red and green clamp at the bottom of the photo in the center). It goes up and around the driver side vapor line and towards the 1/4" and 3/8" stainless fuel lines. The rubber hoses aren't actually connected yet. They are just placed right next to the stainless lines. The hose to the left capped in masking tape is the center vapor line that is attached only to the fuel tank at this point.

joe_padavano

Your main fuel and return lines appear to be too long as compared to this drawing from the PIM. The metal lines shouldn't extend past the center tube from the vent housing.

surfer455

@joe_padavano - Thanks for the photo. It clearly looks like the fuel line pipes are bent downward to the bottom of the car. Mine look parallel to the trunk pan. I'm including a photo of the fuel tank with the sending unit along with 2 photos showing a possible routing of the rubber lines. I just don't know if this is correct or if the hose is bent too much. I also don't know if the sending unit has the pipes facing the correct direction or if they are slightly off. The Dorman is the best sending unit I have found so far. What are your thoughts? Many Thanks, Nunzio


Look at the sending unit. Both pipes are facing toward the passenger side of the car. it seems they should be facing toward the driver side to allow more room for the rubber hoses to connect.

The green clamp and red clamp at the bottom of the photo are coming from the sending unit. This is the best scenario I can come up with to connect the rubber hoses to the metal lines. I just don't know if there is too much of a bend in the rubber hoses.

This is a side angle of the previous photo taken from the passenger side looking toward the driver's side of the car. Is the bend to much? Will it constrict the flow of gas to the engine?

joe_padavano

The tubes on the sending unit should be pointed directly forward.

Vics86

gas tank in foreground. gas line from sender in in center and heads off to the left. the center evap line in front lower left.

center evap line foreground, gas line in back ground

fuel line going up over shock and center evap line on top with hose clamp.

looking toward divers side wheel well. with left evap line on bottom of pic, center evap line top of pic and fuel line coming out from left about half way down. I dont have a fuel return line..

Im not sure if my before and after pics help but when i put my fuel tank in i cut the 3 evap hoses long that attached to the evap pipes. I also cut the rubber fuel lines long as well but all rubber lines were attached to the tank as i lifted it up in place.
i then connected the evap hoses to the evap lines and cut as needed. I then attached the rubber fuel lines to the stainless ones and cut as needed.

your sending unit placement looks fine. its pointed the the passenger side of car.

hope this helps.

surfer455

Thanks for your reply. I am confused because my new fuel lines coming out of the sending unit point slightly (about 15 degrees) toward the passenger side of the car. I am wondering if this is correct. The only reference I have is an original single line sending unit with one 3/8" fuel line and no fuel line return. That one would go straight out the tank. I found a Spectra Premium sending unit and that one goes straight out the tank with the fuel line return pointing slightly toward the drivers side. However, the Spectra Premium sending unit is a toy in comparison to the Dorman Sending unit. The Spectra unit has a filter tube where the Dorman has a filter sock like the original design. The Spectra unit has a thin internal wire where the Dorman unit as a flat wide black wire strap just like the original. The Spectra unit has the ground going straight up in the air where The Dorman points forward. I just don't know if these pipes coming off my Dorman unit are correct and point in the correct direction. When I go to connect the rubber hoses to them it makes a tight bend. I don't know of any other sending units out there. So I was hoping someone had an original that I could see. Many Thanks, Nunzio

PatL

This is a NOS single line: Not sure how you are getting the 15 degrees.

surfer455

Mine is for a 442 with a 455 engine. It has 2 lines. One is 3/8" fuel line out to engine, the other is 1/4" fuel line return from the engine. Being that I have never seen one of these as an original, I am lost as to whether the Dorman aftermarket replacement is actually made correctly. Many Thanks, Nunzio

surfer455

This is a photo of my new fuel tank with the new Dorman sending unit. See how the fuel lines coming from the sending unit are pointed toward the passenger side of the tank.

PatL

Take it out of the tank and compare the orientations of the tabs with the picture of the NOS one I posted. Perhaps it has more to do with how the sender is locking into the replacement tank.

surfer455

I zoomed into both your photo and mine. The alignment tabs are in the identical place. On both your photo and mine, one tab, the one with the ground wire is located directly next to the Yellow "hot wire" post. The other tab at the top right is in the same place too. I looked at the video of a guy installing a similar tank on a 69 chevelle and his gas tank tabs are the same as mine. Unfortunately, his camera is so tight that I can't see the exact direction his fuel lines on the sending unit are pointed. The question is whether the factory turned these pipes when they added the fuel line return to the sending unit. If they did, did they point them slightly toward the passenger side of the tank instead of having them point straight out the back of the tank. Many Thanks, Nunzio

PatL

Take a look at this video; yes a Chevelle...:



I did mine a long time ago, so don't remember all the specific details other than I had no issues