Clifton Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 I'm going to run dual intank pumps and need to upgrade to 3/8 feed and return. I have used aluminum lines before and they sure are easy to bend. I know they are rated for 250 psi but don't know if it is a good idea to run them at 70 psi or if they are mainly for low pressure, carbed setups. Anyone have any thoughts on it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 The only reason I can think of is that Aluminum is pretty brittle and my crack over time if exposed to vibration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug71zt Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 They will melt if you have an engine compartment fire, which is why they are not used on aircraft. Apart from that, no problems that I can think of. The OEMs use plastic lines now, so I don't think that there is any legal reason not to use them. EFI pressures should be no problem. Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DREW RBZ Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 I run 3/8" aluminum fuel line to the engine compartment for feed and return. I then use braided line from the firewall to the rail/regulator etc. with Russell fittings. Aluminum line is easy to work with and I have never had a problem with it..just be carefull as it kinks easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 There was an excellent thread on this a while back. One problem with aluminum is it will crack if subjected to regular movement. Thus make sure everything is well mounted. It seems to be the hard line of choice on this site. The majority of people here say that is what they used. I bought the 90-10 cupirous nickle stuff. I will be running the lines this week end. It is suppose to be easy to work with like aluminum, but without any of the problems. Very expensive. I am also redoing my brake lines so just decided to get matching stuff for the fuel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clifton Posted February 23, 2007 Author Share Posted February 23, 2007 Thanks for all the replies. I'm gonna order some more aluminum line and fittings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHADY280 Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 They will melt if you have an engine compartment fire, which is why they are not used on aircraft. Apart from that, no problems that I can think of. The OEMs use plastic lines now, so I don't think that there is any legal reason not to use them. EFI pressures should be no problem. Doug ummm they kinda are used on aircraft. ive built the lines, pressure checked above 300psi. i use aluminum lines on my car, it sure is hard to join to the stock -5 lines. one day i wanna redo the whole shabang Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexideways Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 I don't think this would apply to you but I've heard that alluminum and methanol fuels don't like eachother. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators RTz Posted March 5, 2007 Administrators Share Posted March 5, 2007 Methanol attacks aluminum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TeamNissan Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 The only reason I can think of is that Aluminum is pretty brittle and my crack over time if exposed to vibration. Actualy Aluminum is less brittle then steel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lbhsbZ Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Actualy Aluminum is less brittle then steel. ...until you bend it Aluminum work hardens, so if you make fuel lines out of it, secure them well so that they cannot vibrate independently of what they are attached to, and you should be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TeamNissan Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 No, even bending it. I had to take metelergy classes in school. Its a insainly long convo to have too because you would have to go through many processes and alloys. Basicly the least flexable steal will loose to the least flexable aluminum and the most flexable steel will also loose to the most flexable aluminum in both alloy and process. Obviously there are lots of alloys that will beat one another. In the end though aluminum wins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 No, even bending it. I had to take metelergy classes in school. Its a insainly long convo to have too because you would have to go through many processes and alloys. Basicly the least flexable steal will loose to the least flexable aluminum and the most flexable steel will also loose to the most flexable aluminum in both alloy and process. Obviously there are lots of alloys that will beat one another. In the end though aluminum wins. I don't normally do this because spelling shouldn't matter on an internet car site. But run that through a spell checker and ask yourself how much credibility you are conveying with all those typos. I'm not ragging on you, but you have to admit that is some funny stuff. I believe ductility is the word you are looking for. I have always heard that aluminum work hardens also. At any rate it can't hurt to solidly mount the hard lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TeamNissan Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Ya I def dont care about spelling, way too lazy lol. I spent 16 years of school being forced to spell correctly I really dont have the will to spell check what I write in a forum. I know what you mean though pop, people make fun of me all the time for it. The point and facts are still the same though . You can rag on me though, I wont take offense . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Obviously there are lots of alloys that will beat one another. In the end though aluminum wins. Nope. The standard measure of a metal's "flexibility" (ductility) is elongation of a 1/2" OD bar as a percent in 2". 1010 through A500C steels elongate from 20 to 23%. 4130 and up steels elongate around 11% which is a result of their higher carbon content. Structural aluminum in 2024T351 elongates 19%, 6061T651 elongates 17%, and 7075T651 elongates 11%. Another big difference is the spread between a material's yield point (where it starts to bend) and its tensile point (when it starts to crack). In aluminum that spread is very small compared to steel. Aluminum's spread is typically around 10ksi while steel's is typically around 30ksi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TeamNissan Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 I will have to get in touch with my old prof then . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TeamNissan Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Maybe I confused most ductile with most malleable. I know aluminum is 2nd to gold in malleability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Sorry, I have to give you another nope. From the Jewelry world: Gold, Lead, Brasses (including Coppers), Silver, then Aluminum. And if you really want to get crazy with malleable metals, try Uranium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TeamNissan Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Idk wiki and encarta both say gold > aluminum > lead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Juday Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Aluminum make good fuel line. You be o.k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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