Refinishing Hard Fuel Lines.

When I started this project it became obvious that no part should go untouched.
This is the process I used to return the hard fuel lines to a like new condition.
I've been told by one of the board members that these fuel lines are constructed
from aluminized steel tubing with a vinyl coating.

This is what I was confronted with after removing the engine.
The fuel line's protective coating had been eaten away by battery acid and rust
was starting to do its dirty deed … not to mention years of oily road grim.


Nasty!



After removing the lines, a HD photo map was made for reference.


Tools were gathered and a drawing made to record the location of the plastic tie-blocks.


I used the heat gun to warm the blocks to facilitate their removal.
Over time they can become hard and easily broken at their thinnest cross-section.


Each of the lines were throughly cleaned with a rag and acetone.


Here is a trick to help stabilize the opposite end of where work is being done.


Before restoration.


After sanding with 150 grit paper and finishing with course 3M abrasive pad.


Wire hooks were made from coat hangers. The straight end was bent in a crinkle
pattern and used to anchor the hook when it was shoved into the tubing.


The lines where hung from chains in the shop


Spray guns:
• Auarita MINI ST-3000 for paint products.
• Iwata LPH-50 for the metallic coating.


The first coating applied was Triangle Coating's two part

The primer was lightly 'de-glossed' with a fine 3M abrasive pad and
a coat of black high gloss black acrylic urethane was applied to seal the primer.


Prior to painting I did a spray out on a galvanized metal panel to sample different
metallic aerosol paints I've purchased for this restoration project.
After the spray out was done, the panel was divided into thirds.
The left side was coated with a waterbase flat acrylic, the right side
with a high gloss automotive two part acrylic and the center left bare
showing the native sprayed appearance.

• Eastwood Tank Tone
• Eastwood Cast Steel
• VHT 500° Cast Aluminum
• VHT 500° Cast Iron
• VHT 1600° Silver
• PlastiKote High Temperature Alunium
• Alsa Mirrachrome
• Rustoleum Aluminum
• Rustoleum Gold


I chose to use Alsa's Mirrachrome as it had the best metal surface look.
This is an interesting coating. It is made from small particle size leafing
aluminum, a light lacquer type binder and fast evaporating isopropyl alcohol
as a reducer. The Iwata LPH-50 was purchased to spray this product as it
produces a very fine spray droplet which is ideal for the Mirrachrome.
My second choice would have been VHT's 500°F Cast Aluminum if I didn't
have the Mirrachrome.
I allowed each coating to dry over night and followed the manufacturer's
user instructions.


The finished product with tie-blocks and new stainless steel hard brake line.




This was an easy project and went without a hitch.