Clothes Pin On The Fuel Line?

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doc540

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Several local Slant mechanics have told me the same story:

Back in the day they used to put a wooden clothes pin on the fuel line to prevent hard starts and vapor lock.

Am I being PUNKED?? :eek:
 
I can't say if it actually worked or not but it used to be common to see clothespins on fuel lines. A friend must have used his Mom's whole clothespin bag on his 60 Chevy..
 
No, that was thought by some to be the, "hot, or cool as it were, setup". Just how much heat a piece of wood absorbs is any body's guess.
I suspect not much. Have seen a lot of flathead Fords rigged this way, back in my Gas Station Attendant days.
 
Back then we had better fuel.
Now days vapor lock is common on classic cars.
Best thing to do is reroute gas line away from exhaust manifold,run the fuel line from pump over valve cover to carburetor. Search it here or on slantsix.org
 
Back then we had better fuel.
Now days vapor lock is common on classic cars.
Best thing to do is reroute gas line away from exhaust manifold,run the fuel line from pump over valve cover to carburetor. Search it here or on slantsix.org

How high above the manifold does it have to be before it works?

lancer air cleaner decal1.jpg
 
so you have that problem with A 4 barrel? I was thinking it was my 1 barrel causing the vapor lock.

No vapor locks, just hard start sometimes on 100 degree TX days.

I'm not sure how much higher I could run a fuel line over the valve cover and across the top of the manifold into the front elbow on the Holley.
 
I tried all that , no help. I think getting rid of the heat under the hood is the best solution. Mine is crammed in the doghouse
 
Dorman makes a couple of fuel line check valves for 5/16 and 3/8 fuel line. I put one on the Edelbrock 625 I was running a while back and it totally fixed the problem.

Dorman 800-195 is the 5/16 and 800-196 is the 3/8. They're kinda proud of them at around 30 bucks each, but that fixed mine.
 
Dorman makes a couple of fuel line check valves for 5/16 and 3/8 fuel line. I put one on the Edelbrock 625 I was running a while back and it totally fixed the problem.

Dorman 800-195 is the 5/16 and 800-196 is the 3/8. They're kinda proud of them at around 30 bucks each, but that fixed mine.

where at in the fuel line did you install the check valve ?
 
where at in the fuel line did you install the check valve ?

In the line between the pump and carburetor so it stops the fuel from draining back into the pump and line going to the tank.
 
"Back then" besides clothspins, and tinfoil, cow magnets were also a popular old wive's tale.......yeah........on fuel lines
 
The clothes pins are to hang laundry on to dry... :D
 
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In the line between the pump and carburetor so it stops the fuel from draining back into the pump and line going to the tank.
I have never figured out how the fuel drains from the carb and back to the tank, when the fuel inlet on the carb is higher then the level of the fuel in the float bowl.
 
I have never figured out how the fuel drains from the carb and back to the tank, when the fuel inlet on the carb is higher then the level of the fuel in the float bowl.

Siphoning effect . Electric pump will stop it too.
 
I have never seen aluminum clothes pins but they might dissipate some heat. Wood, No. It's a insulator.
 
Nice photo of your set up and your fuel line routing is fine. The theory is of the fan air movement cooling the fuel line,tho doesn't do much on a hot non running engine. I run a electric booster pump such as the Holley Mighty Mite,also sold under many names, (Jegs # 510-12-426 $49.77) installed close to the tank as possible, switched to run during starting then shut off allowing the mechanical pump to do it's job.Worked very well on my 79 Chrysler 300. I also run one on my 65 Belvedere and many of my Slant Six cars over the years.
It sure is small and quiet but cured my problems. The number above is for a 1.5 to 4 psi pump. For fun I removed my mechanical pump to see if it would keep up to the 360 and Thermo Quad. Never skipped a beat even in the heat of the Nevada desert. I did re-install the mechanical pump after the experiment. Just something to think about.
 
I have never figured out how the fuel drains from the carb and back to the tank, when the fuel inlet on the carb is higher then the level of the fuel in the float bowl.

It doesn't/can't but people keep saying it.
It can only drain back from the needle/seat but it's impossible for the gas in the carb to be sucked out.
Heat evaporation is what usually empties the bowls.

An electric pump and fuel return line to the tank solves all the vapor lock and drain back issues.
In RRR's case the check valve just keeps the fuel from running back when the engine isn't running.
 
Back when I did run common cornohol fuel I had all sorts of fuel delivery problems. When I put the 73 dual plane 2brl intake and carb on my 67 273, I placed the fuel filter vertically by the timing cover just as it was on the 73 318. That along with the thickest available carb base gasket cured my percolation problem. Today there is plenty of ethanol free "real gas" available locally so I run that.
 
Back when I did run common cornohol fuel I had all sorts of fuel delivery problems. When I put the 73 dual plane 2brl intake and carb on my 67 273, I placed the fuel filter vertically by the timing cover just as it was on the 73 318. That along with the thickest available carb base gasket cured my percolation problem. Today there is plenty of ethanol free "real gas" available locally so I run that.
I run the non alcohol regular myself. It sure helps.
 
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