I have a 79 L48 vette. I bought it about 6 months ago and I am slowing cleaning it up and making sure everything works. New a new front seal for the tranny but that is next week. My fuel line comes up from under the car on the driver side, goes through a glass fuel filter then into the carb. It is currently routed very close to the alternator belt and power steering belt (looks like the last owner played around with it). Where should it go? and what type of fuel filter should I use. There are a few mods to the engine (headers, intake, cam) and I am running a 650 holly. Thanks for your help.

 

Go with the solid metal filters. The glass ones can break.

 

Do you have any recommendations for which one? Or just go to advance auto a pick one up?

 

Yup, just make sure it's all metal.

 

Riley, the original fuel lines run along the right frame rail, hopefully you have some remnants of them. Sounds like a previous owner may have run a new line the easiest way he could. Factory lines were 3/8 in. feed and 5/16 in. return with rubber at the fuel pump and fuel tank. Original filter was in the inlet of the Q-Jet carb, it was a pleated paper filter about 1-1/2 inches long. Also the factory pump is mounted on the right side of the engine and the line to the carb was routed close to the block and water pump.

 

Also there was a good reason GM used a hard line from the fuel pump to the carb. Rubber hose just wasn't that great back then an when it goes, well it doesn't take a stretch of imagination to see what happens next. Major conflagration. [:@] It's well worth the price of a good tubing bender to make/replace a line from the pump to the filter and then from filter to carb.I know that there is now rubber hose that will take higher pressure than what a mechanical pump delivers like that used on modern FI systems. Just call me old-fashioned as I still prefer tubing. Most auto stores stock metal tubing in various lengths and diameters with double flares and fittings.

Another option is braided line using AN fittings. More expensive tho.

Good luck with your project.

 

It looks like I will need to change the locations and filter. I have a rubber hose coming up from the fuel pump, not sure why he put it up the driver side of the engine. Does anyone have pictures of their engines so I can see a sample. I can not for the life of me see where it would have been attached earlier.

 

riley,
With the exception of the fitting which attaches the metal line to the fuel pump and then the fitting at the carb, (on the factory stock set up) there really isn't anything that keeps the metal line stationary with the exception of it's own ridgedity. It does, on my '81, route under the A/C compressor bracket through a very tight spot that actsas a clamp.
As was stated in that prior post, the metal line is the best way to go as far as being clean and safe, and you can even insulate it. But you could, with some good rubber fuel line, route the fuel line from the pump to the carb in a safe clean manor using a clamp here and there and covering it with that flex sleeving for the time being.
As far as specific routing, the line goes from the pump, turning back to the block, hugging the block straight up under all the accessory mess and makes a 90 degree turn to run straight to the carb.Nothing special.
I can imagine either why the line would have been crossed over to the driver side and then up top. Who knows why people do what they do. Either too much thinking or just not enough...LOL Good Luck with the routing.

 

I am really confused now. I found the fuel pump up under the ac compressor and the fuel line (rubber) goes down under the engine on the front of the oil pan, up the driver side of the front of the engine (original clamps it looks like) by the power steering pump through a inline fuel filter and up to the carb. The fuel inlet for my carb is on the front driver side of the carb. I took the glass one out and replaced it with a metal one. Is this right?

 

Sounds like someone put a different carb. on it and didn't have the ability to bend a new steel line to fit. If your keeping the existing carb then I would try to fabricate a new line to replace the rubber. Are the stock fuel lines still in place along the right frame and being used?