The fuel system is coming along nicely. I’ll be wrapping it up soon. The fuel filters and on-engine hoses and fittings are installed, as is the fuel supply distribution manifold, and the fuel gauge is working. I also bent and installed 304 stainless return line tubing. Next up is the supply tubing.
The starboard on-engine fuel supply hose connects directly to the distribution manifold, so I only need to make one long tubing section to feed the port engine. I also need to connect the bulkhead supply fittings to the fuel filter inlets for both sides.
The supply tubing is 1/2″ OD 304 stainless
It turns out 1/2″ SS tubing is much harder to work with than 3/8″.
My 1/2″ tubing bender isn’t Swagelok
This 1/2″ tubing bender isn’t bad. But it uses a solid, hardened die to make the bends instead of the hardened steel wheels my 3/8″ Swagelok bender uses. So, obviously, any problems I had bending the 1/2″ tubing was entirely the fault of the tool. 😉
That looks about right
Most bends I’ve had to do involve just two axes. You make a 90° bend from horizontal to vertical, for example. But this section of tubing has a single bend that involved the X, Y, and Z axes…it was very difficult to make. As I said before, doing this has given me great respect for the guys who work with stainless tubing regularly.
I decided to tackle the short bulkhead tubing next
When I installed the bulkhead fittings a few years ago, I bent some 1/2″ tubing that you can see above. It was long enough to reach the port engine fuel filter inlet, but just barely. And I didn’t like the long 45° angle the tube had to take to go from the bulkhead to the filter inlet.
New tube connects the bulkhead fitting to the port fuel filter inlet
I put TefGel on the threads before locking down the Swagelok tube-to-NPT connector
You can see the Sharpie marks on the Swagelok fitting. They’re offset by 1/4 turn, which tells me I put the nut on hand tight, marked straight across with a Sharpie, then used a wrench to rotate the nut 1-1/4 turns. That’s the recommended procedure for making these fittings liquid-tight.
Next, I installed the engine supply tube
In the pic above you can see it attached to the 90° fitting at the top of the manifold. Then it drops down to the stringer and meets the bulkhead before crossing to the outboard stringer.
I had to do some adjusting to get the tube in just the right spot
I have to say, one thing I really like about this boat is the excellent access I have to the propeller shaft behind the engine and gear. A little pad and you could almost take a nap here!
I drilled and tapped holes to secure the tube using expanded PVC spacers, P-clamps, and stainless screws
Tube and hose barb fittings came next
Getting close
Everything’s connected, and the Swagelok fitting is marked with a Sharpie
1-1/4 turns later, the connection (should be) leak free
The last step was bending the starboard bukhead-to-filter line
I had a real hard time with this last short line. I’m not happy at all with the way it turned out, with all those extra bends. I cut it too long, but the bends on either end were perfect and I couldn’t bring myself to throw it in the recycle box. I’ll give another shot at it later, when the 90° Swagelok fitting I need there comes in.
Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Fischer Panda Marine 12 Mini DP Genset
1969chriscraftroamer46 