I used 3/8 hard soft copper line. Then used the original 3/8 line for the return. Have the Mallory gyro pump in the trunk. In the trunk with the bazooka tubes so I can blow myself up one day. I really need to rethink that location. I drilled out any fittings that werent the same id as the hard soft line. I even opened it up and smothed the upwards transition to the neddle in seat of the rochester. I even took out the sending unit in the gas tank and noticed that was a 5/16 . brazed in a new 3/8 line to the sock. Put a double flare on the end sticking out the tank with a fitting and use a union to connect my Hard soft copper line to. The only rubber is on the return, which is drilled and brazed into the sending unit. Soft copper line or hard soft , soft hard , its malable.
Copper is not the best choice. No OEM uses copper, as it tends to work-harden and crack. Double-wall seamless steel, stainless steel, or OEM-style plastic would be a better choice. I like the double-wall seamless as it's cheap, light, durable, easy to work with, and readily available in 3/8 and smaller. It's too bad that 7/16 or 1/2" isn't common.
Not sure what you are looking for in an answer to hard / soft copper, however as one who has installed it in industrial uses. If you uncoil a roll of soft copper tubing and stretch it by securing one end to a steel beam and connect the other end to a hoist or com-a-long and tighten or stretch the tubing, it will become ridged so that you can work it as hard line tubing. Marv.
Thanks for the reply Marv, never had to use copper like that and that terminology was alien to me.....
There's numerous companies selling hose and matching fittings using "Push Lock", "Push-Loc", "Push-Lok", "Push-Lite", "Twist-Loc" and other variations of that terminology. It's like all other hose. It's wonderful in it's intended purpose, but shouldn't be used where tubing or pipe will work. Keep the hose lengths short, and only where needed for flexibility or to join sections of rigid plumbing. Every variation of "Push-Lock" I'm aware of requires the heavy barbs on the fittings to secure it in place. I'm sure you could use a beaded tube and a clamp, (especially in low-pressure applications like carb'd fuel supply) but that kind of defeats the purpose of the clampless hose-and-fittings.
I've found push-lok to be a PIA putting on barbed fitting, the smaller size hose was more troublesome than the larger diameters....
I dont know about copper cracking over time. I do know it dosent rust. I know it dont turn your fuel green. Its easy to double flare . also when torqued not execesively it will form to some imperfections. Every copper flare only has so many times it can be torqued , so if you like tightening and untighting your fittings its not a good choice. The Key is not using something restrictive.
Went to my local speed shop today and was able to check out a Russell -10AN hose to hard line coupler. It was a straight bore thru, and measured between 7/16-in and 1/2-in ... so it seems that "-10AN = .484" = 1/2-in" is correct. I believe where it can get confusing is that some call a -10AN "9/16-in" [and therefore a -8AN is half inch] because that's the ID of the hose that fits it, and of course the hose gets compressed to seal to the fitting... so it's slightly larger.
What is AN. I know its not short for Anson. Is that AN metric. ? is 10AN .484 hundreths of a meter? That cant be rite. What THE HELL IS an AN ANYWAYS!!
Was derived and Incorporated by the US military back in WW2 "AN" stands for Army/Navy, unique 37° taper -8= 1/16x8=1/2in OD
Once again, .... Multiply the AN size by 1/16" and that will equate to the corresponding hardline nominal I.D. Example: AN-8 =8/16"=1/2"=I.D. of 1/2" hardline, nominal. Thus, .... The AN-10 fitting I.D. should measure .550 (.620 -.070 hardline wall thickness nominal) to be a true full flow. I have yet to find any fittings by any manufacturer that meet the full AN-I.D. That doesn't mean they don't exist, ..... I just haven't found any yet. Though I have found some AN- fittings I.D. do vary depending on Brand and style. AN hardline fittings are usually (Closer) to the correct I.D. size than the AN hose fittings which are even smaller in I.D. because they have to fit inside the AN hose. I hope that clears up any confusion folks may have. Larry
Let's also keep in mind that there are (at least) TWO (groups of) STANDARDS that use a 37 degree sealing flare. ONE of those groups of standards is military/aviation grade. It started out as an Army/Navy (AN) deal, has progressed through different names and updates, probably still exists in updated form for military and aerospace applications, while very similar civilian aviation standards are considered to be under the SAE umbrella. In the end, whether military, aerospace, or civilian aviation, this represents the highest quality. The other standard uses the same thread sizes and the same 37 degree sealing flare, but the production and materials are "Industrial" grade. I made thousands of hoses for City Bus production. They don't fall out of the sky if the hose ruptures. These "industrial"-grade fittings used to fall under Joint Industry Council (JIC) standards, but has since been taken-over by the SAE under a different standard than what covers the Aviation/Aerospace level of quality. There's no reason (except expense and availability) that you couldn't use Aviation/Aerospace components in your hot-rod. The top-level hose ends and fittings are downward-compatible. You'll get into trouble using Industrial-grade stuff in your airplane. It fits, but is not built to the quality level required for vehicles that fall out of the sky if something goes wrong. WHAT IS SOLD AS "AN" VERY LIKELY DOES NOT MEET AVIATION/AEROSPACE QUALITY REQUIREMENTS and CERTIFICATIONS. As far as I know, the old "AN" standards have been superseded decades ago, they don't even exist any more. They're selling you stuff using "false advertising" or "deceptive advertising". They imply that the product meets "AN" specs, and they probably don't. You're almost certainly getting industrial-grade quality, not military quality. I get a little crazy when folks talk about "AN" hardware. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AN_thread https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JIC_fitting
All I know is AN fittings get everything from 500 to 10k hp cars down tracks and streets every day. Aeroquip, Russell, and Earl's are obviously better quality than some of the house bands for sure. I've been using Fragola and Vibrant for a few years now and they work great and after frequent removal/installation they still thread smooth as butter. The "Red Horse" and "Engine works" fittings are nice also from what little I've used them. As far as the dimensions go, it really doesn't matter, we know what size hose is needed for its intended usage. So if it's only .4xx instead of .5xx that's fine by me because I know what hose to order for what I'm doing. Lots of useful information here tho not denying that.
I have no input on the conversion factor you present, but I repeat my findings; the -10AN fitting I measured was definitively just under a true 1/2-in, or right about 15/32-in. I did not measure an -8AN fitting, but accordingly it should be roughly 1/8-in less. Hoses have an allowance for compression, so I can see them, in general, being less stringent in ID.
