when it ain't broke........

ttocs · Oct 30, 2010

DON'T TRY F'N FIX IT! I decided to paint my intake as I was bored of the silver and thought it would be a simple thing to do. The paint went well, it looked so nice I wanted so know if there was a clear that would protect it and take the heat. I had been using duplicolor paint so I asked them and they replied that they make a high temp clear. I was out that afternoon to get it, after painting it the night before. I followed the instructions and when I hit it with the 3rd coat, the first wet coat it wrinkled the paint and made it look like chit! I wrote a scathing email to the guy from duplicolor and started sanding to fix it.

While it was out I decided to fix my messy spark plug wires. Figured now would be a great time to get a loom like I had been admiring at car shows and do everyting right. Ordered the custome length cables and was pissed off to find out that one was 10 inches short and would take almost another week to fix...........

While all this was going on I noticed the stock fuel lines that I had heard was an easy upgrade. I ordered the parts, and when they came in I went to take them off and went fine with 3 out of 4 connections, not sure why there are 4 different connections for the same line but what do I know. The last one all the way on the fenderwell was a bitch to get out, when I finally did it ended up messing up the end. It is not perfectly round now and of course it will not fit on the aluminum fittings unless it is perfect so great, now what.... I have no idea how I can fix that end. IT isn't completely torn up but it will not fit on the new fitting!>? I should have just followed my mantra of if it ain't broke don't fix it as this crap always happens, how the heck do I fix this?

castine917 · Oct 30, 2010

in your own typing "DON'T TRY F'N FIX IT! " throw the bitch into a castine917 junk yard. :thumbsup: just kidding with you.

what year was your car again? i forgot.

ttocs · Oct 30, 2010

94 gt. I have no idea what to do with the F'd up fuel lines now. How the heck can i straighten them out? The smaller one on the fender side isn't perfect anymore. Not that bad really but just not prefect. Do I have to replace that line or is there a way to straighten them out? Please help this is not my area of expertise. I am an electrical person, not mechanincal but I am trying to learn....

OnyxCobra · Oct 30, 2010

I can see where you're coming from and it sounds like you had some bad luck, but if you always followed that motto then none of us would ever mod our Mustangs. If i had to wait for something to break to modify it then I'd still have a stock '95 Cobra lol

castine917 · Oct 30, 2010

can you snag a pic of line? or find one online for me to see? just want to make sure of which end piece you f'd up.

ttocs · Oct 30, 2010

thanks, any chance of saving this? I have actually straightened it out a bit since this pic and it is now more round then in this pic. I was just gently working some plyers along the sides to straighten it up but I am not sure if there is a better way?

CanaryGT · Oct 30, 2010

Heh. Well it should be able to be fixed

ttocs · Oct 30, 2010

just keep doing it like I am with plyers or is there a better way?

dklimek · Oct 30, 2010

Find a phillips screwdriver or a tap that is the diameter of the inside of the fuel line, meaning just find out what fits inside it snug. Once you do stick that into the bad fuel line, wrap the outside bent part of it in a rag and shape it back with some pliers and you'll be fine.

vermilion · Oct 31, 2010

channel locks and rubber strips so you dont gall it.

ttocs · Oct 31, 2010

the top of it is tapered and I would not want to get any shavings inside of it so I really do not think that starting inside would be a good plan. I thought about drilling a couple of holes the same size in some wood and using that shape to help press it round again. Is that a 1/4" line?

I have no idea how that connection was suppose to come off. I pushed on th release tabs hard enough to break them off the clip and it was not releasing.

Passenger · Oct 31, 2010

I'd just try straightening it up by finding (or making) a conical little taper piece to push down into it and see if it'll push back out the way it should be

ttocs · Oct 31, 2010

that is just what I was thinking. I have some strips of aluminum that I am going to drill a hole out in it and then taper one end and see if I can tap tap tap taaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaap it in.......

ttocs · Oct 31, 2010

well two steps forward, only one back. I had some 1/8" x 1" strips of aluminum from a previus project left over. I drilled a hole in it and wiggled the drill bit around in it after it went through to make it a little bitter, then use a tapered drill bit to taper the end I was going to work it down on. With a little oil I was able to slowly wiggle it down and use the tool I made to apply pressure to the parts I needed to work out. It slowly made its way all the way down and was able to come off easier then it went on and made it alot better. I did a 2nd hole but didn't wiggle the bit in this hole as much so that it is just a hair smaller then the last one, and then tapered it the same way. Again after some gentle pressure and some patients I was able to work it all the way down and again straighten it out a little more. It was to the point now that I I could get the fitting most of the way down, to the point that it should normally tighten up and need that last 1/8" down to seat it. I put the bottom on the line hoping that I could get it down enough to catch a couple of threads on the bottom of the fitting and maybe use it to bring it down the rest of the way. Unfortuatly I dropped it and it fell into that little hol on the bottom, below some parts of the ac system. IT looks like it is a welded up area that has a hole on the top and no way for it to come out. I have been trying to fish it out with my grabber but no dice so far. Anyone know where to get the bottom part of the fitting? The part that has the threads that tightens it down and holds it down? At this point I just had to laugh as it was just one more thing to go wrong, after doing a happy dance for fixing the line it was not a big deal to need to order another part....

ttocs · Oct 31, 2010

http://www.jegs.com/i/Russell/799/641300/10002/-1

The cap at the bottom, anyone know where I can get that piece?

Mustanger · Oct 31, 2010

I'd go to a wrecking yard & pick up another line possibly.

ttocs · Oct 31, 2010

SUCCESS! went fishing with my grabber and got it! I bought that grabber last (where you push the botton and the four pins extend from the end)week when I dropped a bolt that I could see and was just out of reach and it has saved 2x already. Highly recomend it if you do not have it as I use to use it all the time to run wires with as well.

uncltrvlnmatt · Oct 31, 2010

ttocs said:
SUCCESS! went fishing with my grabber and got it! I bought that grabber last (where you push the botton and the four pins extend from the end)week when I dropped a bolt that I could see and was just out of reach and it has saved 2x already. Highly recomend it if you do not have it as I use to use it all the time to run wires with as well.

That is a abortion tool, it is not supposed to be used to pick up dirty parts.

ttocs · Oct 31, 2010

its funny as the guy at the parts store said he had never sold one. Like I said I use to use them all the time installing stereos but I have found more then a few uses since I bought it last week. I have a theory that gravity has a higher acceleration then normal in my general vacinity, I suspect it is closer to 12 M/s squared but have not done any tests to prove it.