Hope everyone is having a great Thanksgiving, and got to spend some time with their loved ones! I'm at my Mom's with my wife and the kids drove down also...so it was a small but nice TG.
5/16" is the stock fuel line size in the 40's era.
This is exactly why I used that size, the truck had 3/8" hose on it, and I'm not exactly sure what size the hard line was in the middle, but I believe that is where the blockage is.
I don't think that you have a pump issue - I think that it is more likely an obstruction.
I think this is two fold. I think there is blockage in the hard line between the tank and fuel pump, however I removed that factor and ran a new 5/16" Gates hose from the tank to the fuel pump. I don't believe the mechanical fuel pump is capable of pulling fuel through the line however, and am not a fuel delivery expert, but that is what I believe.
The reason is that another gent I had originally met over on Stovebolt, his name is Jon Goodman, and is the person using the same electric fuel pump(s) I bought and he claims that the electric fuel pumps are entirely different beasts than the mechanical counterparts. He is using the exact same type of fuel line that I installed, but the electric fuel pump is capable of pushing the fuel through the hose. The mechanical pump just must not be capable...but I could be wrong. This is his thought also.
I am a fan of electric full pumps - but not for constant use. I have an Airtex in-line pump bolted to the frame in front of the passenger side rear-wheel. When it is 'off' the stock mechanical pump can pull fuel through it.
That is interesting stock, and I would say tossing a monkey wrench into my logic above, but the fuel hose connects to a fitting on top of the fuel tank, I pulled it out of the tank. There's aprox. 3/8"-1/2" plastic tube that extends down, and it is cut at an angle, so if the tip was on the bottom of the tank it would still be able to suck fuel, unless there was about 1/2"-3/4", the length of the angle cut on the end of the tube. I can see the gas is above that, as the tube is wet a few inches up. However, I don't know for certain, I'm just guessing it can pull. The other guy has the exact same fuel line, using no hard line, only the same Gates 5/16" flex hose.
You mentioned going to a dual fuel tank set-up. Perhaps you should clean both tanks and invest in the permanent plumbing for that
That is the plan, and I have been planning to replace all the lines at the end of the day, so I am faced with that now.
The other noises my cars make usually drown out little sounds like electric fuel pumps and worn out brakes.
If I can get everything running reliably I would worry about the noise later if it is a problem. I don't know how much I will be able to hear it, but my plan was to put both pumps in the original battery tray under the floor. Worst case I could cover them with an enclosure and sound proof it as best I can.
I appreciate the comments, not trying to debate or dispute either of you, and more so welcome your comments. I'm just trying to get the beast running and understand this. If my theory is correct, it will be good data for people to know in the future when running their fuel lines, that 5/16" ID is too big for the mechanical fuel pump. I've never seen a hard line that size being used for a fuel line, so there might be a reason for that.
