just a quicky for you guys today - if you go with a fuel return line/bypass system on a classic, this thing makes it easy: amzn.to/2W0uoNT later in the week here i'll have a video on setting your distributor curve - stay tuned ya toobies. Also, enjoy my “equivocate” where I was trying to say equate 😂
Good video, I do the same thing for my FI conversions, even for returnless set up's. We might have discussed this before but I remove the filler neck and give it a good scrubbing, using 3/8 brake line I drill a hole in the neck as low as possible, put a 120* bend in the brake line and cut it off so most of the bend is there, put it through the hole and lay the line over on to the neck and solder it in place. A hose clamp supports the line to the neck and a 3/8" inverted flare to a barb or AN fitting adaptor is installed for connection to your return line. Works like a champ. I do this even on a returnless system except I install a tee somewhere in the high pressure line after the fuel rail, tap the internal bore of the tee and install a pipe plug with a .5mm (.018") hole in it to bypass a small amount of fuel back to the tank. Always cool fuel at the injectors and flowing through the pump, no bubbles or vapor locking at the injectors and unless your pushing over 600 HP a stock pump will provide plenty of fuel. $5 in parts.
I like this video. My only car with a carburetor, my 1869 Corvette still has the original type fuel filter that has a second outlet. It’s a very small, sends fuel back to the tank via a separate return line. Chevrolet’s reasoning was that the return helped keep the fuel cool. A lot of guys on the Corvette Forum don’t believe that and remove it. Their loss.
To be honest I hired several guys to solve this issue for me and they never told me what the issue was. I was sure it wasn't the carburetor. My carb was new. After seeing this series on vapor lock I am sure these guys knew what this was and hesitated to tell me. My car had a dedicated return line but without the original carburetor, it was never hooked up. I even asked about it because in old photos the line was hooked up. I was told it wasn't necessary. Truly it is necessary. Lesson learned.
Where to put the return line had me stumped for a while too. I addressed it by buying a piece of 3/8 in. x 12 in. pre-made steel brake line, cut one end off, drilled a hole in the sending unit cover on the tank, and soldered the 3/8 in. tube in place. Granted this did require dropping the tank and creating a small bracket to support the return tube just as the supply line is supported, which I tack welded in place. But it is another solid and cost effective solution, like the one you suggest in this video. Your earlier videos helped me realize my Holley Red pump was causing my carb to flood so adding a regulator let me to this. Thanks for all your great tips! I've learned a lot and will continue following closely.
Never seen the filler neck tap before for the fuel return, nice mod Luke! What I did for my fuel return is: my truck came with a charcoal canister that was disconnected. That canister had a hard line back to the fuel tank itself. If u no longer use that can, utilize that hard line as a return for fuel. Be sure to clean it all out before u start bypassing fuel into it
Here is what I don’t like about that - it will build pressure on the line which makes it hard to control your fuel pressure. I tried that in this truck, even cutting it back way by the tank where the restriction was essentially small and I still had issues. If you put a pressure gauge on your return line, it needs to read 0. But it does depend on the fuel pump you run also - Im on a big electric unit so that I bypass a healthy amount
@@ThunderHead289 Very true! I had just switched to an electric pump last month. Its slowly growing on me. I have a pressure gauge on my regulator as well as my carb side. Both read different numbers till I went to the red holley pump. I noticed your regulator is after the carb, is that preferable? My regulator is before my carb
I liked your comment on the fact that a carburetor is a static output fuel delivery system. It does not adjust like fuel injection. So you want to keep the fuel input as static as possible for consistent results.
Great video as usual! I’d like your thoughts on what I was planning to do, if possible. In my ‘74 D100, I’m planning to use a later model 318 or 360 Magnum engine, except with a carb (not using the FI). These engines don’t have a provision for a mechanical fuel pump. Question is; if I used the later model factory tank and electric in-tank factory pump, can I regulate the high fuel pressure down (and run a return line of coarse) to the 6ish psi for the carb? Reason for the factory in-tank pump is they seem to last pretty much forever, and quiet too (I have 293k on the original pump in my 2000 Ram 1500, which, maybe is the exception and not the rule, but still...). I hear about a lot of problems with aftermarket pump failures lately, be it Holley, Carter whatever, and this truck will be a legit daily driver. Anyway, sorry for the long winded question! Thanks for any input!
Ron G Yeah, you'd just need a manually adjustable regulator to drop the pressure from the 35-45 psi used with the injection setup down to 5-6 psi. Alternatively, if the Dodge Omni (as an example) uses an electric inline pump, use one of those with your current tank and do something similar to what Luke did.
Late reply, but yes you can do this. I am running a carb'd 318 and opted for an out-of-tank electric holley pump. Just run the line from the pump to a regulator and regulate it down to the necessary PSI.
Have you found that adding the return feed to the filler neck has impacted fuel filling? Does the pump run wide open and click off properly like usual?
There’s a emissions 3/8 line that runs down the passenger side frame rail that I used for the return. All of these trucks has it and it goes from what people call the coffee can under the hood and runs right to the top of the gas tank where it goes in and you don’t have to drop the tank or run a line the length of the truck. You just need 3 ft of 3/8 fuel line and a T with the regulator after the T and of course you need a electric fuel pump and I put mine right at the tank on the frame. It works perfectly and you won’t ever have to worry about vapor lock again and the cool fuel probably helps on power and fuel mileage
Thanks for this video luke ive got a shortbox 79 f 100 and im gunna have to do fuel return cause shes rich and ive been through 3 carbs to figure it out
Awesome video. I want to install filler neck return line to help with my truck heat soak issues. If I purchase filler neck to I also need to purchase pump? Or does it return fuel by gravity once the engine is shut off?
Thanks so much for this! I'm trying to keep my girlfriends grandpas truck running/alive- so she won't want to get rid of it, but it's pretty unreliable as it sits. It starts up and appears to drive just fine- but once warmed up, she loses power and eventually stalls. We also get vapor lock when attempting to start a hot truck- so I'm hoping that in following in your footsteps, we can make the truck reliable again. Do you have a video on how you did the electric fuel pump? That would be super helpful. I know in one of your videos- you said you wanted the pump to be rated HIGHER than what you'd want the regulator to be set to ('14 psi pump w/ a return regulator at 6 psi'), and I believe I might have found a mechanical edelbrock pump that is rated to put out 10. But if switching to electric is easier, I might just do that. Thanks again.
My fuel pump has a return line. I added a fuel pressure regulator and it helped. If I upgrade to a FP regulator with a return can I 'T' into the return line from the fuel pump? If so, I may put a bleed valve at the end of the carb fuel rail. Plumbing is my weakness...
The filler neck is a great tip. My car has a return line already in place but for some reason, it was disconnected. I want to reinstall it. The line seems fine. How do I test it to make sure it's ok to reconnect? I wouldn't want to put any trash into the tank from an old line. Any suggestions?
Question: Looking to do this on a '61 CJ5. The mechanical fuel pump typically draws from a fitting on the top of the tank. The fitting is connected to a fuel pick-up tube. I known the pumps do better with pushing fuel than they do with pulling and was wondering what you suggest. I could always put a fitting/barb on the bottom of the tank and take advantage of gravity, but the pressure of the fuel above the pickup tube should help force / draw fuel through the system.
On many Fords from the 70s they had the egr spacer plate . Is there a easy way to remove it ? Is there a spacer you can buy ? It doesn't look like you can just remove it and set the stock 2bbl right down on the manifold . Always worried the old EGR might leak a bit of vacuum .
I was wondering. For a carb setup could I just run a corvette filter/regulator and use that as a return? Where it makes return line shorter and not have to come from engine bay?
I’ve got a sbc 350 with a 4150 650CFM and a fuel rail on it pumped by a Holley red electronic pump. Have the issue where it’s plumbing way too much fuel and starts overflowing that carb really fast. Do you think I could put a pressure regulator and return line on the other end of my fuel rail to help regulate the rail pressure so it doesn’t do that or does it need to be before the fuel rail?
Brothee, Im not saying your way is incorrect. Im not a carburetor expert. If the pressure regulator is after the carburetor and on the return side. Is there a chance of tour fuel pump over pressuring your floats or creating issues? Im asking because Im about to install a regulator on my carb
I'm confused I have a summit racing carb with a solid type dual fuel line so how do I plumb the regulator like you have it in this video without all that rubber hose and still have the regulator as you have it here?
I'm doing a swap from a mechanical fuel injection system to a carburetor on a small block 302. Is it as easy as using a bypass regulator and connecting it between the carburetor and the existing fuel lines?
Question for this old video: does this return setup give you problems filling at a gas station? I’ve had vehicles that wouldn’t take gas with the pump handle fully open.
Hello, I have a 86 chevy c10 v8 305. I have deleted my evap canister and my fuel tank collapsed in on itself. I'm wondering if it's because the line I didn't know what to with I closed off. I have a edelbrock 1406 carb
I don't question how effective this is, but it makes me wonder. If heak-soaked fuel has less oxygen from sitting in the lines around the motor bay in a dead-head setup, what keeps the fuel from being heat-soaked while its sitting in the fuel bowl of the carb?
Hmmm....u got me thinking- my 79 302 F150 still has one of the old emissions line that runs down the pass side to the rear tank that at the sending unit I could possibly use for a return - one drawback I see off hand is its diameter is very small & may have too much back pressure??
If my K5 has 4 outlets on my fuel sending unit does that mean one of them is a return? Under the hood has the charcoal canister that has been disconnected and not in use anymore.
What about that set up for the regulator what did you bolt that to?do you have to vent the tank And also the return line is metal from the firewall back and just rubber in the bay? Would this work with a 69 f100 I got my tank behind my seat and also a 66 mustang? Any advice is much appreciated
Would you talk about installing a durapart system or maybe doing the GM HEI system into a Ford? That is the HEI module not a dist. Like how you did it and your thoughts on using a GM HEI since ive heard mixed reviews on the duraspark boxes failing. That is the ones from the auto parts stores. Since a OE box are heard to find nowadays. Great video! Also, can a do a fuel return on a motorcraft 2150? non feedback carb?
So youre running your pump straight to the carb then regulating the pressure afterwards? It seems to work, but seems backwards. Whats the pros to doing it this way instead of pump into the regulator then to the carb?
It doesn’t matter where the regulator is - the regulator maintains the “rail” pressure which is what the carb sees, bypassing any volume not needed to maintain that pressure. It’s the best return system since it is always actively bypassing fuel from your fuel rail vs others that don’t bypass all leaving fuel by the carb susceptible to heat and density change. Thunderhead289 Engineer
Your fuel pressure regulator has 2 outlines and 1 inline. For the video it looks to me that you connect the pump to the carbs and to one regulator outline, the other outline has the pressure gauge, and the inline is your return line to the tank. Are your connections like I described or am I wrong?
You can plumb the regulator either before or after the carb. In this video he has it after the carb. His return line is coming straight down out of the regulator, you can't really see it.
Hi there, I have a 87 caprice classic with a 305 small block chevy stock everything except for the carb and distributor, I have a HEI and a edelbrock 1406 600cfm. and when ever I have the AC on the clutch engages and the idle drops really bad to the point when at a stop, I have to hold the throttle to a certain RPM or else the engine cuts out, there is a AC solenoid kit that you can order, and I would like to know if you're willing to show how to properly install it and have it all set right. Would be greatly appreciated
The stock carb should have had a solenoid on it too. If you car still has the wiring harness for it, and it works, it really is pretty much a bolt-on and plug it in deal.
A/C cars come with an idle solenoid for the A/C when it's on since it draws a ton of power. I deleted mine on my 1968 Thunderbird. It's my opinion, but the A/C is always in the way of something whether it's the compressor or the lines. So in my opinion, it's best to delete it 😂
You had a return line on your Galaxie that was more like a vapor return line with a 0.060 inch hole drilled in a bolt head or something similar. That was more like an old school vapor separator return system. Any differences you see between the return line on the Galaxie and the return line on your truck. Do you prefer one over the other?
That setup I made due with what I had, but it worked just fine - this style holds a lot less pressure on the pump and bypasses way more fuel. I actually have the galaxie set up like this also. I was on an internship in Virginia during that galaxie video and it was wayyy hot, had to make something work!
You would probably have to drill and put in a hose barb. I'm also not 100% sure that the behind seat tank has a rubber hose going to the tank. Or if its a direct type fit.
Yebo Screbo thing to consider is heat with gas boiling before the carb or your floats on the carb being filled with an excessive amount of fuel into the intake. You might go with a higher volume pump to keep up with fuel demands but the engine doesn’t need it all the time so putting it back into the tank is just a better solution. For most street engines with a mechanical fuel pump in the range of psi needed for it to work right will be fine 100 years ago they didn’t need a return line to make them work even had a lot of powerful engines that didn’t need it to work. .
ok, so many questions. What about a regulator with the return port (Mallory type)? I'm running deadhead (390FE) Mechanical fuel pump, Edelbrock carb, and unregulated rubber lines. Trying to methodically make one change at a time. ( also checking your setup on your vapor lock video several years ago). Any rubber replacement fuel line recommendations?
I haven’t been able to make a functional fuel bypass system that actually moves fuel volume that seems to be happy with a mechanical pump - I need to cut one of the vapor return canisters open and see what’s inside
Hi Luke! Is it acceptable to run a high pressure neoprene line back to the tank from the regulator rather then a Metal line? I run a Blue Holly elect external pump, 14 psi max, and use a Holley 4160 750 cfm Carb. Thank you.
This is an old comment, so you probably decided one way or the other, but the advantage of hard lines is that they are less likely to be damaged by road debris. The disadvantage is they don't flex and are more difficult (but not terribly difficult) to run. Personally, I'd run hard lines at a minimum from the engine bay to the general vicinity of the tank. From there, a more flexible hose to the carb or tank would strike a good balance between safety, durability, ease of maintenance and the ability to adapt to changes (e.g. a new carb is built differently and requires the return line to run to a different location -- hoses help here). This is the same strategy that tends to be used for brake lines. At least on my truck.
@@ZachtheEvil Thanks for your reply! I decided to keep my tank to regulator hard line. No heat soak issues currently, (1 inch carb spacer, stainless braided dual lines from regulator to carb nicely wrapped with heat shield.) The Mustang only gets out for car shows, local cruises, maybe 300-400 miles per year.
@@robertclymer6948 nice. Sounds like a good setup. BTW, what motor are you running? From the profile photo it looks like a 60s era Mustang. 289? If it's stock, 750cfm could be too much. My more or less stock '66 289 engine in my truck is happy with 600cfm and honestly 550cfm might be a hair better. It's running a Holley 1850-2, the ancient forerunner to that 4160. I'm currently in the process of adding a 1 inch spacer / rebuilding the carb a small bit - what type of spacer are you running? I'm going with a 4 hole metal spacer, purely to get another vacuum port for the PCV valve and free up the port it's using.
@@ZachtheEvil Ok, 67 Mustang Gt S-code coupe. Originally came with a 390 4 speed. Running a Ford 460 big block that is a mild build. Has all the top shelf parts on it. Running with the 460, is a Built C-6 forward manual valve body. Running 4:11 gears with a Yukon Trac Lok differential. Full spool removed for this. 4 link suspension, coil overs, 2 1/2 stainless exhaust from headers back through magna flow mufflers. Eldelbrock top end kit, Holley 750 cfm 4160 on an Eldelbrock RPM Performer single plane. Alum radiator with two fans in front If it goes over 190 deg. Cheetah SCS shifter. Spacer is 1in phenolic forgot the make. Holley sniper elect fuel pump into a Holley regulator. Interior has been put back to period correct now. Ex-race car, ran 8's in 1/4 mile, a far cry from that now, lol Probably much I forgot but is a nice pro street hotrod and cruiser. Running 275x60r15 rear on Weld draglites. Goodyear 190 skinnies up from on Weld also.
I only have one regulator which is the return. It maintains the pressure on the apply line and at the carb. Anything not needed to maintain that pressure is bypassed
2 reasons, most of us have these skills because we HAD to develop them. The plight of having to drive what we can afford is also our deliverance to knowledge and capability. The second reason is that nothing makes me happier than gapping people with a “piece of crap” ☺️
You should also mention that running a bypass set up instead of a "deadhead" set up with save your electric fuel pump because it is not working as hard with the bypass set up. Be Well and Thank You.
That’s actually the original reason I started running return lines! There is so much I always want to say, but Iv been chastised for going over peoples heads!
Yes, it’s a bypass specific regulator - whatever fuel that isn’t needed to maintain the line pressure is bypassed. This is the best design as it’s a full bypass scenario
I actually just installed that for demonstrating how fuel pressure effects fuel level - I also do actually run them on some of my other rigs that have a mechanical fuel pump timing covers, so if the electric goes out, I can toss a mechanical on and keep going.
Haha, I removed all that 'return' shit from my 73Econoline years ago, I had enough leak issues, less lines the better, damn ethanol had destroyed the rubber lines, and ruined the tank, I still have the arrangement where it connected to the carb, never want to put it back on, it was Fords pitiful fix for vapor locking due to heat, if those fools put a reasonable radiator in with a fan shroud there would never have been a problem, left it up to the owners to have radiators custom built for their vans.
Google defines equivocate: use ambiguous language so as to conceal the truth or avoid committing oneself. I've been struggling to think of the word you really meant. No joy, so far.
I guess I just hillbilly’d that word into meaning “is equal to - or thus it equals”. Wow Luke, go retake English ya bonjo pickin Bondo slather’n idiot I have to give this one to you - good catch.
ThunderHead289 Your incredibly well spoken Luke your allowed to put your twist on a few words .. It’s a pleasure to see someone who can actually articulate . I thoroughly enjoy your videos . Thank you 👍👍👍
