Troy,
I have Aeroquip 666 throughout my fuel system except for some of the plumbing
around
the fuel pumps/filters. And I'd have it there if I could have figured out
how to do it. I agree totally about spring clamps, jubilee clamps, etc. in
the fuel system. The stuff I used around the fuel pumps/filters is rubber fuel
injection hose and screw clamps and I don't like it, but haven't figured out
another solution.
Aeroquip 666 is great stuff but is a bear to work with if you plan to build your
own hose from the bits and pieces. The Teflon is stiff and extremely difficult
to get over an AN Hose Barb fitting or over the hose barb that is on the end
fitting that ACS sells for the hose. I have not tried heating it to see if
it will soften, something I just thought about while writing this. That might
be an idea for me to try this weekend. All my hose is custom built by some
subcontractor ACS uses. They build it to your exact specifications, charge you
a heck of a lot for it and if it doesn't fit because you got the specs wrong,
well you eat it. Just today I placed a quote request for 4 lengths (10", 11",
16" & 18") of 666-6 with a straight AN-6 fitting on one end and a 90 degree
AN-6 fitting on the other.
Another issue is going from your 666-6 hose with (I believe, but don't hold me
to this) AN-6 fittings to another size AN-fitting. For instance, I used a long
666-6 hose to run the return back from the firewall fitting to the tank. When
I was close to the fuel tank I put in an AN919-6D reducer (3/8" flare to 1/4"
flare) and followed it with a short length of 666-4 hose to connect to the
AN-816-4D sized fitting (1/4" flare to 1/8" NPT) return fitting on the fuel
tank.
Though, now I see that there is an AN816-6-2D which will connect a 3/8"
flare to a 1/8" NPT. That was not available from ACS a couple years ago when
I did my plumbing. Considering what I'd have to go through to remove that
length
of 666-4, I think it will remain the way it is unless I find it leaks.
The rule of thumb I use for my AN-fitting experiments is the AN-number on the
fitting
usually signifies the size of the tubing it will connect to in 16 ths of
an inch: AN-2 = 2/16" = 1/8", AN-3 = 3/16", AN-4 = 4/16" = 1/4" or AN-6 = 6/16"
= 3/8". But this isn't a perfect hard and fast law, I have a small stock
of fittings I thought would work, but didn't. Sometimes you just have to buy
a couple and see how they fit. At prices from $0.50 to $1.5 each, you can
afford
to try a couple fitting sizes to see what goes. I make sure I mark examples
I purchase with their size so I can refer to them later.
Another excellent source of AN fittings is http://www.anplumbing.com/ from
Earls Performance Products. Earl carries a heck of a lot more types and styles
of AN fittings, hoses, odds and ends than ACS. They sure seem to be the same
quality stuff that ACS sells. Earl also has fittings to go from metric threads
to AN fittings.
Anybody else out there have other ideas, suggestions, comments, please chime in.
Good building and great flying,
Bob Borger
|