1956 Cadillac Fuel Line

[jaxops]

I have a non-standard (what a surprise) fuel line that started leaking.  Turns out it was the brass adapter from the fuel pump to the hard fuel line going to the carburetor had been wrenched on so many times the threads were ruined.  It's a 90-degree elbow.  The male end (goes into the fuel pump) seems to be 7/16"; and the flared female end is 1/2" for the fuel line. 
Anyone come across these?

[savemy67]

Hello Mark,

Just the other day, forum member Andy Green received some relies to his topic, "Oil filter assembly top brass fitting".  The fitting he was looking for looks very much like the one you are looking for, so you may get results by searching for and reading the thread.

Christopher Winter

[jaxops]

Hello Mark,

Just the other day, forum member Andy Green received some relies to his topic, "Oil filter assembly top brass fitting".  The fitting he was looking for looks very much like the one you are looking for, so you may get results by searching for and reading the thread.

Christopher Winter

Perhaps I can scroll through the forum as it fails to come up in the search.

[Bobby B]

Anyone come across these?

Mark,
Hi. Plumbing Supply or Big Box Store should have these. Bring it with you to compare thread. Standard Brass 90 degree fitting...
                  Bobby

[Daryl Chesterman]

Mark, that fitting is not a non-standard fitting.  It is very commonly used and is readily available at NAPA, and probably, other auto parts jobbers.  The female part of the fitting is commonly referred to as "female inverted flare", and the male part, that is screwed into the fuel pump, is "male pipe thread".

Go to:  https://www.napaprolink.com/

Scroll down to: "My Tool Box" on the left side, and in that list select "NAPA E-Catalog Rack".  On the left side is the "Bookshelf Filters".  In that list scroll down to and click "Fittings & Hose".  This brings up 4 catalogsâ€"click on the lower left one, "Eaton brass assembly products".  At the top of this page is a small window with a "1" in it.  Click in this window and type in "39" and hit enter.  The chart in the middle of the page is the one you want to look at.  Hover your cursor over this chart and click the mouse and the chart will fill the page and be easier to read.  At the top of the chart it lists "Tube O. D." which is the same as "female inverted flare", as well as "Male Pipe Thread".  I am not certain of this, but I think your fitting is 5/16" tube X 1/8" male pipe thread, which would make it part # 402 x 5.  If you click on the part number it will bring up a page that shows you what that fitting looks like.  If you can, print off the chart and take it with you to NAPA, along with the fitting from your fuel pump.

Look closely at the fitting on the steel line that screws into the brass fitting to be sure the threads are good, and also look at the flared end of the steel line that seats in the brass fitting to be sure it is not cracked.  If it is cracked, that would cause a leak, and no amount of tightening will fix itâ€"the line will have to be replaced.

Good Luck!
Daryl Chesterman

[jaxops]

Thanks all- good ideas.  I already checked with most of those places without any luck.  Inline tube stopped doing special custom work also.  I will keep looking.

[Bobby B]

  I already checked with most of those places without any luck.

Here's a simple start. These fittings are available everywhere....
                   Bobby

https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&sxsrf=ALeKk01k2WL__ZwZQFU6dFqkakWFQOLxhQ%3A1608692882227&source=hp&ei=krTiX6_rCr6i5NoPy_ygMA&q=brass+90+degree+flare+fittings&oq=brass+90+degree+flare+fittings&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQAzIICCEQFhAdEB46BwguECcQkwI6BAgjECc6DgguELEDEIMBEMcBEKMCOggILhCxAxCDAToLCC4QsQMQxwEQowI6CAguEMcBEKMCOgIIADoICAAQsQMQyQM6BQgAEJIDOgUIABCxAzoFCC4QsQM6CAgAELEDEIMBOgIILjoICC4QxwEQrwE6BQgAEMkDOgYIABAWEB46BAghEApQi0JYp4gBYM2KAWgAcAB4AIABhAGIAd0RkgEEMjguMpgBAKABAaoBB2d3cy13aXo&sclient=psy-ab&ved=0ahUKEwiv_K3-j-PtAhU-EVkFHUs-CAYQ4dUDCAw&uact=5

[Daryl Chesterman]

Mark, if you went to your local NAPA, they didn't do you a very good jobâ€"if you took the fitting and the chart that I attached to my previous
posting.  In the part number 402 X 5, the 402 will tell the counterman what shape and configuration that each end the fitting has, and the 5 tells
him/her that the flare fitting end is 5/16 and the pipe thread is 1/8.  Now, I am not certain of the sizes of your fitting, but if you have the fitting
in hand, a good counterman will very easily be able to figure out what you need.  If they don't have it in stock at one of your 3 local stores, they can have it overnight, with
no freight cost to you from the NAPA Distribution Center right in Virginia Beach.  I am in Washington State, with our closest NAPA distribution center 120 miles away, and I
can get any part they have in stock by overnight truck with no freight charge.  I worked at my local NAPA for 14 years, so I know how the system is supposed to work!
This is a common fitting and should be readily found where you live.

Daryl Chesterman

[jaxops]

Aye Darrell, it's a different world.  I cannot find a 7/16th male ended and 1/2 female flared elbow. 

[Daryl Chesterman]

Mark, I don't mean to be argumentative with you, but you are being your own worst enemy!!!  You should not be looking
for a  7/16 male endâ€"it is either 1/8" pipe thread or 1/4"(but I am pretty sure it is 1/8") and a 5/16" female flare end
(not 1/2 female flare).  The flare end size is determined by taking a caliper and measuring the outside diameter of the metal
tubing that has the male fitting that screws into your fitting that you need.  The measurements and threads for brass fittings
are different than for bolts.  Please, just take the fitting with you to your local NAPA jobber along with the part number
402 x 5, and I am pretty sure they can fix you up with what you need.

Daryl Chesterman

[J. Gomez]

Mark,

Check the “Gates” brass catalog on-line they should have the part # for the Male Pipe to Female Pipe - 90°.

https://www.gates.com/content/dam/gates/home/resources/resource-library/catalogs/brass-products-catalog-2017.pdf

Page 147 should be the one you are looking for.

Good luck..!

[savemy67]

Hello Mark (and all),

Hopefully the following clarifies.

Mark's fitting uses two different systems of measurement.  The threaded portion going into the casting on the fuel pump uses pipe thread dimensions.  The female portion of the fitting uses tubing dimensions.  Pipe thread is measured by the nominal inside diameter.  Tubing is measured by the outside diameter.

Mark, with what tool, and where, are you measuring the different sections of the fitting?

A 1/8th inch pipe thread will have an outside diameter of about 0.405".  7/16ths of an inch is 0.4375".  So, if your measuring tools are imprecise (eyeball and ruler) a 1/8th inch pipe thread will appear to have an outside diameter of 7/16ths of an inch.

Since tubing uses fittings that fit over the outside diameter of the tubing, they are of necessity larger than the tubing.  Tubing of 5/16" diameter will require fittings larger than 5/16".  Additionally, if the fitting has a hex shape to facilitate the use of a wrench, the distance across the flats of that fitting will be greater still.  In the case of a flare nut for 5/16" tubing, the distance across the flats of the nut (where the wrench makes contact) is 1/2", but this is not to be construed as the size of the fitting.

Pipe thread and tubing come in different sizes, and standardization has been around since at least WWII.  For a '56 Cadillac, there would be no such thing as a non-standard fitting.  As others have posted, the fittings are available.  In a pinch, you may have to use two fittings to get the connection you need, but this is usually not an issue.  Always check for leaks after reconnecting a line - especially a fuel line.

FYI, NPT is an acronym defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and the American Society of Mechancal Engineers (ASME).  The letters of the acronym stand for National Pipe Taper.  There are other pipe thread standards.

Respectfully submitted,

Christopher Winter

[jaxops]

Thank you all. It's worth a try at $4.00 a pop. Some of these things are beyond me- that's why I asked for help. 

[jaxops]

I found one that had the male end fit the 7/16th pump but the flare head wasn't large enough for the fuel line.  So back it goes and we try again.

[jaxops]

Success!  A 7/16th (yes, not 1/8th) male end with a 1/2" flared was found at a pipe shop in Portsmouth, VA.  Unfortunately, my fuel pump went.  Fortunately, I bought a new one ahead of time just in case!