Fuel line?

Bill said, "I asked him about how wise that was, in case of an accident, and he said two things that made up my mind for me: 1 He said that he'd witnessed race cars whose fuel cells had fallen OUT OF THE VEHICLE, and were being dragged around the race course (driver unaware) and they eventually would pull the hose in two, before the hose would come off the fitting... with no clamp."

Dorian said:
I hate it when people make comments like this.

As an NHRA tech inspector I see lots of different types of car builds. I talk to the circle track guys next door to us and compare their tech to ours, it is always a good idea to see what other motorsports do for safety.

So, why do you "hate it" when people make comments like that? All I did was to reiterate exactly what the dirt track guru told me. None of what he said was my opinion; it belonged to HIM. You said, yourself, "it is always good to see what the other motorsports do for safety."

Basically, that is exactly what I was doing, since there are no NHRA tracks in this state. I've never been to a dirt track race in my life (and, I'm 70 years old; don't plan to start, now,) but I thought they must know SOMETHING, since they (GRT) have an International reputation as a top-flight chassis builder.

So, I asked his opinion. What's the matter with doing that?

Yes, NHRA is strict when it comes to safety, but for good reasons, it saves lives and it keeps the insurance companies happy.

No argument at all with that.... you're right.

Now as far as the comment "I have seen racecars' fuel tanks fall out," can only be attributed to poor quality installation. It has nothing to do with what type of lines the builder used.

Once again, you're right, but no one was discussing what made the fuel cell fall out. Yes, it probably WAS a poor installation. That's another issue. I thought we were talking about types of fuel line in this thread, not how to safely mount a fuel cell. That's a subject for another thread, isn't it? His whole point was, that push-on line cannot be pulled off the barbed fittings used in these installations; it will pull the line apart before it will come off the fitting, even WITHOUT a hose clamp of any kind. That's what HE said.... not me.

I have seen high pressure oilfield lines fabricated with crimped ends used for fuel. Hell, if it withstands over 250 psi, it sure as Hell is good enough for 30 psi. And it is strong enough to withstand cuts and abrasions as well.

And, your point is??? Once again, this discussion was about push-on hose... I never once mentioned "high-pressure oilfield lines." I'm sure it's great stuff...

I could easily say, as an NHRA member and drag racer, that obviously the car in question was a stockcar and pigeon hole it in a category that all stockcars are built with the farmers method of building something, but that is not fair. I have seen many stockcars that were built properly and to the rules.

Once again, I have to ask what all that means. How does that paragraph relate to push-on hose for a street-strip, bracket car? Or, does it???

All you have to do is go to nhra.com and look in the rule book and it will tell you what is acceptable and what is not.

As I said before, I don't concern myself with what NHRA's policies are, for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that this car will never see an NHRA drag strip.

I was mainly wanting an opinion from someone who is familiar with "push-on" hose to see how it is regarded by folks who have actually used it.

But thanks for your comments; I'm sure that you're trying to help.