jimmyray
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2007
- Messages
- 948
- Reaction score
- 31
I have an original 73 340 Duster, that now has a 9.6:1 Edel headed 408, backed by a 727 with 3000 stall, and 3.73 in a Dana. Best 1/4 time is 12.35, at 109, with slicks and a 1.69 60' time, open headers and a 750 DP with a proform center. The car currently used the a Carter 4070 Eelctric fuel pump straight to the carb, rated at 72 GPH. Car is a full interior driver.
While at the strip recently (Alabama, year round racing), I met a guy who had a stroked Ford 390, pushing about 460 cubes, in a Mercury Cyclone. Through exhaust with drag radials with full interior was running low 12's. That day, he was running low 13's and could not figure out why. Late he remembered to turn ON his supplemental electric fuel pump (pushing into mechanical), and he picked up the second, back to the low 12's!
After reading about the limitations of the stock 5/16" fuel line, and the needs of a low 12 second car, I decided to upgrade to a 3/8" sending unit and 3/8" aluminum line. According to the Barry Grant website, a 12 second car needs to get about 100 gallons per hour. Don Gould at FBO asserts that a 12 second car needs 120 GPH, and that 3/8 line will only support 400 HP. In either case, I think I have too small of a line. So, 3/8 upgrade it is.
All said and done, the 3/8" line improved the GPH from 47 to 90 GPH, which is better than the pumps rating! I hope to test the results this weekend. A confounding factor, however, will be that I also installed a summit 3" exhaust system this week as well. If nothing else, I hope to be in the lower 12's without unbolting the exhaust 11's maybe too much too ask for, but the first switch in fuel pump netted me about 6/10's in the quarter, so who knows?
In the pics below, I wrapped the Aluminum fuel line in thick, loose shrink tubing for the journey around the rear frame rail (rock/debris protection), and I shrunk some shrink over tape where it passes through the torsion bar crossmember, for abrasion resistance. Fuel line follows the original lines, and is secured to the originals with plenty of zip ties. I plugged the 1/8" return on the sending uinit, since I have nowhere to route it too, and the tank is already vented, as seen above.
While at the strip recently (Alabama, year round racing), I met a guy who had a stroked Ford 390, pushing about 460 cubes, in a Mercury Cyclone. Through exhaust with drag radials with full interior was running low 12's. That day, he was running low 13's and could not figure out why. Late he remembered to turn ON his supplemental electric fuel pump (pushing into mechanical), and he picked up the second, back to the low 12's!
After reading about the limitations of the stock 5/16" fuel line, and the needs of a low 12 second car, I decided to upgrade to a 3/8" sending unit and 3/8" aluminum line. According to the Barry Grant website, a 12 second car needs to get about 100 gallons per hour. Don Gould at FBO asserts that a 12 second car needs 120 GPH, and that 3/8 line will only support 400 HP. In either case, I think I have too small of a line. So, 3/8 upgrade it is.
All said and done, the 3/8" line improved the GPH from 47 to 90 GPH, which is better than the pumps rating! I hope to test the results this weekend. A confounding factor, however, will be that I also installed a summit 3" exhaust system this week as well. If nothing else, I hope to be in the lower 12's without unbolting the exhaust 11's maybe too much too ask for, but the first switch in fuel pump netted me about 6/10's in the quarter, so who knows?
In the pics below, I wrapped the Aluminum fuel line in thick, loose shrink tubing for the journey around the rear frame rail (rock/debris protection), and I shrunk some shrink over tape where it passes through the torsion bar crossmember, for abrasion resistance. Fuel line follows the original lines, and is secured to the originals with plenty of zip ties. I plugged the 1/8" return on the sending uinit, since I have nowhere to route it too, and the tank is already vented, as seen above.
