From the May, 2011 issue of Super Chevy / By Calin Head / Photography by Calin Head
If you have this issue of Super Chevy in your hands, then it's pretty safe to assume you like horsepower. Pretty much every self-respecting gearhead wants a V-8 under his hood, us included. We stick (at least) a small-block in every car we own, and the '66 Bel Air we are working on now is no exception. The six-banger was the first thing to go on the car, but there was one thing overlooked in the process-the fuel system.

The six-cylinder cars came with a small 5/16-inch fuel line from the factory and it was having a hard time feeding the 355ci mouse we were now running. We needed to put in a 3/8 line to properly feed the hungry rodent. Luckily for us, to do this upgrade we weren't going to have to make stuff from scratch because GM put small- and big-block motors in this same car at the factory. Where there are factory parts there are now aftermarket companies remaking said parts. We contacted CARS Inc. to get our hands on a pre-made 3/8-inch fuel line and sending unit, which is what we needed for our upgrade. Since we are working on a pretty old ride we also decided to pick up a brand new fuel tank, so we know the entire fuel system is fresh and up to snuff.

The fuel line comes ready to go with all the proper flared ends, bends, and protective sleeving in all the right places. Granted, the line is not shipped straight so we will need to straighten it back out before putting it in the car but that is a whole lot easier than bending a line from scratch. The pick up features the matching 3/8 feed tube, but we were also rewarded with a new sending unit and fuel filter sock. The tank itself is an exact duplicate of the factory tank minus the 45 years of wear. Since the tank can be seen at the back of the car it will also improve the looks of our big boat.
We rolled the car into our tech center with as little gas as possible and had the job done in one afternoon. There were no special tools involved and except for a few moments of frustration trying to route the line over the rear suspension the job was pretty simple.



Photo Gallery: Fuel Lines And Tank Replacement - Feed the Beast - Super Chevy Magazine


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