1957 Fairlane 500 Gas Tank Vent Line

[chapingo17]

While in the process of rebuilt my 57 Fairlane gas tank vent line was taken out. I want to install a new one, but I'm not sure what was the original design or how it was routed thru trunk. Could any one give a hand and provide some pics? Thanks.

[lalessi1]

I have a Custom, original vent line. I will take a couple of pics tomorrow, I suspect the routing is the same?

[chapingo17]

Thank you.

[lalessi1]

Man, so sorry, I forgot to take the pics. I will do it this morning when the light gets better.

[lalessi1]

Here they are. The pics take a little explaination and several posts.

1707 ......on my car there is a rubber hose with a bit of an offset connecting the tank to the vent line, it is not original to the car

1708 ......the vent line runs through the left trunk "drop-down" and turns 90 degrees staight up inside the trunk (see next post)

[lalessi1]

Pic 1708

[lalessi1]

This pic is inside the trunk the vent line runs all the way up under the left rear quarter panel. There are a couple of jute felt pads to keep it from rattling... see the remants.

[lalessi1]

Next pic show the routing above the tail light

[lalessi1]

The line then runs under the rear panel and 90s to the outside above the filler cap. Note the metal tabs...

[lalessi1]

The line terminates outside the car with a flared end. I may be missing a grommet.... I hope the pics do what you are looking for if not let me know.. Questions?

[chapingo17]

OK Nice Thanks! I was wondering about the big loop it takes inside the trunk. Thanks again.

[RICH MUISE]

Just a suggestion from someone who rerouted the vent line from it's oem routing.....Do it as close as you reasonable can to the oem configuration. When I checked years ago, none of the fuel/brake line remanufacturers like inline tube were manufacturing the vent line. I was told it was because they didn't have the facilities to do the bracket for where it passes thru the trunk drop/inner rear quarter, etc if I remember correctly. At the time it seemed kinda strange since some of the brake line components are pretty involved. Anyway, unless you can find a good used one, you'll probably be making one.
A winter project for me is remaking and rerouting what I had done when I did the in tank fuel pump.
I will use 1/4 copper tubing and bend as I go. Attachment to the tank will be just with rubber fuel line and hose clamps.
I found out yesterday the pesky fuel spillage I had been having at either the gas filler cap OR vent tube was positively the vent tube. I actually watched the tube spew gas ( it is at the oem exit location above the license plate) fast enough to make a puddle after I had stopped for 5 minutes. I was at a rest stop and had just filled the car about 50 miles back. LOL...probably explains the drop in gas mileage I've been having on road trips and why the gas gage seemd to move from full to 3/4 quicker than other 1/4's. I actually had less of a problem with leakage when I had a different gas cap that wasn't sealing as well as it should have. I think the problem got worse when I actually found a non vented gas cap that was sealing. It went I thin from a minor leak at the cap to a major leak at the vent tube because the cap was keeping pressure inside the tank. I've been chasing this thing back and forth so much, I'm not sure if the vent tube getting back to oem configuration will fix it, but at least I'll know.

[John Palmer]

Rich, When fabricating a new steel tubing vent line, it has helped me to make a sample first out of a coat hanger.  You can use your tubing bender to bend the radius bends and determine the lengths between bends, just like the real tubing.  Unlike using real tubing, the coat hanger can be re-bent and re-shaped several times until your happy with the fit.

I did a custom gas tank vent line on my 1932 High Boy and found that it was easier to make it from two 5/16" premade gas lines.  Then they were joined with a flared coupler nut where the tubing entered the trunk area.  I used a 1/8" NPT (1960's Ford) fuel line filter at the end of the open steel tube to keep dirt from entering the system.  The filter was located inside the frame rail after the tubing path was made up through the trunk and back down.  The "up high loop" is the important feature.  But I still like the vent to be pulling/venting the gas tank air from the outside the car. 

Note, My '32 Roadster had the exact same symptoms as your '57, and the "big loop" fixed it 100%.   

[RICH MUISE]

Makes sense that it will fix it...we didn't have this problem with the oems. Thanks for the input, John.