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. 1 Here are the parts we received from CARS Inc. We got a tank, straps, pickup, and (of course) the 3/8 fuel line for a big-block car. All the parts are made to factory specs and we they installed perfectly. As you can tell, the fuel line is not straight, it needed to be bent in two places to be shipped conveniently. Not to worry; those two big sweeping bends are easy to get straight and will also help install the line, but more on that later.1 Here are the parts we received from CARS Inc. We got a tank, straps, pickup, and (of co 2 Step one to getting the tank out is to remove the rear fuel-line hose clamp and plug the hose with a bolt. There is still some fuel in the tank and as we all know, spiit fuel really sucks.2 Step one to getting the tank out is to remove the rear fuel-line hose clamp and plug th 3 Next, Jason Scudellari, our tech center manager, removed the ground strap from the sending unit. Try not to forget this or the tank may take a tumble when you try to muscle it out from under the car.3 Next, Jason Scudellari, our tech center manager, removed the ground strap from the send 4 After that stuff is unhooked, Jason supported the tank with a transmission jack and started to unbolt the strap hardware. Almost instantly the bolt spun so a set of locking pliers was put to use. After he had a good hold on the bolt, it just snapped--good thing we got new hardware with the straps.4 After that stuff is unhooked, Jason supported the tank with a transmission jack and sta 5 After both straps were undone, the tank lowered without incident. 6 The front edge of the straps fit into these slots. To get them out, you must push the strap up in the car then rotate it back up towards the body...6 The front edge of the straps fit into these slots. To get them out, you must push the s ...You might want to grab some eye protection and keep your mouth shut, as a lot of road debris gets up into those slots so you will get showered with dirt during this step....You might want to grab some eye protection and keep your mouth shut, as a lot of road d 7 Moving on the fuel line we went up front and removed the one hose clap. 8 The best way to get the factory line out is to bend it right in the middle, which will pull the two ends out of the car. While we are making this sound simple, you will need to fight it a bit so be prepared.8 The best way to get the factory line out is to bend it right in the middle, which will 9 Once the line was out, we could take this comparison shot that should give you a pretty good idea why we are doing this work. Even though 3/8 doesn't sound much bigger than 5/16 the visual difference is pretty substantial. Your V-8 will thank you.9 Once the line was out, we could take this comparison shot that should give you a pretty 10 The new fuel sending unit/pickup slips right in the tank since all the parts are factory correct.10 The new fuel sending unit/pickup slips right in the tank since all the parts are facto Jason installed the O-ring before feeding in the pick up, then he installed the provided locking collar and tapped it around till it locked in place.Jason installed the O-ring before feeding in the pick up, then he installed the provided l 11 Before putting the tank back up in the car, we wanted to get the line installed. Since the line is bent for shipping, we didn't straighten it out until we were putting it up in the car. The front went in pretty much without issue, but the area that goes above the rear suspension fought us for a while. It might be difficult to remember just how the line was routed, but just look for all the clips attached to the frame and that should give you a pretty good idea where the line needs to be. Jason didn't give up and finally got it in place.11 Before putting the tank back up in the car, we wanted to get the line installed. Since 12 Speaking of clips, there are factory clips that run along the frame that will hold even this larger fuel line. The only problem we found is some of them snapped off. Jason grabbed a few of these rubber-coated clamps to use instead.12 Speaking of clips, there are factory clips that run along the frame that will hold eve 13 After spraying some undercoating and installing the new straps, he lifted the tank in place.13 After spraying some undercoating and installing the new straps, he lifted the tank in 14 Before you start installing the hardware, take a close look at the fuel filler neck and make sure it's properly positioned.14 Before you start installing the hardware, take a close look at the fuel filler neck an 15 When it all checked out, we tightened up the straps and rolled the jack out of the way.15 When it all checked out, we tightened up the straps and rolled the jack out of the way 16 Now all we needed to do was hook up the rubber fuel lines and sending unit. Again, using factory correct parts made this extremely painless.16 Now all we needed to do was hook up the rubber fuel lines and sending unit. Again, usi We did go to our local parts store and picked up a short section of 3/8 rubber fuel hose and a few new hose clamps.We did go to our local parts store and picked up a short section of 3/8 rubber fuel hose a 17 One thing nice about putting in a new fuel tank is we can now verify absolute empty on our gauge without the hassle of running out of gas.17 One thing nice about putting in a new fuel tank is we can now verify absolute empty on 18 We put in exactly five gallons of fuel and rechecked the gauge. It was sitting right at one-quarter tank, so we know our gauge is right on the money. Now the car doesn't starve out on the big end of the track, and we have the confidence in knowing there is no gunk or crud that will find its way up to our carb.18 We put in exactly five gallons of fuel and rechecked the gauge. It was sitting right a SOURCES Cars 800-227-7465 www.carsinc.com By Calin Head Enjoyed this Post? 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