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MG MGA - Replacing fuel pipe

Hello All, Has anybody any tips on fitting a new copper fuel pipe from pump to carburretor? The whole job looks pretty difficult, i.e. undoing the union on the pump, bending the pipe to shape and getting it in place. Thanks
J Houlgate

JH, bending a new copper pipeline is made easy using the tool shown below. The bending spring allows sharp bends without kinking, especially if you use annealed copper. (You would need a smaller diameter spring to the one shown) Any plumbing supplies workshop will have it.

I would start at the front end, with the bulk of the copper lying below the car, and work toward the rear, fixing the pipe with the holding clips as you go.

Good luck, post a photo later. Barry.

Barry Gannon

Wow Barry, I've never seen one of those tools before.
Gary Lock

Available from Bunnings, Reece etc
Mike Ellsmore


I did mine when the body was off the frame. It's not a particularly easy job even then.

The original fuel pipe was 5/16" steel but I got hold of a reel of 5/16" cupro-nickel. On the tube wall it gives the metric measurement as 7.94mm od x 0.71 wall.

To bend the tubing I used a 6/8mm plastic pipe bender (see pic.)

It also helped to refer to the diagrams at the back of Todd Clarke's Technical Guide. He gives two diagrams of the front fuel pipe - a plan view and an elevation showing where to bend the pipe and the distances between bends..........................Mike

m.j. moore

I forgot to mention that diagrams of the pipe clips and positions are also shown in the Tech. Guide.

At the time I took some photos which may be helpful (see pic 2) of the pump end..............Mike

m.j. moore

And underneath midships (pic.3). From left to right: fuel pipe, brake pipe to rear, harness to rear, battery cable.

m.j. moore

Thanks everybody. I would appreciate if Mr. Moore from Cheshire could tell me where he got his plastic pipe bender. All in all it still looks very tricky but it's a job I got sucked into. Regards, John
tables1

John

Would this sort of thing do you?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/MINI-PIPE-BENDER-BENDERS-BENDS/dp/B001JDHXA2

Steve
Steve Gyles

John,

Thinking about it, it must be some time since I bought the plastic bender, perhaps 40 years or more!. I've just looked on Ebay and I've not seen a similar one so I guess they have long disappeared.

I also have an external spring of the type shown by Barry but of the two I prefer the plastic one. But there are disadvantages in both designs - for the plastic one you need a straight section either side of the bend of at least 6" and for the external spring if you make too tight a bend it's difficult to remove it.

You might be able to hire a more elaborate bender free of these drawbacks cheaper than you could buy one................Mike
m.j. moore

This thread was discussed between 08/03/2016 and 09/03/2016

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