Fuel line from left tank to selector - Best Design?

As -8 (and I suppose others) know the distance from the inboard rib of the left fuel tank and the fuselage is only about 2 inches.

We have to route a line from the connector on the rib through the fuselage and up to the fuel selector.

What I have now is an installation I do not like. The Andair selector was positioned so that a 90 degree flared tube elbow ( an AN821, I believe) comes out of the selector angled down and aft. This is followed by a 90 degree banjo fitting that presents a connection for a 2" long flared tube that runs from the tank to the banjo fitting. Everything has to line up just right to make the connection. The 2" tube even has a little jog in it to make things line up. This places the selector as close to the fuselage skin as you can without the first 90 degree elbow touching the skin.

I'd like to move the selector away from the fuse wall and (if needed) forward and have a fuel line with a little more length. If possible I'd like to have a flexible fuel line but I don't know if one could make the 90 degree turn required in at the fuselage.

Anyone with pictures or drawings of how they ran that line or ideas as to how it could be done better would be appreciated.

I moved my Andair valve forward during the build. I haven?t attached the wings yet so I haven?t flared the line, but this is how I ran the hard line from the valve. Gave me way more room to work with vs. going straight out the fuselage. The left line is not installed in the first pic, but you can see how far I moved the valve forward. Second pic is the completed left line.

Cannon said:

I moved my Andair valve forward during the build. I haven?t attached the wings yet so I haven?t flared the line, but this is how I ran the hard line from the valve. Gave me way more room to work with vs. going straight out the fuselage. The left line is not installed in the first pic, but you can see how far I moved the valve forward. Second pic is the completed left line.

Click to expand...

Hi Cannon,

Thanks for the pics. In the lower left hand corner of the first pic - is that the grommet where the fuel line will exit the fuselage?

Yes, it is. I?ll see if I can get a better picture of it.

Cannon said:

Yes, it is. I?ll see if I can get a better picture of it.

Click to expand...

No need. Just wanted to be sure.

Thanks

Gregg---if you take the left port adapter fitting, the Andair EF20 elbow, face it aft. Use a 90* hose end angled down about 45* left, grommet the hole, and hose connects to the tank. YES--I'd move the valve forward alittle bit.

We've done them in the stock location, putting the adapter down, and use a 120* hose end. It pitches the hose up and out through the side hole. The 120* is the minor issue, especially for teflon hose.

Tom

All the fittings on my Andair selector are oriented straight down. The tube for the left tank is shaped sort of like your sink's P-trap, except that the plane of the P-trap-shaped piece is angled back and out, such that it terminates in line with the hole in the mid side skin. From there, the line exits straight out the side.

Photos from my build log aren't great, but hopefully somewhat illustrative.

Looking from ahead and left:


And from behind and left: