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Maiden voyage of the blue Titanic

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ichthos

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Well, got the Bugeye on the road for the first time. I haven't run the engine in a few months, so I wasn't deterred when it started smoking. It was getting dark, so I couldn't tell if it was grey or white smoke. Then I noticed a slow drip where the rubber gas line connects to the metal gas line near the front of the car. Got off my property and cruised another 1,000 feet or so and somehow the drive line worked loose from the rear of the transmission. Everything is new/rebuilt by me, so I have no one to blame. My wife, the saint, helped me push it home about a half mile, frequently going up hill. After I cool down, I plan on jacking up the car and go after the drive line first. Two questions I could use help on though: 1)Should I be worried about the smoke? 2) Is there a trick to stopping the gas leak? The rubber pipe seems to fit on the metal gas line tightly, and I have two clamps on it. Any help is greatly appreciated as always.
Kevin
 
ichthos said:
Well, got the Bugeye on the road for the first time. I haven't run the engine in a few months, so I wasn't deterred when it started smoking. It was getting dark, so I couldn't tell if it was grey or white smoke. Then I noticed a slow drip where the rubber gas line connects to the metal gas line near the front of the car. Got off my property and cruised another 1,000 feet or so and somehow the drive line worked loose from the rear of the transmission. Everything is new/rebuilt by me, so I have no one to blame. My wife, the saint, helped me push it home about a half mile, frequently going up hill. After I cool down, I plan on jacking up the car and go after the drive line first. Two questions I could use help on though: 1)Should I be worried about the smoke? 2) Is there a trick to stopping the gas leak? The rubber pipe seems to fit on the metal gas line tightly, and I have two clamps on it. Any help is greatly appreciated as always.
Kevin
Click to expand...

1. depends on the smoke and if it lasts - could be a number of things depending on the colour.

2. tighten the clamps :whistle: Seriously, assuming the hose is the correct size they shouldn't come loose. I can almost guarantee that there will be parts on the car that will come loose or were never properly tightened as you sort it - don't ask me how I know. :blush:
 
Oh, and congrats on the first run brief as it was!!!! :cheers:
 
I forgot to mention that radiator fluid has not gone down in the last six months that I filled it, if that make a difference. And thanks for letting me whine of the forum.
Kevin
 
ichthos said:
Then I noticed a slow drip where the rubber gas line connects to the metal gas line near the front of the car.
Kevin
Click to expand...

Kevin,

You don't say if you have the stock route configuration for the gas line. Are you running the original mechanical pump of an electric pump? I believe original setup did not have a rubber line at the front. What I want to caution you about is that you should reconsider the rubber hose connection if it is <span style="font-style: italic">below</span> the level of the line at the gas tank. The reason being that in the event of the line coming loose or deteriorating with age, the break below the fuel tank will create a siphon and create a fire hazard. This is a very dangerous setup if and when the rubber line fails.

I know this from personal experience with a later model Midget that had a fuel line piped that way. After returning from a drive and parking in my garage, I had the good fortune of returning to the garage and smelling gasoline. By the time I discovered it (which wasn't long after I returned) at least a gallon or three of fuel had flowed onto the garage floor an into the floor drain. Given that my gas hot water heater was about 15 feet away, I was extremely lucky that I didn't have an explosion and fire. Had it gone undiscovered for any longer, my house probably would have burned down. Being late at night, lives might have been lost too. I have known a couple people who had small gasoline mishaps in their garage. In one case, the person died. In the other, the house was uninhabitable for over 6 months. It doesn't take much. I would never configure a fuel line with a rubber section below the level of the output fitting at the tank. If that is the case with yours, you should seriously consider re-routing with a metal line. You can add a section with compression fittings or at the very least, make sure the hose it the proper size, flare the ends of the metal line and make sure the clamps are tight.

Given the "word" Titanic in the subject line, I think you are tempting fate... :yesnod:

Gerard
 
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