1950s Why is this leaking (fuel line)

[Daffer]

Hate that these little things keep holding me up but they are. I'm wondering why is fuel leaking from where the arrow is pointing in the picture below everything is tight. Its a new line I can't see anything wrong what could be the problem? Thanks, Joshua

[Big Fins]

Bad seat in the brass fitting? Cracked line at the flare? 

[Daffer]

Bad seat in the brass fitting? Cracked line at the flare? 

Like the elbow could be bad? Or could the line not be getting seated properly? Is that even possible i swear these things always seam to just work

[David Greenburg]

Is that the correct male fitting? Maybe it's just the angle in the pic,  It looks different than what I'm used to seeing, at least on late '50's-early '60's cars, where the fitting appears "beefier" and the flare seats against the threaded end. Here's an example.

[harry s]

The elbow should be an inverted flare and the line should be a double flare. Any chance you can take the connection apart and show a picture of both pieces?    Harry

["Cadillac Kid" Greg Surfas 15364]

Either a poorly done flare, dented in the connection or maybe just not tight enough
Greg Surfas

[Daffer]

The elbow should be an inverted flare and the line should be a double flare. Any chance you can take the connection apart and show a picture of both pieces?    Harry

Here the package of the elbow i bought, I can show the connection apart tomorrow morning

[Big Fins]

The packaging costs more then the contents. I remember when a parts store had a huge "Weatherhead" cabinet with every sort of brass fitting and coupler to be imagined. Now, each fitting is sold separately and is cheap soft brass.

[harry s]

It's hard to tell for sure by the package.    Harry

[Daffer]

It's hard to tell for sure by the package.    Harry

Got those photos maybe this will help figure out why its leaking? Any help is appreciated Thanks

[TJ Hopland]

That should be the correct fitting and I have used stuff from that brand before and not had any issues or concerns. Looking at the photo it does look slightly odd but it could just be the angle of the photo. The line end also looks strange to me too like there is kinda of a point at the edge of the taper. 

Do you have a flaring tool?  Maybe stick it in the line and see if it looks and different after you try and give it a bit of a re flare?

Is that just standard plumbing soft copper?  Or nicop brake line?   Did you make the line or buy it pre made for this application?

[Daffer]

That should be the correct fitting and I have used stuff from that brand before and not had any issues or concerns. Looking at the photo it does look slightly odd but it could just be the angle of the photo. The line end also looks strange to me too like there is kinda of a point at the edge of the taper. 

Do you have a flaring tool?  Maybe stick it in the line and see if it looks and different after you try and give it a bit of a re flare?

Is that just standard plumbing soft copper?  Or nicop brake line?   Did you make the line or buy it pre made for this application?

I had my dad's friend (he's a mechanic) make me the fuel line since i wanted a cleaner look, I think I might bring it back to him to see if he can redo the flare. I started thinking its probably that because it came a a full strait peice and then was cut down and bent to shap so the side that doesn't leak is the factory flare while the one he made leaks. Hopefully its able to be re-flared

[Mike Josephic CLC #3877]

The flare on the end of that piece doesn't look proper to me.
Go ahead and have it properly redone.  That should solve the problem.

[_Cap_]

Im not an export on flaring lines or anything, but when i was doing the break lines on a Miata I once had, i kept getting issued with leaking. Came down to the fact that i was using a single flare, when i should've been using a double flare. I believe that's what its called, whenever your effectively squish the flare to make it more rounded.

No idea about 50s Cadillac's though, quite possibly that's only a Japanese thing or a 90s and so forth thing.

-Morgan

[harry s]

Maybe it is the picture angle but the flare on the line and on the elbow look like a different degree. Or maybe the flare on the line is not deep enough although it does look like a double flare.
Harry

["Cadillac Kid" Greg Surfas 15364]

When all else has been checked be sure the flare is SAE and NOT AN
Greg Surfas

[TJ Hopland]

Maybe the guy has one of the big deluxe flaring tool sets and got one of the dies flipped around in the tool?   Many of the nice hydraulic tools have a lot of options for things like DIN, 37, and 45 degree and often times which one you get depends on which direction you insert the die into the tool.

[Daffer]

Maybe the guy has one of the big deluxe flaring tool sets and got one of the dies flipped around in the tool?   Many of the nice hydraulic tools have a lot of options for things like DIN, 37, and 45 degree and often times which one you get depends on which direction you insert the die into the tool.

Oh ok im assuming my mechanic should know the correct type of flare to fo now but what kind should I be telling him? Double flare?

[dn010]

Looks to me like the cheap flare tool was used to create the flare, you can tell by the lines cut into the pipe just behind the flare.

It also looks like the flare is not centered, more meat up top but thinner on the bottom.

Nothing you can do but have it redone. It should be a double flare. Also when you go to install it next time, don't try to tighten it as much as you can, some of these you can overtighten and cause a leak. You kind of have to just tighten them little by little while checking for leaks.

[tcom2027]

In spite of the poor angle of the photo of the flare and no side view of the flare it is really hard to tell, at least for me with any certainty that the flare is bad. But.... it looks that way. The marks from the flaring tool have nothing to do with the integrity of the flare.

Maybe for a test reef on the nut and get it gorilla tight. If you crack the fitting you're only out a couple of bucks. If it stops the leak, you have an answer. That is not a repair. You are still going to have to replace the line.

 I can't see if the outlet side is connected. If it is I am curious about is the angle off the pump not being a true ninety with the long run. If so it looks like the line was made an eighth of an inch or so long and the line was horsed into position.

Additionally are you going to support that big filter? Regardless of how smoothly the engine runs there are vibrations and copper work hardens with vibration leading to cracks. Copper lines are bracketed for support to prevent that from happening. Is it a guaranteed result in your application, I dunno, but worth considering. 

If I were doing that job on my LaSalle and I had made the line, installed it and it leaked plus I had to bend the ninety to get it to line up, I'd have simply saved the fittings, measured a little more carefully and made a new one.

I'm not ashamed to admit I had to scrap more than one line in my wrench turning days for making a poor flare or not measuring precisely.

tony