Fuel line ?s

[YellowstoneYeti]

Just got my 73 Cuda out of storage after 30 years.  Needless to say, it won't run because the fuel system is a gooey rusty mess.  I have a new tank, sending unit, fuel pump on the way.  I also bought a carb kit for the stock TQ.  I'm also thinking I should buy new fuel lines as well.  Sound like a good idea?  I was under the car and tracing the return line.  It ran from the vapor separator to just behind the passenger wheel well.  There it dead ended with a short open rubber line.  Where is this return line supposed to connect?  What am I missing in the system?  Will it run the way it is once I have all the new parts in place?  Anything else I should replace in the fuel system?  Any help is appreciated.  Thanks!

[Jamiez]

That line runs to the charcoal canister which is mounted behind the passenger side headlight.  It is connected by a rubber hose.  A lot of people remove them as they are part of the whole emissions system which is rather frowned upon.  The car will run without it, as long as the line is not blocked. 

I personally ran mine back to the charcoal canister, and then left the canister disconnected from the rest of the system to get a more stock look.

[YellowstoneYeti]

Hmm.  Looks like the canister is missing completely.  Is there anything else that should be hooked to that return line?  Should I replace the return line if it isn't blocked?  I don't want to end up with rust/goo in the new fuel system.

[Jamiez]

The line is just a vapor line....there should never be any fuel actually flowing through it. I would definitely make sure it's not blocked (maybe run compressed air through?).

Here is the FSM drawing of the line

And here's a photo I had of my car when I put in the replacement


I picked it up on ebay for like $30 and then cleaned/painted it. If you decide to put one in they should be easy to get a hold of