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Guys,

I have been reading up on the vent lines. In the ord 9 it lists the vent lines to the distributor as copper, but the other lines are all listed as Steel.

Last time I remember discussing this everyone was thinking that the lines were steel with a copper coating?

The distributor vent tubes are copper to allow movement of the distributor for timing adjustments.

I think the hardest vent line to run in copper coated steel is the fuel tank vent line. It would have to be installed and flared in place as it travels through through the hole in the cowl support on the left side. I used straight copper. also, the primer pump replacement kits give you coiled cooper lines

Ken and Wes,

I know in the ORD 9 it lists the vent lines as steel and does not list any coating. Usually it would list the material if coated.

I am getting into the vent line stuff and want to check before making mine.

As far as I know, some people have claimed that they are copper coated steel vent lines, but do we have any one who has actually seen them?

I have the materials to make the 3 copper lines here at the house...

I went with what the SNL said... Copper, not coppr coated...

I would have no idea where to get copper coated lines, should one want to go that way...

Hope this helps...

You won't be able to buy copper coated steel lines. You will have to coat the steel lines to look like they have copper coatings. This usually means paint.

So are all the vent lines are either copper or copper coated steel?

If copper coated steel, then I will probably just use copper as it would be hard to tell the difference unless you grabed onto them and tried to bend them.

From what I have seen on existing vehicles the 2 distributor lines and the long fuel tank vent line are copper. The remainder of the vent lines are copper plated steel.

All the steel tubing used in the vent system and the fuel system is 44-T-5080 Seamles plated steel except the two copper lines used for the distributor and the primer lines. You'll note that even though the early ORD 9 does not mention plated it uses tyhe same ORD spec number for the tube that the late ORD 9 uses and the late ORD 9 clearly states it is plated steel tubing. It is quite a simple project to apply a copper like paint finish to the tubing before you install it and it looks quite well.

Here's a set of steel lines



Here's a set of copper painted steel




I believe these are solid copper

Wes,

That second photo with the copper plated lines also has the fuel lines copper plated.

I thought it was only the vent lines that were copper plated.

I only have an ORD 8 ( 6-56) here at work. In section 1 group 23 GENERAL USE STANDARD PARTS PG 145 SHOWS 44-T- 5080 - (15 and 10) as being copper tubing.
It also shows the vent lines shown (group 03 FUEL SYSTEM,0304.5 DEEPWATER FORDING SYSTEM) as Tubing 4730-350-9886 are copper 44-T-5080-10. Is there a known difference between the ORD 8 and the ORD9??

Keep in mind all three photos are of restored M38's. The late ORD 9 refers to all vent and fuel line tubing as 44-T-5080-15 and calls it "tubing, S, seamless, pltd,". The early ORD 9 refers to all the same tubing as 44-T-5080-15 but doesn't actually say PLTD in the part description.

Nice find there Ken. We have two ORD 9's that call it steel and one ORD 8 that calls it copper. The M38A1 ORD 8 also calls it copper in the individual item descriptions. This ORD 8 doesn't have a section 23. Looks like we're in for a major research project here.

I was looking through the ORD 7's and they have a short section on standard items 44-T-5080 shows as copper also.

Well sometimes we can't see the forest for the trees!

I just realized what I should have remembered all along. The 44-T-5080-10 doesn't represent the material used by Willys. It is the material to be used in the field to replace any bad Steel lines!

The material Willys used in the original copper plated steel tubing assemblies was 44-T-5310-55 for 3/16" and -60 for 1/4" and -65 for 5/16".