My uncle has an antique '34 Pontiac. He has it on a cross country trip between Phoenix AZ and rural Northwestern Ohio. He just started his return trip to Phoenix. Expected return 11/14.
He has been experiencing fuel feed vapor lock regularly during the trip. Typically it occurs during refueling. To remedy it he has added clothes pin to the fuel line and raises the engine cowl to help heat dissipation.
Guys, do you have a better, more permanent solution for this condition on an antique model like his?
An electric fuel pump installed as close to the TANK as possible. The problem is, today’s gasoline has MUCH higher vapor pressure than in 1934 when gasoline was a straight-run distillate. Today, with sealed gas tanks, vapor recovery and high-pressure fuel pumps, vapor-lock is no longer a problem and refiners blend butane and propane into the gasoline, especially during the winter months, aggravating the problem for old cars. The electric pusher pump should greatly reduce the vapor lock. A more complex solution is to install a return line back to the tank and use a fuel filter with a return port on it. By circulating the fuel, the lines are kept cooler and vapor lock is greatly reduced.