As far as what to use to connect all these pieces together and finally to the engine, I was somewhat at a loss. I'm fairly green when it comes to AN fittings, braided stainless hose, EFI, and the like, but Aeromotive guided me in the right direction over the phone and via their highly informative Web site. For most street applications, you would run a -8AN line to the engine and use a -6AN line for the return, but what do those numbers mean? Well, AN stands for "Army/Navy" and has been a standard size in hydraulic fittings that use a 37-degree flare to create the seal. AN line sizes will also have a dash (-) preceding the line size. The number after the dash refers to the amount of 1/16-inch O.D. (outside diameter). Therefore, -8AN would be 1/2-inch and -6AN would be 6/16 or 3/8-inch.
With that out of the way, I decided on a mix of 1/2-inch stainless hard line to run along the frame, and braided hose to jump from the frame to the tank and to the motor so vibration/engine movement wouldn't become a problem. I also chose to run -8AN line both ways instead of -8 and -6. That way I would only need to order lines and fittings in one size as well as only needing one size tubing bender, but -8 both ways is probably overkill.
Installing the goods from Aeromotive and Rick's was essentially a snap, but I won't lie and say that for a first-timer, the hard and braided line installation/creation from scratch was easy. It isn't for the faint of heart or those with a short fuse. In fact, it was the most difficult thing I've done since building a ship in a bottle, but I finished and I'm pleased that the effort was worth the end result. It'd be a good idea to get your tank in and the essentials from Aeromotive installed first, then carefully map out the lines and fittings you need since unneeded AN fittings can add up. One more important tip is to use antiseize lubricant on all your AN fittings and stainless hardware. It's very cheap insurance. Every company involved with this story has helpful tech lines and Web sites for those needing more assistance, answers, or products for your projects.
Anyway, I hope this is half as informative for you all as it was for me. Now I'm that much closer to firing this puppy up! CT
Here are the meat and potatoes of the parts from Aeromotive to make the fuel system all that it can be. Through our the work with Aeromotive and Ford Racing Performance Parts, we're all hoping to simplify the EFI plunge for those that are interested in upgrading to the Ford 4.6L SOHC three-valve V-8. Ideally, by the time you read this there should be one of several kits you can order from Aeromotive that will include a fuel pump, two precision fuel filters (one for the suction side and one for the pressure side of the fuel pump), a pressure regulator, a fuel pressure gauge, and fittings for these parts as well as for the stock Ford fuel rail. | 
Rick's Hot Rod Shop works quite often with Aeromotive and has built and shipped many tank setups with all the necessary provisions to mount Aeromotive's A1000 pump and one of their 12304 100-micron fuel filters inside the tank. This also includes pre-bent lines and fittings to get to the outside of the tank. Here we see an expanded view of how things go together in the tank, except that the A1000 pump gets mounted to the stainless plate before going in the tank. | 
Since the Aeromotive electric fuel pump gets mounted inside the tank, power needs to get to it somehow. Rick's provides a kit that uses fuel-proof wiring and bulkheads to bring the wiring outside the tank once everything is tightened down properly. Once installed, the wiring is a tidy affair with a post for power and a post for ground coming out the front side of the tank by the fuel outlet and return bulkheads. Also, on the outlet fuel port I got a reducer fitting from Aeroquip/Eaton to go from -10AN to -8AN, which is the size I'll be running to and from the engine. |
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