Do we really even need "fuel socks"?

[jumpsoffrock]

After reading the current thread by IT Cowboy but don't wanna hijack his thread, I have wondered what other folks think about this.
I've watched countless youtube "will it run" videos that have struggled with fuel sock blockages and asked myself.

Do we even need them?
Wouldn't running a $3 inline filter before the pump solve the whole problem?

All of my old vehicles have two filters, one before and after the pump.
I am almost tempted to tear socks off the brand new fuel pickup right out of the box and simply run two filters.


What are your thoughts?

[truckster]

I've run many vehicles without them just fine.

I wouldn't run without one on a vehicle with fuel injection - those fuel pumps are less forgiving.

[dmjlambert]

Well, are the will-it-run video makers trying to use the 50 year old sock, or did they put a fresh made-in-China sock on there dip in the fuel and watch it fall apart? I'm wondering if a new fuel sender and sock should be good to go for 10 or more years.

[Lee H]

I removed the sock in my 72 when I did a frame off restoration. I did put on an inline filter. 30K miles and no issues.

[Rust_never_sleeps]

The "will it run and drive" folks are usually sucking degraded, sludgy gas. The sock actually does its job by keeping sludge out of the fuel line, but
...if they're committed to driving on crappy gas, it's more convenient to replace the inevitable clogged filters in the engine bay.
Why you'd insist on getting on the road with a tank full of sludge, I'll never understand

[IT Cowboy]

Following and hi-jack away if it will get views and replies

How about an inline filter on the underside from the tank to the pump and no sock?

[Steeveedee]

The sock would still be factory even if the filter you mention was installed. It was a factory option. But I think it would be OK to lose the sock, personally. I had a Buick I drove for years with no sock, just a filter between the pump and carburetor. But I drove it a lot, so there was no way it was going to get sludgy.

[IT Cowboy]

Does quality of modern fuel have anything to do with it? I would think that most fuel these days is filtered at the refinery and pump or at least filtered better. I cannot say I have heard of a filter issue due to fuel for a long time. The modern in tank filters in the 90s would give issues occasionally and so would diesels.

[jumpsoffrock]

Originally Posted by IT Cowboy

Does quality of modern fuel have anything to do with it? I would think that most fuel these days is filtered at the refinery and pump or at least filtered better. I cannot say I have heard of a filter issue due to fuel for a long time. The modern in tank filters in the 90s would give issues occasionally and so would diesels.

From what I can tell clogged fuel systems are typically due to neglect and long time sitting. The fuel collects moisture, it causes rust and crust, that builds up and clogs socks and lines and filters.
It doesn't matter how poor quality modern gas is: if you are burning through the gas you buy in the span of a couple weeks, and you repeat that consistently, you're not gonna have a problem.

I think "low fuel quality" from modern fuels is really only a problem for folks who let vehicles sit unused for months or years.


I know this is a hot debate, but I drive a stock original 1956 F100 as my daily driver, 7 days per week, and it does fine, i don't need to replace filters regularly because of buildup, my accelerator pumps last years, fuel lines last years.
People say modern California gas is like poison to cars and ruins everything.
In my experience I disagree.

Not daily driving their classic cars are what ruins them.

But you can't talk a cowboy, or a city slicker into trading their $110k lifted 4x4 Denali King Ranch with 943 ft/lbs of torque for some piece of junk Chevy K20 that has a SBC with 240hp and a 3spd transmission.
So people park their classics in a garage and drive modern veihcles, then they blame modern oils and gas and chinese parts for their classic cars (that they don't use) breaking.


Drive your classics every day. (I know)It's not practical and it'll never happen, but I bet people would see even with chinese parts and "modern low quality fuel", they'd run a very long time.

[Steeveedee]

Originally Posted by jumpsoffrock

From what I can tell clogged fuel systems are typically due to neglect and long time sitting. The fuel collects moisture, it causes rust and crust, that builds up and clogs socks and lines and filters.
It doesn't matter how poor quality modern gas is: if you are burning through the gas you buy in the span of a couple weeks, and you repeat that consistently, you're not gonna have a problem.

I think "low fuel quality" from modern fuels is really only a problem for folks who let vehicles sit unused for months or years.


I know this is a hot debate, but I drive a stock original 1956 F100 as my daily driver, 7 days per week, and it does fine, i don't need to replace filters regularly because of buildup, my accelerator pumps last years, fuel lines last years.
People say modern California gas is like poison to cars and ruins everything.
In my experience I disagree.

Not daily driving their classic cars are what ruins them.

But you can't talk a cowboy, or a city slicker into trading their $110k lifted 4x4 Denali King Ranch with 943 ft/lbs of torque for some piece of junk Chevy K20 that has a SBC with 240hp and a 3spd transmission.
So people park their classics in a garage and drive modern veihcles, then they blame modern oils and gas and chinese parts for their classic cars (that they don't use) breaking.


Drive your classics every day. (I know)It's not practical and it'll never happen, but I bet people would see even with chinese parts and "modern low quality fuel", they'd run a very long time.

Truth.

[DeadheadNM]

We have ethanol free gas at essentially every station here. And a lot of corn.

[IT Cowboy]

We have Maverick stations here that have ethonal free branded as blue gas.

[Rust_never_sleeps]

Originally Posted by IT Cowboy

Following and hi-jack away if it will get views and replies

How about an inline filter on the underside from the tank to the pump and no sock?

Either there or on the hose coming up to the pump, the rest is all hard lines:

https://www.lmctruck.com/fuel-system...-and-clip-sets

[Sheepdip]

Every one of these trucks that I have owned/fixed/restored never got a sock put in, or back into it. I always run a quality in-line-ez-accessible filter.
I just replaced a couple of years ago Otis's fuel sender and pickup tube, the new one came with a sock, I removed it after testing the sender to make sure it was good, but before installation in the tank.
If you're having debris problems in your fuel, it's not coming from the gas station.