Chimaera fuel pipe replacement

[maeowenti]

Hi Guys, I intend replacing the fuel pipes on my '98 Chim 500 before the fun starts in a few months time. I appreciate that this topic has numerous threads, which have all been studied, but I need a bit more advice please; Now, in true TVR fashion, mine seems to be a bit different to the photos I've seen here and on TVRCC. Both pipes seem to take an unnecessarily dangerous route over the RHS exhaust manifold in order to mate with the fuel rail, whose fittings (as we all know) point to the right hand side of the car - over the exhaust manifold.

My plan is to get my local hydraulics supplier to make up steel tube "U" sections (with the appropriate hydraulic fittings in order to re-route the rubber pipes over the top of the bellhousing, away from the manifolds), but I can see a problem; looking at the existing pipework (which according to the service records, has been replaced)the only way you could get a spanner or a screwdriver on the pipe clips would be if the copper feed and return pipes were disconnected from their cable ties on the chassis first, and pulled down to allow access. Is this the normal way to gain access? Please let me know, as I cannot see an alternative - even removing the plenum does not seem to allow sufficient ratchet wielding access.

My next question is whether the return line can be run directly from the section under the plenum chamber, as the remaining pipework seems to be redundant, and forces a route over the RHS exhaust manifold.

I look forward to your advice