Lots of Fuel Filters on my car

Posted by Bob E. On 2018/6/25 20:52:37

Getting close to starting up my '55 rebuilt 352 and it seems like there are too many places to add fuel filters. I would think that any more than 1 would be too many, but wanted to run this by y'all. Note: I have the Carter WCFB on my engine (I know its not original but that is how I got it).

1. I added an Airtex electric fuel pump just below the driver door. This is in addition to the mechanical fuel pump attached to the engine. The Airtex comes with an inlet filter, ostensibly to protect the pump from crap in the fuel tank.
2. The Carter has the standard glass bowl filter housing (currently empty)
3. PO added an inline filter (paper element) just upstream of this bowl filter. I assume people do that because it is cheaper to replace these easy to get fuel filters than the ceramic or paper elements for the glass bowl??
4. Inside the carb, there is a spot for a small ceramic filter bronze stone, although there wasn't one in it when I got the car (I did just buy one). Could that be for cars that don't have the glass bowl filter?

Unless there is a good reason (not as effective, etc) not to buy a filter for the glass bowl, my current plan is:
-Buy a ceramic filter for glass bowl (#2 above)
-Remove the upstream inline filter (#3) as redundant. That leaves 3.
-To avoid a large pressure/suction loss, I was thinking of removing the prefilter for the electric pump. I just dropped the tank and used the Hirsch tank cleaner/etch/sealer so it should be fairly clean, for now. That would leave 2 filters. Still seems like 1 too many.
-Don't add the little ceramic filter (#4) inside the carb.

Any reason why the glass bowl filter with a ceramic element isn't sufficient as the only filter I would need?

thanks
Bob