- Home »
- Catalog »
- Air & Fuel Delivery »
- Fuel Filters
Fuel Filters
Pontiac V8 Fuel Filters
Pre-Pump and Post-Pump — Fuel Filters for Pontiac V8s
Fuel filters are the cheapest insurance in the whole fuel system and the part most often installed in the wrong place. A Pontiac V8 fed from a fifty-year-old tank needs a coarse filter ahead of the pump to protect it, and a fine filter after the pump to protect the carburetor needle and seat or the injectors.
Butler stocks Holley HP Billet filters in 100 micron pre-pump, 40 micron post-pump carbureted and 10 micron post-pump EFI versions, plus Russell Competition billet filters in -6 and -8 AN, and the adapters to plumb them.
Browse Fuel Filters Products
Popular Brands:
More About Fuel Filters
1. Two filters, two jobs
This is the single most useful thing on the page. A fuel system wants filtration on both sides of the pump, and the two filters are not the same part.
| Pre-pump, coarse | A 100 micron stainless steel woven mesh element between the tank and the pump. Its job is to keep tank debris out of the pump without choking the suction side. Holley lists the 100 micron version as a pre filter for carb or EFI applications. |
| Post-pump, fine | After the pump, before the carburetor or fuel rail. Holley specifies a 10 micron depth media element as a post filter in EFI applications and a 40 micron stainless mesh element as a post filter in carbureted applications. |
| Why it matters | Butler's own pump data is explicit about this. An external in-line pump should not be run without a filter between the tank and the pump, with a 20 to 40 micron pre filter and a second 10 micron filter after the pump before the fuel rail. |
| Hi flow senders | A hi flow sending unit deletes the restrictive in-tank sock filter, which makes an inline pre-filter mandatory rather than optional. |
2. Holley HP Billet filters
These are the workhorse filters in the category, rated at 175 GPH and available in all three micron ratings so you can build both halves of the system from one family.
| Construction | CNC machined from 6061-T6 billet aluminum with a black anodized body and clear anodized ends for corrosion resistance. |
| Ports | Female 3/8" NPT inlet and outlet on each one, so they plumb with common adapters. |
| Size | Roughly 5" long and 2" in diameter, which is worth knowing before you pick a mounting spot on the frame rail. |
| Serviceable | Replacement elements are available, so these are not throwaway filters. |
| EFI post filter | Butler also stocks a Holley 10 micron post filter with dual 3/8" barbs for systems plumbed in hose rather than NPT. |
3. Russell Competition filters
When the system is plumbed in AN line, an AN filter saves adapters and a pair of potential leak points.
| Sizes | Available with -6 AN male inlet and outlet at 3" overall length, or -8 AN at 3-1/4", each in black anodized or polished. |
| Element | A 40 micron disc element in a billet aluminum body, designed for high volume systems and 1-1/4" in overall diameter. |
| Fuel compatibility | Listed as usable with alcohol, which the paper and depth media filters are not. |
| Mounting | Russell notes the 3/8" NPT version connects directly to a fuel pump, Y-block or regulator, which keeps the plumbing tight. |
4. Plumbing it in
A filter is only as good as the fittings around it, and mixing thread standards is where fuel leaks start.
| Adapters | Butler stocks Russell -6 flare to 3/8 NPT adapters in black and Endura finishes, and a 3/8 NPT male to 3/8 hose barb fitting for carb or EFI. |
| Direction matters | Filters have an inlet and an outlet. Installing one backwards defeats the element. |
| Access | Mount the pre-filter where you can actually reach it. It is the one that loads up first on a car with an original tank. |
| In the line kits | Butler's complete fuel line kits include a 10 micron filter with quick disconnect fittings, so check what you already have before ordering a second one. |
Filter both sides of the pump, match the micron rating to carb or EFI, and put the coarse one where you can service it. A new pump killed by tank scale is an expensive way to learn this.
Not sure what your Pontiac needs?
Call our tech team at 866-762-7527. Tell us your engine, heads, car, and power goal, and we will put the parts together as one combination that works.