G'day Trev,
I would solder a piece of copper pipe onto your fuel inlet stump, flare the end of it to help seal the fuel hose.
I have seen them with the fuel line running over the muffler & around the head.
The muffler should have a heat shield, protecting carb & fuel line from heat.
On top of that you can run the fuel line through a piece of copper pipe to further protect it & tie it up out of the way.
Just my thoughts
Cheers from Mark
