[HO455]

Basically you just want to minimize the amount of hose that fuel is flowing through. A basic NHRA tech inspection requires less than 6 inches of hose in the system. (Which the OE's exceed all the time.) Another advantage is less hose means less debris in the filter as the fuel disintegrates the inside of the hose, and the pieces are carried to the carb. And in this day and age of cheap manufacturing and aggressive fuel mixes is a real problem. (See my WMB thread for my recent hose findings. Post 380)
The plastic fuel filters are known to deform over time and leak. Not to mention they are not very heat resistant.

I love those kind of drives around the neighborhood. Gets the project excitement back up to a boil!!!
Your truck is looking good.