ENG FAILS ON 3 MI FINAL DUE TO FUEL STARVATION.

Narrative

AT 1200 FT MSL AND 3 MI FROM TOUCHDOWN AT OAKLAND ARPT; RWY 27R; THE ENG QUIT DUE TO FUEL STARVATION. I DECLARED AN EMER WITH THE TWR AND SWITCHED THE FUEL SELECTOR VALVE FROM THE R TO THE L FUEL TANK AND THE ENG STARTED AND CONTINUED TO RUN FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT. THE LOC NEEDLE WAS AT FULL DEFLECTION TO THE L WHEN THE ENG STARTED RUNNING. THE ACFT WAS IN IMC CONDITIONS AT THE TIME AND THE TWR RECOMMENDED RECAPTURING THE LOC; WHICH I DID; AND SHORTLY AFTERWARDS BROKE OUT OF THE CLOUDS AND MADE A NORMAL LNDG. AT NO TIME DID I DROP BELOW THE MINIMUM DSCNT HT FOR THE APCH. THE ESTIMATED TIME THAT THE ENG WAS NOT PRODUCING PWR WAS 20-30 SECONDS. THE FUEL WAS NOT MANAGED PROPERLY ON THIS FLT. THE ACFT WAS FULL OF FUEL AT TKOF FROM INYOKERN ARPT AND IS EQUIPPED WITH A L AND R FUEL TANK AND FUEL SELECTOR VALVE THAT PERMITS 1 TANK TO BE SELECTED AT A TIME. THE ACFT HOLDS 48 USEABLE GALLONS OF GAS AND BURNS 10 GALLONS PER HR. MY FUEL MGMNT PLAN WAS TO FLY FOR 1 HR ON THE L TANK; SWITCH TO THE R TANK AND FLY FOR 2 HRS; THEN SWITCH BACK TO THE L TANK. THE FLT WAS EXPECTED TO TAKE 2 HRS: 40 MIN; DURING WHICH; THE TANK WOULD BE SWITCHED ONCE WHILE IN RTE AND AGAIN JUST PRIOR TO LNDG. UNEXPECTED HEAD WINDS AND DIVERTING TO AN ALTERNATE ARPT LENGTHENED THE FLT TIME; DURING WHICH; I FORGET TO SWITCH TANKS BACK TO THE L AFTER 3 HRS IN THE AIR. OVERCOME BY EVENTS; I FAILED TO FORGET TO SWITCH TANKS BACK TO THE L AFTER 3 HRS IN THE AIR. OVERCOME BY EVENTS; I FAILED TO COMPLETE THE PRELNDG CHKLIST PRIOR TO REACHING THE OM WHICH WAS ALSO PART OF MY FUEL MGMNT PLAN. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: THE WX CONDITIONS THAT DAY WERE WORSE THAN EXPECTED. THE WX PREDICTION FOR OUR ESTIMATED TIME OF ARR IN THE OAKLAND AREA WAS 9000 FT BROKEN. IMC CONDITIONS WERE ENTERED ABOUT 15 MI FROM GNOSS ARPT AND WERE NEVER GOOD ENOUGH TO CANCEL IFR AND MAKE A VFR DSCNT TO LAND AT THE ARPT. HEAD WINDS WERE STRONGER THAN EXPECTED WHICH ADDED ABOUT 30 MIN TO THE ESTIMATED TIME TO GNOSS ARPT. INADEQUATE PREFLT TIME WAS SPENT PREPARING FOR AN INST APCH INTO OAKLAND ARPT. IN GENERAL; FLYING AN AIRPLANE IN IMC IS A POOR ENVIRONMENT TO STUDY AN APCH PLATE AND KNOWLEDGE OF THE INOPERABLE GS WAS NOT KNOWN UNTIL THE APCH WAS REQUESTED. THE PLT WAS NOT IN THE SEAT OF CHOICE (L SEAT) WHILE FLYING IN IMC. IN VMC I AM MOST COMFORTABLE IN THE R SEAT AND HAD EXPECTED THIS FLT TO BE FLOWN IN VMC CONDITIONS. THE L SEAT WAS OCCUPIED BY AN UNLICENSED PAX; WHO HAD FLYING SKILLS. COMS OUTSIDE THE ACFT WAS AWKWARD FOR THE PLT TO PERFORM; AND AS A RESULT; THE PAX PERFORMED MOST OF THOSE DUTIES. AN INTERCOM WAS USED; HOWEVER; THE 'PUSH TO TALK' SWITCH WAS ON THE L YOKE. ALTHOUGH THE PAX PERFORMED THESE DUTIES WELL; COORDINATING OUR EFFORTS INCREASED THE PLT WORK LOAD. HUMAN PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS: MY FLYING SKILLS IN IMC CONDITIONS ARE ADEQUATE TO PASS AN INST COMPETENCY CHK RIDE. HOWEVER; LACK OF EXPERIENCE AND PRACTICE IN INSTS FLYING WILL PUT ME IN AN OVERLOAD CONDITION IF UNEXPECTED EVENTS ARISE AS WAS DEMONSTRATED ON THIS FLT. AVAILABLE WX INFO WAS NOT USED. IN RTE I SHOULD HAVE ACQUIRED WX UPDATES FROM WX WATCH; FLT SVC STATIONS; OR VORS. HAD I DONE THAT; I WOULD HAVE KNOWN I WOULD BE ARRIVING IN THE OAKLAND AREA AT THE SAME TIME AS THE FAST MOVING COLD FRONT FROM THE N. I COULD HAVE EITHER PREPARED FOR AN INST APCH INTO OAKLAND ARPT OR LANDED AT AN ARPT THAT WAS STILL VMC.