i am currently building a turbo fb that will be street driven and i am considering installing a foam filled fuel cell in place of the stock tank that i just took out. i would mount it in the stock location to keep the low center of gravity. summit currently has a 16 gal one for $115. what do u guys think?

 

Here is my setup: 16gal summit foamed fuelcell

modified for use with the stock fuel filler, and stock evap controls.

 

how bad *** does that look???

The fuel pump is a Aeromotive a700, with a 8an inlet and a 6an outlet, perfect for my setup. although I have still not mounted it, because I have no money for an 8an prefilter

 

Those filler neck pieces are a PVC peices that can found at any hardware store. I let them sit in gasoline for a week to make sure they wouldnt melt or something

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

nice! how hard were the modifications to use the stock fuel filler hose?

 

Not hard at all,

the only part I couldnt do my self was to screw on the bigger PVC peice. There are threads and a bolt holding it on that you cant see.

I am a large build person and my forearm is two large to fit through the filler in the center. I had to get my crackhead friend who has skinny arms to thread and tighten the thing on. all my mods are sealed with Permatex Number 2 hard setting sealant. Make sure that any sealant you use is gasoline safe, many are not.

 

it should it be better if you use one made for circle track? because been those fittings back there an probably the line too i would wanna get hit from the back

 

circle track cells have the pickup in the right hand corner only.

The tank and lines sit quite low, nothing but a ferrari would hit the tank or lines.

I am also fabing a skid sheild for the sump on the tank.

 

that tank sit lower that the stock tank right?

 

Can you just cut the floorboard and raise the tank up a few inches into the interior? That seems like the best solution to me.

Also, with the fuel tank sitting behind the axel, you're increasing the car's polar moment of inertia. That's the main reason I never mounted my battery where my muffler used to be. I didnt' want the weight that far back. It would be fine for a drag car, but a track car will exhibit more oversteer tendances the more weight you hang back there.

 

my three cents: do NOT use a rotary molded fuel cell (aka the plastic fuel cells that sell really cheap (like a 16 gallon for $115). IMHO they are LESS safe than the stock one.

If you're going to drive anywhere, either use the stock gas tank, or a REAL fuel cell, the metal cage with the soft bladder inside.

 

the tank is flush with the fraim rails on the bottom of the car. If you wanted it to sit higher, you could cut the spare tire well out and you could mount it higher.

I know that the plastic ones are not the best, I plan to get a metal/bladder type at some point, but they are upwards or $500 and I dont have that kind of money.

My stock tank was severly rusted and Im sure it would have just disitegrated in a crash.

 

Why use a fuel cell if you're coing to cut into the floor?

The car is a unit body. Chopping holes in the floor decreases the strength, especially between the rear shock towers... and cutting holes in the body also allows fuel and exhaust vapours into the passenger compartment.

 

I fully intended for people to seal the floor back up once the tank was mounted. You dont want water being able to get into your trunk, nor exhaust fumes.

I was thinking on the way to work, that it would be really nice to mount a fuel cell and battery in front of the axle, where the bins used to be. That would help center the weight in the car. I've always been of the opinion that you should get as much weight as possible between the axles. I guess ideally you'd want to play with other things and try to get the corner weights pretty equal as well.

 

Its done all the time in racecars. It wont decrease strength. That area isint very strong to begin with, and re-flooring it and adding the bracing (PROPER BRACING) for a fuel cell would actually strengthen it. I would much rather see that then see it hanging so low like in 82streetracers car. Dude the lines are in a bad place, bad **** happens like that.

 

You have some sweet equipment there

I agree w Carl on one hand but on the other it reallt dependds on what you're doing with the car. That's how we all ran them,still do NHRA approved w/shut off @ the rear. Now if I planned on road racing I'm thinking

 

Well even street driving, thats dangerous. For drag only its not a big deal.

 

Excuse me ignorance on this subject, but what performance gains are there from running a fuel cell? Rear sump??

 

Rear sump for drag, fuel goes backwards on launch keeping the pump fed. Circle track (USA) on the right rear corner, same reason. Road race, low and center as turns are left and right. Hi $$ cells have left and right pickups. Also, the foam keeps the fuel from sloshing around and starving the pump, and shifting the weight. Mostly its a saftey thing for circle track and road race where contact and accidents can damage a stock tank.

 

so Rx7carl i got a question for you, in your opinion sould i ( or anybody ) use a fuel cell like the one us said (left and right pickup) on the street or not? i ask because im planning to do some road/drag racing next year and still wanna drive it in the street you think is a good idea or not?

 

Personally I dont think its practical to use a cell in a street car (not to mention the leagl aspcets). With a proper installation, there goes your spare tire well, along with having to fill it from the hatch (even if you get a remote fill, I have yet to see a gas pump with a "red head" or "NASCAR" dry break adapter). I dont have any real scientific answer as to whats acceptable. I hear good and bad about the crosslinked poly cells, same for the stock tank (the "mazda engineered it so its fine crowd" vs. "its 20 years old and rusty, it wont hold up in a crash crowd". ) You'll get every opinion there is, and thuthfully I dont really know who to believe. But I do know what my life is worth and would only consider a FIA approved cell in my racecar, and at least a good condition stock tank in my streetcar.

With the foam filling in the cell, even a circle track cell will work ok I think for street/ road race. I've heard good things about fuel safe cells and plan to use one in the car Im building currently.
http://secure.fuelsafe.net/cgi-bin/f...e/catalog.html

 

ouch $1040.00 for a 17 gal dam

 

Im lookin at an Enduro cell. 12 gal. Remember these are their prices. www.racerpartswholsale.com has them cheaper. Go figure. It is still FIA approved BTW.

 

I have seen alot of 5.0 mustangs with poly tanks mounted int the back.

I saw one a while back, you could clearly see the tank, pump and filters, they were all exposed at the rear.

The only problem I could possible see is the tank scraping on the ground, but I will have a skid plate on it.

I have actually not had the car down off the jackstands since I installed the tank.

If it does not work, I will get a custom metal one made, but again. I DONT HAVE THE MONEY!!!!!!

I AM 19, IN COLLEGE AND DON'T HAVE MONEY!!!!

 

and I dont see how a foamed, sumped tank would have any problem supplying fuel unless it was very near empty. No matter how hard I would be cornering.