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Turbo swap and Fuel Pump Question

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Old Apr 26, 2007 | 04:03 PM
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Turbo swap and Fuel Pump Question

Hey Guys,

Searchd and couldn't find specifics. I'm Doing a turbo swap and I have bought an inline walbro 255 pump to feed it, but i'm wondering if i can just run the inline pump and not worry about a surge tank, are the stock fuel lines in an 83 tank large enough to easily support the pump. I have new 3/8 fuel lines all the way up to the engine bay. Will these suffice or will i need bigger lines?

Thanks, Matt
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Old Apr 26, 2007 | 04:08 PM
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The fuel lines are fine but you must have a surge tank.
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Old Apr 26, 2007 | 04:43 PM
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The supply line built into the tank is a bit small. Have you considered modding the tank for an intank pump?
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Old Apr 26, 2007 | 10:01 PM
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Feed and return lines both need to be minimum 5/16".
You can run the 12A tank as-is,but only if you keep it above 1/2 all the time.All it takes to blow the engine is for one bubble to get into the inlet,while under boost......

A GSL-SE tank will allow you to retain the external,in-line pump.Or look into the intank setup that more and more people are moving towards.I love mine,over 5 years of run time on it,with a SupraTT pump in the tank.

If you just drive it normal and never boost,you can suck the unmodded 12A tank down with little problem until about 1/8 full......all youll get is a few sputters.I never did a slosh on my TBI Samurai conversion,and I can putter that thing around town until the tank is just vapors.
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Old Apr 27, 2007 | 11:00 AM
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Just order a surge tank from tweak it and be done.


Ed
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Old Apr 27, 2007 | 11:45 AM
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Originally Posted by 13BTOY
Just order a surge tank from tweak it and be done.


Ed
+100
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Old Apr 27, 2007 | 03:18 PM
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If your fuel tank has a drain plug you can take that out and put in a fitting, it flows more than the stock pickup but it still sucks dry if I'm under 3/8 tank.
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Old Apr 27, 2007 | 03:29 PM
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^ And what if some debris on the road hits the fuel fitting and shears it off the tank?
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Old Apr 27, 2007 | 04:00 PM
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plus dirt will settle around the drain plug.
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Old Apr 28, 2007 | 01:37 AM
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Plus,it leaves easy access for gas thieving tweekers.......just snip hose and drain into can......no siphoning needed!
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Old Apr 28, 2007 | 03:34 PM
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so if you u use a surge tank http://www.speedmachineperformance.c...uel+Surge+Tank like this one can you keep your regulare fb tank and is it safer . or would you reccomend buying an se tank . my tank has this on it woujld this work? or would you reccommend the first part from speed shop . http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku
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Old Apr 28, 2007 | 08:25 PM
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I've tried both ways and wouldn't mess with a surge tank again. Noise, extra fuel pump, dozen or so extra potential leak points, etc are all issues that are solved nicely be converting to an in-tank pump. It's no harder than mounting and plumbing a surge tank, and gives you a modern, quiet, reliable system.
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Old Apr 28, 2007 | 10:16 PM
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do you guys have a write up on this in tank pump for the stock fb tank non se ? if you do please post it here thanks.
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Old Apr 29, 2007 | 09:59 AM
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https://www.rx7club.com/1st-gen-archive-71/intake-efi-prepping-1st-gen-578184/
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Old Apr 29, 2007 | 08:04 PM
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very nice write up . one question though how did you get the cup to stay in place inside the tank. and also how much power can that pump handle im looking to have about 450 hp at wheel? will that handle the fuel need or do i have to go with a higher flowing pump?
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Old Apr 29, 2007 | 11:37 PM
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what is used to cut the tank, I know grinders and any spark emiting cutting should be avoided? those are clean cuts. maybe a jig saw?
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Old Apr 30, 2007 | 05:58 AM
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I used sheet metal shears. They cut the tank with ease, and eliminate the shavings that would result from other cutting methods. Make sure to purge the tank with water well before doing any work on it.
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Old Apr 30, 2007 | 06:03 AM
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Originally Posted by boriqua51371
very nice write up . one question though how did you get the cup to stay in place inside the tank. and also how much power can that pump handle im looking to have about 450 hp at wheel? will that handle the fuel need or do i have to go with a higher flowing pump?
Check in with the 2nd gen guys on suitable pumps for that hp level. That Bosch I'm running should be OK up to 300hp or so.
To mount the cup, I pop riveted with a couple big 1/4" rivets to the bottom of the tank, with some JB Weld around the rivets to seal it. The protruding parts of the rivets on the inside of the tank were flattened with a flat punch, and a smooth layer of JB Weld applied to the flattened rivet again to prevent leakage. No leaks, and no welding required inside the tank.
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Old Apr 30, 2007 | 11:16 AM
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I wish I had known this when I started my project. I guess I got some bad advice because I thought I could just run a Walbro 255 in line and be done!

That write-up is for an SA fuel tank, is the FB non-SE tank similar?
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Old Apr 30, 2007 | 11:48 AM
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The FB tank is even easier to work with as the mounting space for the pump flange is larger than on the SA. Steve84GSTII posted some pics a while back of his install. That was my inspiration for doing the same mod, and I'm very glad I did.

Dysfnctnl85, I'd be very cautious if running an EFI setup with only an in-line pump. Others have done it as well, but have reported fuel starvation issues during aggressive maneuvers with the tank 1/3 full or less. I certainly wouldn't risk it with a turbo install, as aggressive maneuvers tend to increase with hp, and boosted engines are much less tolerant of momentary lean conditions.
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Old Apr 30, 2007 | 12:00 PM
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Why not keep your 255 inline and get a sump. Remove the gas tank and take it to a welding shop. You can order sumps like the one below cheap out of summit or jegs.



You can also just buy a tank with a sump in it. And remove the stocker. this ones $167


Good luck thats a hefty HP goal to be whining about a few bucks on a fuel sump! A $200 tank should be the least of your worries.

Last edited by vxturboxv; Apr 30, 2007 at 12:07 PM.
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Old Apr 30, 2007 | 12:53 PM
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Well I'd rather do it right than do it twice. Would it be wiser to replace a perfectly good tank with a sump tank, modify the current tank with the FC hardware, or modify the tank to fit just a sump?

Decisions...good lord!

My HP goals are lofty, or someone else's??
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Old Apr 30, 2007 | 04:05 PM
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Originally Posted by Dysfnctnl85
Well I'd rather do it right than do it twice. Would it be wiser to replace a perfectly good tank with a sump tank, modify the current tank with the FC hardware, or modify the tank to fit just a sump?

Decisions...good lord!

My HP goals are lofty, or someone else's??
It comes down to personal preference. I went with a surge tank. It's easy to install, large choice of pumps for high hp applications and guranteed to prevent slosh. The drawbacks are having an extra pump and some noise. I can't even hear them when the engines running though so for me it's not an issue.

Attached Thumbnails Turbo swap and Fuel Pump Question-fuelsystem.jpg  
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Old Apr 30, 2007 | 06:51 PM
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Originally Posted by REVHED
It comes down to personal preference. I went with a surge tank. It's easy to install, large choice of pumps for high hp applications and guranteed to prevent slosh. The drawbacks are having an extra pump and some noise. I can't even hear them when the engines running though so for me it's not an issue.

That looks very professional! Noise is not an issue...the car is going to be loud as it is, so I don't mind.

What are the details of your setup? If you don't mind...I'm sure some other members are interested as well.
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Old May 1, 2007 | 04:32 AM
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It goes like this...

Fuel tank---stock fuel filter---low pressure Carter lift pump---surge tank---1/2" Volvo fuel filter---Bosch 910 EFI pump---stock TII fuel filter---fuel rail---Malpassi 1:1 regulator---surge tank---fuel tank.
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