Well, I have ruined another set of bearings in my Barry Grant HR 220 Fuel pump yesterday. Question #1. I want a fuel cell that has a -10an fitting on one and a -8an on the other inlet. Question #2 Is a aluminum tank better than a plastic one? I will be putting one tire, and some tools next to it on the drive to the track, and one tire in the back seat. Question #3. What thickness of a aluminum divider should I use, and it is just normally screwed or riveted on?
What's your life worth and how much money do you want to spend? A "good" fuel cell will cost $900-$1,000! That's a Fuelsafe brand or ATL brand bladder cell with steel or aluminum can fitted to your car. You can buy the plastic little fuel cells for cheap money. "I" really do not see the benefit performance wise and definetely nothing safety wise. Yes, I know they are lighter than a steel gas tank. However everyone I had seen mounted in mount on the trunk floor or recessed in the trunk floor. And usually poorly mounted at that! The stock tank appeared to be as good or better! I have a custom fit Fuelsafe cell in my road race car. Cost about $800 5 years ago. Just like the Winston Cup boys with a different fill plate. I just changed all the foam in the tank this spring as required by the sanctioning body. Another $50 in the name of safety. All this for "Vintage Racing" that I pay to enter and can win absolutely NO MONEY! I also have a 10lb. Halon fire system with one of the three discharge jets pointed at the fuel cell. Fire is "my" worst fear in a race car. What a shitty way to go! Safety is the most important thing in my mind and I will spend money to accomplish this goal. It would be a shame to die in a race car where there is no money to win and leave a wife and 2 kids. In reality it is probably irresponsible of me to race at all since this is not my profession and assume the risk of injury and all the problems it can/will incur. After all, this is a hobby for most of us. Family should be first however our fun/hobbies sometimes can take "many" things away from our families. A father is a terrible thing to waste. Spend LOTS OF TIME with your kids. In response to your questions, an AN 10 outlet and AN 8 return or vapor line is fine. I would not recommend either plastic or aluminum unless they have a inner liner with the plastic or aluminum only as the "can" to protect the liner and not hold any fuel. I am not sure what you mean about divider? If you are discussing the outer can on a fuel cell, I have seen them from 0.40-0.80. in thickness. Sorry for the "responsibility" soap box but we should all remember that family is forever, cars maybe until the end of the week. Happy Motoring!
Damn...someone cut him off...... NHRA Pro Stock cars use those "cheap" pastic fuel cells and I don't recall anyone being hurt due to an unsafe condition related to the construction of one of those cars in recent history. Call JAZ,they are the best Fuel Cell going right now. Know this also:They have a translucent finish available so you can see the fuel level w/o a ''stick" OR get the 0-90 ohm sending unit option.This will work the factory guage. You can tell them exactly what dimensions and fittings you want and they will do it for you. Another note:mount the cell in the trunk w/o hanging it through the floor,this way you can mount the pump and filter in the trunk,and out of harms way.
Sorry to rant about safety Gary but I see you are only going 138 MPH. We regularly hit 165 MPH in a GT-350 and some of our endurance races (Sebring and Daytona road courses) are 3 hours long, not 10 seconds. These tracks give you a little time to consider hitting the wall backwards when you transition from the road course to the main straight at top speed with other cars you are passing. Mike
I'm "only" going about 150, and I've had an eight gallon JAZ cell in my car since inception. I believe the question referred to a drag race application like we're running...not road race/ long endurance type racing. If it's good enough for Pro Stock, it's good enough for me! BTW Gary, your fuel system looks a lot like mine. Of course I know you don't like my BG400 pump, but it's never failed me!
Wow :eek2: , Thanks for the responses! I have a stock tank with a sump welded on the bottom. When I have a half a tank or less, and turn a corner or slow down for a long distance (like at the track), I can hear the pump cavitate and stop making Noise. The pump is mounted just to the right of the tank and at the same level as the inlet. Maybe I should put in foam to keep it from sloshing? How would I put it in? From where the stock pickup and sender are?
Rick, I believe you were also asking about the "divider". By that I assume you mean the bulkhead required by NHRA between the trunk and the driver's compartment. I believe the rulebook says it must be .032" aluminum. I used a piece of .040" aluminum, which is pretty easy find. Look at a circle track supply store. They use it for bodies on Modifieds. Just cut it to cover the braced area behind the seat back. Also, don't forget the package shelf. I usually cut a piece of aluminum using the package shelf cardboard as a template. Then slide the aluminum under the cardboard. Once they are in place I put a few rivets to hold them in place and put a bead of clear silicone around the perimeter to seal it. If you have a back seat, you can leave slots in the aluminum so the seat hangers stick through, then you can put your seat right over top of the aluminum. When you're done you can't see the aluminum, except from inside the trunk. Hope I made all this clear. BTW, on a BG fuel pump, the pump HAS to be gravity fed at all times. The pump in your picture is mounted too high for that tank. You're doing the right thing by putting a fuel cell in the trunk. Mount the pump below and behind the cell outlet. Most if not all pumps don't like to pull AND push. The BG's are particularly sensitive. Have fun.
Jeff, Yes that is what I was talking about, the divider. alistair, the sump on the bottom of the tank was supposed to supply fuel better where a stock fuel pickup didn't do so well. I even had a 1/2 inch pickup welded onto my stock pickup, and still had fuel starvation problems, so that is when I went to the sump.
Well, this thread has given me a lot of information, I would just like to get a few clarifications... 1. Is .032" aluminum still the rule 2. Is it correct that the rear bulkhead doesn't have to be welded, it can just be riveted 3. I drive a hatchback, do I just need to have the bulkhead go up and meet the metal on my hatch 4. I notice that some of the fuel cells in summit say race only, what's this mean? I want to be able to drive my car on the street as well as down the track 5. If I move my battery to the back, is there anything else that I need to do special? You're help is appreciated
Keith 1. 2004 NHRA rulebook says .024 steel or .032 aluminum 2.&3. All fuel tanks must be isolated from the drivers compartment by a firewall, completely sealed to prevent any fuel from entering the drivers compartment. 4. ? 5. Relocated batterys must be fastened to frame with a minimum of two 3/8 bolts and metal hold down strap. Also needed is a master cutoff switch on rearmost part of car with OFF position clearly marked. Hope this helps.
Tend to agree with you Doug. Shots of mine, only change though is that Fram filter is history in place of a BG Filter. Yes Doug I dug deep into my pockets once again:grin: Rick Martinez
Rick, I'm wondering how you cut the hole in the tank, where the sump is located? One BIG hole? The pump looks like it is mounted low enough to me.o No: Strange, because there should be more than enough fuel in the sump, not to mention in the lines for cornering and braking.uzzled:
Rick, I like the Triangle Engineering aluminum fuel cells. They are only a couple of bucks more than the plastic ones and you don't have the static electricity hazard you get with the plastic ones. The plastic ones loose their shape or swell while the aluminum is polished so it looks nice. The bladder bag liner would be nice but unnecessary since there are no multi car pile ups in a drag race (unless you can manage to hit the track vehicle). I like Gary's idea about mounting the cell IN the trunk with the filter and pump but if you use the sump type instead of the flat bottom you reduce your chances of sucking air instead of fuel from the tank. Hope this helps Mike
Rear Sump Jeff, I had the tank done at a radiator shop that also repairs gas tanks. The kit that I brought them was from Competition Engineering. It came with instructions that say to cut 5 holes and they supply a pattern. I think the holes were 1 1/4 each. The instructions said that it helps to keep the fuel in the sump area by controlling the slosh. Kind of like a baffle. The fuel pump has been apart a few times now because I have ran it down below a 1/4 tank or so, and when I turned or braked harded, it would suck air. The bearings on the Barry Grant HR 220 are only $1. each, but who wants to take that apart on the way to the track when it fails. And they do fail when there is no fuel going through the pump.
