Fuel Cell - Ideas?
 

Gang, after working on a 3rd Gen and a 4th Gen in-tank fuel pump....I'm done with this.

I'd like to run a fuel cell (drag) in my 97 Z and am looking to see if any of you have ideas or have done this before.

Please post back or email me your thoughts, pics, and write-ups if you have any available.

Thanks

Mark, take a look at the cell offered at http://www.ls1speed.com/catagory.cfm?catagory=fuel - it may be a solution for you. I don't know anything about them, I just wish it were a road racing cell. But it's made for drag racing....

Dave

Will do Dave...thanks....

I have a link for you in regards to your needs...a bit pricey...but these guys do seem to do some good work:

http://secure.fuelsafe.net/cgi-bin/fuelsafe/SA114.html

Hmmm... my post vanished!

Thanks Mark. That's a pricey solution, but I suppose it's a good one. I like the idea of replacing the stock tank - keeping all that weight on the car as low as possible (at least for track work) is a good thing...

Dave

Brook, yea I've seen that too before...but can't find anything further on the net about it for a 4th Gen.

Are you in the Corps? I'm a Gunnery Sergeant in the Corps currently stationed with Headquarters Marine Corps in Washington, D.C.

That would not be NHRA legal unless you added a rear firewall. The rulebook says this: All fuel cells must be isolated from the driver's compartment by a firewall, completely sealed to prevent any fuel from entering the driver's compartment.

The easiest/cheapest way to do this is to look in the Jeg's or Summit catalog, they sell a 10-gal fuel cell that has measurements that are like 25"x11"x9" (close to that). This will fit perfectly into the rear trunk well. As for the NHRA firewall requirement, the only thing you'd need to do to accomplish this is to make a trunk flap identical to the stock one, but out of firewall material. Then, just run the fuel lines through the trunk carpet, there's a couple rubber grommets down there they can pass through, mount the external fuel pump (best one to use is an Aeromotive 1000 electric, it's in Summit as well) to the side or underside of the trunk, as long as it's below the actual tank, then over to the fuel filter, and you can even get away with using the stock lines from the filter forward. Be sure to get a good fuel pump though, I made the mistake of trying to do it cheap, and the pump left me stranded a month later. Aeromotive is what was later recommended to me, but you'll need a AFPR too with it.

If you have any questions, e-mail me at kmcbarnes@hcc-nd.edu.

Nice, thanks for the info. ;)

It sounds like you've done this....do you have any pictures that I can get to?

We were also thinking about picking up a fuel cell from Jeg's and installing it in the same location as the factory tank with a cutout on top of the body so that we can fill it from there. You'd obviously have to open your trunk for fuel....but it's not a problem for me seeing how it's not my daily driver. Just to the track or events and back home. We also thought about running an 8AN braided line to the fuel rails but not sure how that's going to work out seeing how we'd be going to the AFPR which isn't setup to handle an AN fitting...unless there's a company that makes this for our cars??

I believe the Aeromotive AFPR is set up for AN fittings, it's on one of the links posted above, as is the fuel pump I mentioned. Unfortunately I don't have any pics of the install, I didn't have a camera available at the time. If you go here there's a pretty good description of the process. My fuel cell is actually "uninstalled" right now, only because of the cheap fuel pump I installed (MSD by the way), and I just never got around to replacing it yet. That was one nice thing about not removing the stock tank right away, I had a backup tank to rely on.

Oh, and as for filling the gas in the trunk, not that big of a deal really, and the stare's you get from people are well worth it. :cool:

Are you saying you had a fuel cell in the cargo area and for a rear firewall you just replaced the stock cargo cover with .024-inch steel or .032-inch aluminium? Were you able to pass tech with this setup? It doesn't seem to me that this would completely seal the drivers compartment.

Actually I never installed the firewall. I was told by a friend that runs a performance shop/race team that it would pass. I don't know if he considered the fact that the side panels are plastic, but I would think it would be doable with good sealing.

Try billingzly racing, they are either doing it now or going to do it, there is a thread about it in the DR section of LS1tech.com, they want to make a whole 'kit'. Also check out his lightweight 12 bolt!!

Great information coming across on this thread and I do appreciate you all chiming in as it is helping many of us think of ways on working a fuel cell in on a LT1.

I look forward to reading more.

Gonzo

David did a nice job on a write-up on his set up. ;)

Thanks for the link.

Just bringing this one back up for chat.

Has anyone else found any sites with a fuel cell set up in a 4th Gen F-Body?

I found some cells in Jeg's and Summit, but not sure on how to go about this at the time.

Gonzo

Still looking for more information on this.

Thanks,
Gonzo

Brent 94Z had a friend that put a cell in the rear hatch. Try him in the appearance section.

Ferrell

Thanks Ferrell, I'll look around in there.

Gonzo

BTW: His name is John. He was at the Gathering last year. I'll see if I can find some pics. He also had some sweet mini tubs he did himself. His web site used to be www.camaro9.com but I don't think it works now. Hey John, you still out there?

FL

Brent?

Yea, it's very hard finding a 4th Gen write up on this. Hell, when we do mine we'll be sure to document part #'s, how we did the install, and take plenty of pictures to help others out.

Re: Fuel Cell - Ideas?
 

Any luck with that install? I've been thinking about doing a cell in the trunk of the convertible. It would be a much smaller area that I would have to seal off as there is only a small opening between the trunk and passenger compartment.

Re: Fuel Cell - Ideas?
 

WOlfe Racecraft make's the rear bulkhead that will make a fuel cell in the trunk area nHRA Legal..

Re: Fuel Cell - Ideas?
 

That looks like a convenient piece, but it wouldn't work in a convertible. I'll probably just fab something up with some sheetmetal.....

Re: Fuel Cell - Ideas?
 

I used an RCI 12 gallon fuel cell in my 94Z and put it in the back under the hatch, it's carbed if that makes any difference but I ran my fuel line and vent tube down under the carpet in the bottom of the trunk and mounted my external holley pump under the car. I didn't use any firewall but the local track isn't very strict on NHRA regulations. I didn't want a small cell in the trunk cause I wanted to keep my t-top holders. But that may not be an issue with some people.

Re: Fuel Cell - Ideas?
 

For those of you doing sports racing, this is what I did.
Removed the orig. fuel tank. Measured from cargo floor to top of tank and from the aft wall of the cargo area to the differential. Allowing enough room for suspension movement. There is enough space here to put in a 30+ gal. fuel cell. For the type of racing I'm doing I needed a large cell. I then cut a hole in the forward cargo wall just large enough to fit the said fuel cell, using both the orginial tank space and the cargo space. To support the cell I built a "NASCAR" style cage out of square tubing. I bolted this cage to the reinforced cargo area sheet metal. I when inclosed the whole thing in aluminum and sealed it to keep water and dust out of the car. On the inside I again used sheet aluminum to inclose the area from the top of the differential hump back to the aft wall and to both sides. This inclosed the entire cargo space and meets the requirement for a sealed tank/fire wall. There are several option for tank filling and access. With all this covered by rug, you can hardly tell it's not susposed to be like this.
This probably sounds like a lot of work, but only took me a couple of weekends, plus running the lines and doing the finish work.

Re: Fuel Cell - Ideas?
 

I just went w/ the BMR Fuel tANK. that's sumped.. and i'm done w/ it :) no muss no fuss and enough fuel flow to feed the hungriest of animal's...

Re: Fuel Cell - Ideas?
 

Do you get strong fuel odors inside the car? The tech inspection I went through was the guy asking me if I had a blow-down tube on the bottle since its right behind my seat, so I don't think I'll have to worry about nhra regs.

Re: Fuel Cell - Ideas?
 

I'm gonna check that one out as soon as their website is back up and running. I didn't know they made tanks.....

Re: Fuel Cell - Ideas?
 

They make speed inc's tanks'.. Nice piece..

Re: Fuel Cell - Ideas?
 

The fumes aren't really that bad since the vent is run to the outside of the car, but you can still smell fumes

Re: Fuel Cell - Ideas?
 

Anyone found fuel rails plumbed with AN fittings already in them? I know I can weld some on just seeing if any are available in the aftermarket yet.

Thanks

I have the fuel cell from LS1Speed install and would like to finish the rest of the system of with AN. Install wasn't bad, when I had purchased the cell they didn't have the install kit available yet, so getting a sending unit and filler neck to work was difficult.