[EMWHYR0HEN]

In hopes of getting better fuel delivery, and making the car safer I replaced my old smelly fuel tank with an Aluminum 10 gallon fuel cell from Summit.

It was kind of tricky making a fuel cell frame for this aluminum cell because there are really no safe mounting points. I used 1x1 x 16 gauge square tubing and first built the bottom making sure that the weight of the tank was going to be supported by all 4 corners. With the cell bolted to the tabs I welded on the bottom I sized it up and realized I had to make the cell removable for maintanence or repair.

I came up with a way to remove the cell from the bottom by welding bolts inside of the square tube with the threads facing downwards. Then I welded 4 "L" brackets out of .125 onto the bottom cage and drilled holes for the bolts to slip into. For added strength I added one little gusset to each "L" bracket.

To finish it all off I covered the floor with 22 gauge sheet and tacked it all up following that with seam sealer.

I'm still considering if I should weld in some flat stock across the top of the cell even though the cell already fits super tight on top, and if I should cover the cage with some sheet.

Stay tuned for fuel plumbing.

[cockerstar]

*claps*
That is amazingly clean

[Six_Shooter]

Looks good.

[gdv350ss]

Wow! A new standard to shoot at for all fuel cell installs!

Keep the great info and pics coming!

[BillZ260]

Nice work. Can you give us the dim's on that cell and a pic from the rear? How much is blow the valance?

[EMWHYR0HEN]

Thanks for the commments guys.

I made a correction, It's a 10 gallon cell not 12 and it's dimentions are 16.5 x 16.5 x 9.0. When it sits flush with the floor the bottom of the tank sits about 1'' below the roll pan and the frame about 2''.

[EMWHYR0HEN]

I finnished off the plumbing using 3/8 aluminum hardline and braided line. I got all my stuff from ANPLUMBING.COM which is local if your in the LA area. Huge selection of Earl's fittings, hoses, etc.

I ran the hardline through the firewall/footwell then using nylon clips ran the line along the trans tunnel inside the car. The 10' lines ended 1.5' short of the tank after exiting the inside of the car through the passenger side storage compartment.

From the hardlines i used compression fittings that then converted to AN stlye fittings.

I fired up the fuel sysyem today and everything works properly with out any leaks, Phew.

It was my first time using all the AN style stuff And I must say it's really easy to use and seals very nicely. However, This crap adds up FAST! so make sure you know what you need before you buy.

Heres the finished product:

[garvice]

I always like your work mate, you do a great job.
Just a quick question, is safe having the fuel lines run through the cabin?

[1 tuff z]

awesome job. under hood pics?

[deja]

I agree with 280Zforce, I wouldn't want fuel line running inside the car, especially aluminum line. Beautiful job none the less.

[EMWHYR0HEN]

Thanks for the comments. I'll take a shot of the engine bay where the filter is located.

I know running fuel beside you doesnt sound like the safest option but my reasoning is that the aluminum is much softer than the stock steel lines and can easily get more damge outside of the car from rocks and pebles.

If everything is secure in the car (which should be when I drive this car) there's nothing that should come in contact with it. if you take another look it's in a safe location IMO.

Additionally, iv'e seen plenty of race cars that have ran fuel lines inside. I think the question of safety arises if this car were driven as a daily street car, which it isn't.

I'm not tottaly stuck on the location. Any Tech inspectors or racers want to chime in?

[1 tuff z]

myron, i'm running my fuel filter between the tank and pump. my thoughts were [and i'm no engineer] was to catch and filter any crap before it got to my pump. just a thought.

[EMWHYR0HEN]

1 tuff z said:

myron, i'm running my fuel filter between the tank and pump. my thoughts were [and i'm no engineer] was to catch and filter any crap before it got to my pump. just a thought.

I have my fuel filter before the engine, after the pump which is how most factory Nissans run them.

For the added protection it would be best to run 2 filters before and after the pump.

[Scottie-GNZ]

Nice clean install, but I have 2 comments.

- You already heard about the lines inside the cabin, and while not a tech inspector, I do not think that will pass tech in any form of racing.

- You have the pump too high. I recommend you drop it to about 1/3 the height of the cell.

[EMWHYR0HEN]

Scottie-GNZ said:

Nice clean install, but I have 2 comments.

- You already heard about the lines inside the cabin, and while not a tech inspector, I do not think that will pass tech in any form of racing.

- You have the pump too high. I recommend you drop it to about 1/3 the height of the cell.

Is there a reason why I should run the pump lower? Should I be concerened about the lines and pump being that low?

Thanks

[Slow_Old_Car]

EMWHYR0HEN said:

Is there a reason why I should run the pump lower? Should I be concerened about the lines and pump being that low?

Thanks

pumps do not like to suck, they like to blow/push/force... by lowering the fuel pump position you will reduce the work load it encounters trying to get fuel through the pump.

*edit/addition*
just saw your fuel lines and question, i'm not up on the rules for all forms of racing, but i know in drag that you are required to have the fuel tank behind a bulkhead that seperates it from the passenger cabin (i do not know how strict they are about this rule, or if it changes when using a metal tank).

i also recall somthing about having any part of the fuel system mounted on the firewall was a giant no-no too, which i'm not exactly sure why unless they mean't the interior firewall, which would then definately make your fuel line placement a no no.

[EMWHYR0HEN]

I think i'm going to have to make some changes. I didn't realize how dangerous it could be to have the fuell ines through the firewall which could litterally cut the lines if the hole on the fire wall changed it's shape in a collision.

I think i'm just going to run it how it was stock..

[zforce]

I thought I read A post about running fuel lines inside car being safer and that some sanctioning bodies require it. Does anyone have a scca rule book handy?

One question why did you choose a 10 gallon fuel tank?I have thought about doing this conversion and would think 15 or 16 gallon would be better.