bahelion89 Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 alright guys! 1975 280z mostly stock So started cleaning out my tank with muriatic acid just to find out my tank is way to far gone to save..so i pretty much made up my mind to install a fuel cell. my question is, after cutting out the spare tire does the frame need to be reinforced? ive seen fuel cell setups that simple bolt the fuel cell "cage" on to the car and are not connected to anything structurally... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gira Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 Bahelion89, Yes, it will need some support unless the fuel cell you happen to purchase is designed to just "drop in." We usually use 3/4" square tube to support the fuel cell outer shell. When I get to one of my racecars, I'll see if I can get you a couple photos. Regards, Greg Ira Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bahelion89 Posted August 7, 2014 Author Share Posted August 7, 2014 i understand that the cell itself needs to be supported. but the real question is does the car itself need the extra support due to the loss of material in between the rear frame rails the link below shows someones race Z and the cell is just bolted to excess metal and not the frame itself. if the design in the link below is a decent one then i will be building it this weekend. http://www.typeischeap.com/pics/FrameSet.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 The sheet metal between the rear subframe is not structural. As Greg mentioned above you need to build a frame around the fuel cell can that is welded to the subframe to support the 150 lbs of fuel and cell that are being hung there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 The car in your link above is an autocross car and has a 5 gallon fuel cell. Not a good example unless you are building something similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyle319 Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 (edited) I have a 12 gallon baffled fuel cell that the previous owner installed. I am in the process of removing undercoating and replacing with por and I havent got to the back yet so that's why its all rusty especially the bar stock.. its tied into the frame rails for the supports.Ill post pictures in a sec but I cant figure out how to on mobile. Pics.. http://imgur.com/a/qYPwI sorry for the crappy pics but my garage is a mess and the car is so low that I couldnt find any other way to get a better shot but they'll give you an idea of what you need to do.. its pretty straight forward. If you want better ones just let me know. Edited August 9, 2014 by kyle319 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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