gretchen/jason Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 So im taking out my 4 , 10 inch subs and 140 pound box to replace it with a fuel cell because i want less weight and more speed . Ive looked at fuel cells and the way they deliever fuel plain square/rectangle tanks and some with a lower part then the rest of the tank i assume to catch fuel on a hard launch . For every day driving what is a good option , should i get one with foam inside it . How do ya vent the fumes ? Next is what is the best place to put it . Between the struts ,just behind the struts ? Id like to place it so whatever gas i have in it the weight somewhat helps with traction . One last question is it wrong to run the fuel line inside the car and out through the fire wall using steel braided line ? I was thinking of the pump and all mounted in the hatch aera or is this a bad idea . any pics out there of what has been done would be helpfull also but no big deal . Thanks Jason 78 ex black pearl z . blown 350 soon to be a blown 383 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buZy Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 Here are some of my Z with summit "fuel cell" in an aluminum tub. Weight down low, 12 gallons. Every car different but here is how I did it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted February 24, 2007 Share Posted February 24, 2007 buZy, Excellent sheetmetal work. That's one of the nicest cell mounts I have seen so far, and believe me, I have seen quite a few. Props for that!! Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buZy Posted February 24, 2007 Share Posted February 24, 2007 Thanks Davy! Coming from you that's a true compliment! I tried to make it as safe as possible, without using a Real Fuel Safe. Found an 11 gal with would fit the tub, but the $800 was spent elsewhere lol. Jason, It is a Very Unsafe idea to run fuel lines or pumps of any kind inside the cabin area. You can see in the pics with this current cell I had to briefly to get the fuel and vent down though floor bulkhead fittings. Someday I'll cap it off with an aluminum hinged cover. So try to avoid it the best you can. We wouldn't want to loose you to a fire it you had a leak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gretchen/jason Posted February 24, 2007 Author Share Posted February 24, 2007 Well for the moment the cell will be inside the hatch aera just like a small suitcase when ya travel . It will be bolted down of course as i dont have the money to cut apart my rear hatch floor to sink the tank down low . That will be done sometime in the near future . When i do cut the floor aera out as i saw in pics from the underside of your car how much will the missing sheet metal make the car flex . i saw the cross bars you welded to the " frame " or did ya just kinda cut a square hole and insert the cell ?. My tank is only going to be 17 inches wide 17 inches deep by 9 inches tall so i wont have to cut to big a hole in the floor . I was thinking of cutting a hole where the spare tire was and then making a "basket" out of aluminum and sinking the cell into that leaving just about 4 inches of the cell sticking up into the hatch aera . I dont want to sink my cell all the way down but maybe just about 4 inches into the floor . I printed the pics ya posted so as to help me in the fab up when im ready . Thanks for the pics Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buZy Posted February 24, 2007 Share Posted February 24, 2007 Your welcome Jason, I cut out the floor and spare tire area out as you mentioned. Then boxed the floor with 1.250 square channel. The alum tub is tied into the channel. This now makes the tub and floor a 3D stressed member frame of the car in essence to the oem structure. The cell floats inside with foam between the tub and red steel summit cell. Here is the cell I used. http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=SUM%2D290112&N=700+4294925239+4294839036+115&autoview=sku When I bought my car it a had a alum cell mounted inside the car as you suggested doing and did run it for a while. Just know the typical tabs mounted to these thin gauged cells along with a few 1/4-20 fasteners will not hold back the weight of the fuel in a serious crash. I'm sure you know this already and No car is safe. You could cut your spare tire well out, weld the opening flat, and hang a cell with some kind of straps from underneath. Search hybridz, I have seen a few do that here. The cost/work would be about the same and may make things safer while you move onto other projects. Maybe someone could a post pic as to help to better explain. Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gretchen/jason Posted February 25, 2007 Author Share Posted February 25, 2007 Got ya . I was thinking of cutting the wood deck to the size of the cell, then the same thing in the sheet metal where the tire sat . The more i looked at it the more i thought id just let oh 2 inches stick up above the wood decking and box in the tank in aluminum just like in youre pics . Of course my tank won be here till the end of the week but it gives me time to think about . Another question are youre fuel lines run in the stock locaition ? Next to the frame rail . Mine are the stock ones but way to close to my exhaust near the front strut rods about 1 inch away been thinking about running them near the pinch weld but not sure as of now . Thanks again jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buZy Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 A templete is the way to to it. Might as well sink the whole cell. With all the power you plan, i.e blower (way cool might as well do it right, traction. My fuel lines. The 3/8 alum feed line is in the tunnel, like 240z stock, then up to mid firewall to carb. Not good, if I ever break a DS etc.., oh well good enough for now. I hear ya about the heat and frame rails. The best place I guess would be along the inside of the frame rail. Some on Hybridz run the lines inside updated frame rails. Cool idea, but hope it never leaks. The vent is behind the tub in a double coiled braided loop with a filter on the end. You can kind of see it in the second pic. It would be cool to find a some kind of racer vent seperator can, but hard to keep it vented below the fuel level. Again inside the car like stock and the cell has only one vent/return option. If your cell has bottom fittings you should be able to keep almost all the fuel lines under the car which is a bonus indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gretchen/jason Posted February 25, 2007 Author Share Posted February 25, 2007 Yep i ordered a cell where the fuel fittings are at the bottom of the tank i figured during a good solid launch that is where id want them. Wow fule lines inside the frame rails no thanks . I never thought of running them down the top/underside of the trans tunnel that is a good thought . The z i have now is oh a test platform as i dont have the money 3 grand to redo the floor boards so im using this z to fab stuff up and chop sheet metal apart then buy me a rust free z " yeah rite " hopefully with good floor boards for a christmas present . then swap everything over to it after i do what mods are needed and take it apart bolt by bolt and do it rite . Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katman Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Hard to beat the stock tank for location and weight, and maintainintg the stock rear deck integrity for tank separation and safety. I've agonized over this for our ITS race cars, and built two cars with cells, and I've decided I absolutely wouldn't want anything other than stock for a street car. That's my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buZy Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 ...unless you want to true dual exhausts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Hard to beat the stock tank for location and weight, and maintainintg the stock rear deck integrity for tank separation and safety. I've agonized over this for our ITS race cars, and built two cars with cells, and I've decided I absolutely wouldn't want anything other than stock for a street car. That's my opinion. No kidding. I've seen several people say that they want to ditch the heavy stock tank over the years, but the stock tank has to weigh about 10 lbs max. The 12 gallon cell I just installed weighed 32 lbs. I think it's necessary for the dual exhaust crowd that doesn't want both pipes on the same side, and it's necessary for some types of racing, but people who swap out the tank for a cell that works with FI are making a mistake IMO. I'd put a surge tank in instead and save 20 lbs of weight... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LLave Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 buzy, why did you box the whole cell in? for impact protection? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buZy Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 Yes. Looking back I could have maybe made it lighter. But the car is now more rigid than oem with 3D boxed floor tied directly into the rear hatch tailgate type opening. With extra weight of a T56 and V8 (alum heads carb intake pump headers etc.) maybe it even helps the balance having a few extra pounds back there? In my case, the difference if any is almost irrelevant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LLave Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 I am looking into doing something close to this and I am wondering what needs to be done for safety. What type of cell is best? aluminum, steel, plastic? and do you really need to box them in or just let it hand out back there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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