!!!!!Fuel Cell Debate !!!!!!

Turbong2001

Registered User
Fuel cell = about $200.00 depending on size and material.
Fuel pump= "i was told" could be $400-600 becouse it is a fuel injected car with a fuel cell so it's alot more then a normal carborated car.......

But what this would do is get rid of the gas tank and alow more room for the exaust and you could run true duels very low cost and not as long of pipes.
Also would give some weight transfer to the rear tire helping stop wheel hop.

What do you all think????????
 
Turbong2001 said:
Fuel cell = about $200.00 depending on size and material.
Fuel pump= "i was told" could be $400-600 becouse it is a fuel injected car with a fuel cell so it's alot more then a normal carborated car.......

But what this would do is get rid of the gas tank and alow more room for the exaust and you could run true duels very low cost and not as long of pipes.
Also would give some weight transfer to the rear tire helping stop wheel hop.

What do you all think????????

My car is a weekend play car, and I did a fuel cell in it. I am running a carb, so it is a low pressure pump, but 140 gal per hour. Here is a link to how I did mine.

http://members.tccoa.com/392bird/birdworka2.htm
There are 3 pages of pictures and details.
 
Yes, you could go with a $200.00 cell, but mine was over $700....of course I have to go with the best of the best. I'll have almost $2 grand in my cell when it's all said and done. But yes the advantage of it that you can run a real exhaust and get the weight where it needs to be. Think about it before you do it though....You'll have the cell itself (sending unit, etc, if it doesn't come with it), -AN lines and fittings ($$$), Pump, Filters, Firewall, and maybe some other custom work if you decide to recess the cell in the trunk. Just something to think about....not to mention the new exhaust when your finished up with the cell.

Turbong2001 said:
Fuel cell = about $200.00 depending on size and material.
Fuel pump= "i was told" could be $400-600 becouse it is a fuel injected car with a fuel cell so it's alot more then a normal carborated car.......

But what this would do is get rid of the gas tank and alow more room for the exaust and you could run true duels very low cost and not as long of pipes.
Also would give some weight transfer to the rear tire helping stop wheel hop.

What do you all think????????
 
Turbong2001 said:
Any more thoughts about doing this, cheaper ways or any other reasons for doing it. Has any one else done it?

It can be done for alot cheaper than I did it. You can buy a $100 cell from Summit ready to drop in. You can also just set it in the trunk instead of recessing it (which I think looks cheesy, but hey...). I went with an Aeromotive pump and filters....I'm sure there is cheaper pumps out there. Also, buy Summit -AN fittings instead of all the Aeroquip fittings and line that I bought. It could be done relatively cheap, but would you be satisfied with the results? Kevin Leitem, John Temple, Gary Kuhn, and 392bird over on TCCoA have done it, among a few others.
 
Turbong2001 said:
Any more thoughts about doing this, cheaper ways or any other reasons for doing it. Has any one else done it?
I cut out the spare tire compartment, fitted in a flat metal sheet over it, had a 16 gallon aluminum fuel cell made and mounted it to the frame below the trunk. Re-routed the fuel filler pipe to the fuel cell and did not loose the outside oem filler.
 
only thing i'm wondering is where do you find the huge hose for the re-location of the pipeing for the filler, i tried to buy some hose before at autozone and they didnt have piping that big, do you use a flexhose ? is this street legal mod to do ? also you have to put a vent no ? i believe i read before that if you dont put a vent it will take forever to fill or something ? also thats seems like alot for a fuel pump get an inline aftermarket one used, on ebay, cant be more than 150$ for a decent one...
 
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SuperCoupeSC91 said:
only thing i'm wondering is where do you find the huge hose for the re-location of the pipeing for the filler, i tried to buy some hose before at autozone and they didnt have piping that big, do you use a flexhose ? is this street legal mod to do ? also you have to put a vent no ? i believe i read before that if you dont put a vent it will take forever to fill or something ? also thats seems like alot for a fuel pump get an inline aftermarket one used, on ebay, cant be more than 150$ for a decent one...

I'm not sure where to find the hose at...maybe look online for silicone hose vendors or places that deal with turbo's. I'm not using the OEM filler...instead I'll just have about a 6 inch neck on the top of the cell as a filler, which means I'll have to open the trunk. Yes, you will need a vent.
 
SuperCoupeSC91 said:
only thing i'm wondering is where do you find the huge hose for the re-location of the pipeing for the filler, i tried to buy some hose before at autozone and they didnt have piping that big, do you use a flexhose ? is this street legal mod to do ? also you have to put a vent no ? i believe i read before that if you dont put a vent it will take forever to fill or something ? also thats seems like alot for a fuel pump get an inline aftermarket one used, on ebay, cant be more than 150$ for a decent one...
McMaster-Carr part# 5282K15 - 2" ID fuel hose by the foot. Very heavy duty.
 
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Do a fuel cell if you like the idea and you can afford it. Do not do a fuel cell because you think anything will be cheaper or because you think you will make more power or go faster. Gains for your $$ will be very low.
 
Xr7-Dave, you right about the the gain for $$. I just like the ideal of untangling the underside of the car. Lossing the gas tank would permit a better, shorter, straighter exaust system. And alow axsess to the drive shaft with out removing the tank every time.
 
Does anyone have pictures of what they have done ?????]
Super Xr7 Can you send me some pics how you did yours........
Xr7 Dave Do you know what would be the best most affordable pump for a fuel cell?
 
You can get a decent pump (Bosch or Walbro 255lph FI) for about $175.

I tried emailing you about your tranny awhile ago but your email is blocking me.
 
I don't know whats up with my email yet, if you just want to pm me that would be fine for now but, I added some of that Lucus tranny treatment and now the car shifts great. But still get noise and still haven't fixed leak.... :(

now is that fuel pump for the fuel cell, or just the tank for $175. ????
 
I helped Chris Wise install a feul cell in the trunk of his SC. It was a major pain in the rear and IMO wasn't worth all the hassel. No fuel level gauge and having to open the trunk to fill the tank were the biggest problems.

trunkchris.jpg


Other ones were...lack of trunk space...constructing a metal bulkhead to seperate trunk from passenger compartment (NHRA safety rules)....unclogging filter because the anti slosh foam in the tank started to fall apart after a few months.

I considered doing a fuel cell in the 93 SC (turbo car) I'm building, but decided to retain the stock tank to avoid the problems listed above and to keep the car looking stock. To provide enough fuel for the target HP, Dave Dalke modded the stock pump mounting into a dual pump mount. So now I've got a pair of 255 lph High pressure pumps in the tank. This also required running new wiring and installing a relay under the rear seat cushion to handle the extra pump.

http://members.tccoa.com/dneibert/dualpumps.jpg

David

PS: 92 and up fuel tanks have plenty of room for dual exhaust.
 
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Here are some pictures and as you can see I am doing a major renovation of this car.
Picture 1 - trunk area where the spare tire has been removed and replaced with a flat piece of sheet metal.
Picture 2 -

Picture 3 - has the tank going over the rear sway bar

Hope this helps
 

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Super XR7 said:
Here are some pictures and as you can see I am doing a major renovation of this car.
Picture 1 - trunk area where the spare tire has been removed and replaced with a flat piece of sheet metal.
Picture 2 -

Picture 3 - has the tank going over the rear sway bar

Hope this helps

Wow..Mike, that looks nice and you still have a trunk.

David
 
David Neibert said:
Wow..Mike, that looks nice and you still have a trunk.

David

Thanks, I showed pictures of a fuel cell in the trunk to my wife but she would not go for that. So, that was the comprimise.
 
I am planning on running a fuel cell in my 35th after I get the roll cage installed. One thing I will really appreciate is the fact that I will be able to run true nascar style side exit exhaust on the car. It will sound nice once the V8 is in it with long tubes, h pipe, and side exhaust.

One thing you need to pay attention to before you go out an buy a fuel cell is that you need to find out if it is legal for the type of racing that you will be doing. If drag racing is what you are into then I imagine any cell from summit will work but those same fuel cells will not work for road racing. You will need a SCCA legal cell for road racing and the prices start at about $300-400 and go up from there.

Shane
 
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