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fuel cell install?

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Old 02-23-2010, 10:10 PM
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Car: 1985 camaro z28
Engine: 355 sbc what else
Transmission: TH 350 manual vb/ 4200 stall
Axle/Gears: 4:30 on the street
fuel cell install?

just wondered if anyone has installed a fuel cell in a car that is both nhra legal and safe to drive on the street.

things i would like to know are: do you need a firewall or something?
where to find the parts to make it legal?

pics would be awesome, but any help would be great. never had to install one in a car with an open cockpit to the "trunk area". thanks for the info
Old 02-23-2010, 10:27 PM
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Re: fuel cell install?

Yes you do need to isolate the fuel cell from the drivers compartment and I know some guys will probably jump in and post some pics hopefully but I can give you a link to ed quay which makes parts that could definitly work for what you need. On page 18-19 of this catalog in the website their is fuel cells, mounting brackets, and covers to make it a legal setup. Good luck with your project.

http://www.edquay.com/camaro/82-92camaro_catalog.pdf
Old 02-24-2010, 12:56 AM
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Re: fuel cell install?

Just sump the factory tank and run whatever size fitting on there you need. Saves all the hassle and keep a fuel gauge too
Old 02-24-2010, 04:42 AM
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Re: fuel cell install?

You can keep the stock gauge with a cell too. There are many sources that offer nice tube style level senders that can be had in any ohm range you want. I have some stainless ones I think they are from Wema and can be had in 0-90 Ohm in any length you want.

Here's where I converted a corvette tank for one.





Old 02-24-2010, 11:23 AM
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Re: fuel cell install?

Originally Posted by gtpro700
Yes you do need to isolate the fuel cell from the drivers compartment and I know some guys will probably jump in and post some pics hopefully but I can give you a link to ed quay which makes parts that could definitly work for what you need. On page 18-19 of this catalog in the website their is fuel cells, mounting brackets, and covers to make it a legal setup. Good luck with your project.

http://www.edquay.com/camaro/82-92camaro_catalog.pdf

thanks for the link i will have to go check that out.
Old 02-24-2010, 11:24 AM
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Re: fuel cell install?

Originally Posted by xpndbl3
Just sump the factory tank and run whatever size fitting on there you need. Saves all the hassle and keep a fuel gauge too

thought about doing that, but i am looking into one of those anti- roll bars for the rear suspension and it looks like the factory tank will be in the way.
Old 02-24-2010, 12:17 PM
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Re: fuel cell install?

mount the anti-roll bar to the rear end and then you're fine. 99% of f-body guys do it that way.
Old 02-24-2010, 12:58 PM
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Re: fuel cell install?

i was thinking of a competition engineering style that you can pre-load the rearend with. plus i have a moser 12 bolt and the stock one doesn't fit.
Old 02-24-2010, 03:23 PM
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Re: fuel cell install?

what about on of the all aluminium cells from RCI. I would mount it in the luggage area like the one from Qauy Racecars. Do you guys know if I would still have to cover something like that?
Old 02-24-2010, 05:04 PM
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Re: fuel cell install?

yes you need a bulkhead, I suggested the easiest solution that doesn't involve tons of hours of fabrication. I also recommend the wolfe racecraft anti-roll bar
Old 02-24-2010, 05:24 PM
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Re: fuel cell install?

Originally Posted by superT
i was thinking of a competition engineering style that you can pre-load the rearend with. plus i have a moser 12 bolt and the stock one doesn't fit.
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kthxbye
Old 02-24-2010, 10:18 PM
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Axle/Gears: 4:30 on the street
Re: fuel cell install?

ok i see what you mean about putting the antiroll bar on the axle. I have never seen that before. Very cool way of installing one. thanks man
Old 02-25-2010, 07:07 AM
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Re: fuel cell install?

jes, do you have pics of the mounting tabs to the frame? i've seen that picture a few times, i'd like to see more pics of the rest of the install.
Old 02-25-2010, 11:54 AM
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Re: fuel cell install?

Sure ill get to it when I have acess to my computer. Gimme about 6 hours
Old 02-25-2010, 06:12 PM
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Re: fuel cell install?

so i'm digging through my pictures and none really show the tabs too well, gimme a few mins and ill get my lazy *** under my car and try and get a close up for ya
Old 02-25-2010, 06:19 PM
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Re: fuel cell install?

kthx
Old 02-25-2010, 06:51 PM
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Re: fuel cell install?

k bro check it out, hella crap behind my car and it's a lil dark in the garage so i was under it with a flash light and the pictures are a lil dark so bare with me. Don't feel like moving all the stuff out the way right now. So the bar comes with 2 plates, i believe they are 4"x3". You weld those to the part of the unibody that looks like it would be frame if it was a full frame car. So the bar also comes with 4 tabs, 2 for each side. Since it's the same bar they make for the 4th gen the tabs don't sit perfectly centered on the plates that you welded onto the body. So the most inside tabs on each end you actually have to weld to the edge of the plate (once again on the inside). The outside tabs are pretty centered on the provided plates. Hope that makes sense.

If you still can't picture it i'll take some more pictures when I'm feelin more up to it . Both pictures are from the drivers side mount.

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Old 02-25-2010, 09:44 PM
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Car: 1985 camaro z28
Engine: 355 sbc what else
Transmission: TH 350 manual vb/ 4200 stall
Axle/Gears: 4:30 on the street
Re: fuel cell install?

so is this antiroll bar removable. And I mean just the bar that runs under the axle.
Also, do you know what size rod ends are used?
One more thing, when you sumped the stock tank what did you cap the orginal opening with?
And did you add any baffles?

Last edited by superT; 02-25-2010 at 09:48 PM.
Old 02-25-2010, 10:03 PM
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Re: fuel cell install?

Originally Posted by superT
so is this antiroll bar removable. And I mean just the bar that runs under the axle.
Also, do you know what size rod ends are used?
One more thing, when you sumped the stock tank what did you cap the orginal opening with?
And did you add any baffles?
No it is not removable, can't recall what size the rod ends are. It's a wolfe set up, give em a holler and I'm sure they can tell ya. Didn't add any baffles, used a hole saw on the factory tank and added the sump under it also didn't cap any of the lines that i'm no longer using on the tank (yup, cap em and add a roll over vent if you wanna do it right)
Old 02-25-2010, 11:20 PM
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Re: fuel cell install?

thanks for the info man. It has been outstanding in the help department.
Old 02-26-2010, 06:59 AM
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Re: fuel cell install?

excellent jes. that's exactly what i needed to see. it looks like it mounts just a bit further up the "frame rail" as the factory sway bar endlink tabs do. i'm sure the wolfe bar comes with some sort of instructions too. this probably won't NEED to happen this summer, but maybe next winter.
Old 02-26-2010, 07:02 AM
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Re: fuel cell install?

If you'll be running pump gas I'd stay away from aluminum cells. Ethanol is much like methanol in it's corrosion properties; we've seen a lot of issues with just the typical "e10" blends in boats and carbed muscle cars, both in the tank and in the carb.

Originally Posted by superT
thanks for the info man. It has been outstanding in the help department.
x2 on the hole saw trick. you can drill 3-4 decent sized holes and then just weld the sump over them. Makes for a great baffle and a better over-all install.
Old 02-26-2010, 07:07 AM
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Re: fuel cell install?

Originally Posted by mw66nova
jes, do you have pics of the mounting tabs to the frame? i've seen that picture a few times, i'd like to see more pics of the rest of the install.
this is in an '02 stang, but just get a little creative: edit: ahhhhh, crappy new servers at work won't let me open the images box, here's a link to the PB page showing the anti-roll we built for my buddies '02 stang(the end links have been changed to billet link tubes and spherical lowers, we kept the poly sandwich type top though; it's a true street car). The pics are at the top of the page, the others are the '68 stang of his.

http://s455.photobucket.com/albums/q.../Roberts%2002/

Last edited by Shagwell; 03-11-2010 at 11:50 AM. Reason: correcting new link
Old 02-26-2010, 07:18 AM
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Re: fuel cell install?

how well does that work with the sandwich type uppers? does it leave nice and straight? seems like it would...
Old 02-26-2010, 12:11 PM
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Re: fuel cell install?

Originally Posted by mw66nova
how well does that work with the sandwich type uppers? does it leave nice and straight? seems like it would...
In a word, awesome. lol Consistent bottom 1.5 60fts so far with 26" radials and a clutch. No negatives for street or track use with a few thousand miles on it now. I've got some more recent shots of how we finalized it at home on my camera, I'll try to get them up soon. - We put regular poly sway bar clamshell mounts around the bar, just bent our own plates to bolt directly onto the sides of the c-channel that's welded to the axle tubes. That plus the sphericals instead of just turn-buckles with a sleeve, lol. If you don't already use them, Speedway Motors has some great fabrication stuff; brackets, tabs, swedged steel & aluminum tubes, sphericals, etc.

http://i455.photobucket.com/albums/q...8f75414f0a.jpg
Old 02-26-2010, 08:45 PM
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Re: fuel cell install?

very cool. i'm thinking upper 1.4x's won't be out of the question soon, so i'm definitely going to be looking into that stuff. this stuff just doesn't look that hard to fabricate. definetely thinking if i fabricate this stuff i can save some bucks. $450+ is just insane for this type of stuff.
Old 02-26-2010, 08:49 PM
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Re: fuel cell install?

couldn't agree more.
Old 03-02-2010, 01:52 PM
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Re: fuel cell install?

Originally Posted by mw66nova
very cool. i'm thinking upper 1.4x's won't be out of the question soon, so i'm definitely going to be looking into that stuff. this stuff just doesn't look that hard to fabricate. definetely thinking if i fabricate this stuff i can save some bucks. $450+ is just insane for this type of stuff.
We started on his Sat morning early and loaded up and were at the track for testing by 5pm. There's less than $200 in it total and all the materials were bought new for this job.
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