trunk w/ fuel system inside topic

[64dartsb]

I had a post on here a little while back and I don't know why but it won't let me reply to it. 

http://www.bigblockdart.com/index.php/topic,24295.0.html


 I mentioned putting my fuel system and pumps and everything inside the car instead of letting the sump hang out with the pumps out side.

Looks like I'm not the only one.....

http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=3983999&an=0&page=8#Post3983999

My setup looks almost exactly like the one 3/4th of the way down,  the white one.  i ended up just doing U shaped pedestools for the fuel cell to sit on just like his, then I made brackets to hold the pumps and everything, once I'm finished ( a week or so)  I'll post some pictures

-64dartsb

[signet]

hey there.

[wedgie]

I doubt that you could ever pass any safety inspection with your proposed setup. In case of an accident, you wouldn't be a very happy camper with gasoline in the cab area. I guess if you completely sealed the trunk from the passenger area it may be OK. Ever see the old photos of Pintos getting rear ended? Be safe and do it right.

[64dartsb]

It will be held down by straps just like the ones that summit sells for fuel cells, the car will have a firewall to completely seal off the trunk   

[75Dart440]

I just had a perfect example of why it would be a bad idea to mount the fuel system in the trunk (exception to the cell):  I ordered a new Holley HP-125 billet fuel pump and due to a manufacturing flaw the thing pumped fuel out through the weep hole at the motor assembly.  Had it been in the trunk, I may have never caught the leak before the fuel would have entered the motor/brush area of the pump and caught fire.

According to Holley tech support, that weep hole is there to prevent fuel from getting to the motor housing in the event that the pump fails.  Looks like it worked this time.  Jegs sent me a new pump, just arrived today.  Hope it works better than the first one!!!

If you really want the pump to be up that high in the fuel system, you could build a raised floor around the pump so in the event of a leak it would still leak to the ground and not in the car.

[tophat]

Ever been to a demolition derby? 99% of those cars run a plastic boat tank where the back seat used to be. Personally, my 63 Dart (street car) has a 6 gallon boat tank in the trunk held in with a ratchet strap though I do have a vented cap with the hose run out the back. Ever seen a 61~71 Dodge pick up? The tank is right behind the seat.

BTW Pintos blew up because the government WANTED them to. The feds had a grudge against ford and it was their way of getting even. The "approved " fix was a roughly 18" by 6" piece of plastic, thats it. It was very very rare for a pinto to blow up outside of a test facility. The Pinto was one of the best cars ford ever built. Not that I am a ford fan (I'm not) but I would have another early Pinto in a second.

TopHat

[64dartsb]

sounds like nobody likes the Idea of the pumps in the trunk.  I just finished it today and everything look really good.  I ended up putitng the pumps on opposite sides so the whole thing looks symetrical.  I'm really happy with everything but the straps, I'm going to redo those next time I get dirty.  I'll post some pictures up in the next few days. 

[75Dart440]

Ever been to a demolition derby? 99% of those cars run a plastic boat tank where the back seat used to be.
TopHat

True, but demo derby cars don't generally have to be concerned with going upside down at high speed like a street car would.   

The fuel tank in the truck cab design was just a plain poor design from a safety standpoint.  Take a hard hit to the cab side and you could be bathing in gasoline.  How many of those old trucks smelled like gasoline inside the cab!!??

I'm not saying that either way is the correct way to plumb the fuel system, just that there are pro's and con's to both ways.  I would at least weld in a metal bulkhead behind the rear seat and seam seal it for safety reasons.

Doesn't NHRA require a metal bulkhead be placed between the trunk and the main  passenger compartment if running a fuel cell in the trunk?

[mopowers]

Ever been to a demolition derby? 99% of those cars run a plastic boat tank where the back seat used to be.
TopHat

Doesn't NHRA require a metal bulkhead be placed between the trunk and the main  passenger compartment if running a fuel cell in the trunk?

Yes