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Help please.. Fuel Pump mounting location, using a fuel cell

8K views 34 replies 11 participants last post by  DynoTom 
#1 ·
I am in the process of installing a fuel cell in the trunk of my 65'... From the factory it had a drop in style tank... Anyways I made a floor for the trunk in place of the old fuel tank... Now the question is were should I mount the fuel pump with a cell... I was thinking of running the fuel pump in the trunk.. Thought it would be a clean install... Then I thought it may not be that safe having high pressure fuel in the trunk... What is your guys thought on this??? Here is a pic of what I wanted to do...


I could cut a cutout for the sump and run the pump under the car... But the pump I am running is huge... It is the Magnaflow Quickstar 300 w/filter... The pump is very large and placement would be tricky....



Do you guys think it would be safe to run the pump inside the trunk or not... This is a street/strip vehicle.... Mostly drivin on the street though... I am also making a firewall between the trunk and the passanger compartment also... Sorry for the dumb question... Just want to play is safe and do it right the first time....

Billy

_________________
65 Mustang fastback 347 stroker
(Next project) 90 notchback 557 stroker

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: billy on 4/15/03 8:46pm ]</font>
 
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#2 ·
I feel that you would have a real serious safety issue if you don't isolate the fuel tank and pump from the passenger/driver area of the car with adequate thickness of some sort of metal (aluminum or steel). I doubt if you would pass any kind of tech at an NHRA or IHRA track even for street classes without this barrier metal.

Safety should be your primary concern.....

just my .02
 
#4 ·
HI
I'm with juststrocken. It would be scarry
to have the fuel cell rupture or the fuel line rupture INSIDE THE CAR
I would mount cell and pump out side the car.

Tim
 
#8 ·
What I did in the 67 was to build a 1" square tube frame to mount the cell. I bought an aluminium cell with the mounting tabs on it. I sunk that in the trunk level with the bottom of the bumper. The pump attaches to the side and all lines except the return are under the car. The top of the pump intrudes into the trunk a little bit. I also used .040 aluminium to seal off the trunk area and to build a new floor around the cell. Mines just about even with the trunk lip. Passed tech, so it must be good enough. You must also vent the cell to the outside. Most use a 360 loop of hose from the tip over valve, exiting the trunk floor. Your arrangement will work fine, but the NHRA/IHRA guidelines need to be followed to the letter or tech will run you off. And be sure to ground the ring of the filler cap. My wife was freaking about the cell and the battery both being in the trunk. I explained that it's not any different from the stock items expect that the aluminium was thicker than the old tank steel skin and the aluminium had more give should I get slammed or back into the wall. I also have an impact switch from an EFI car back there (wired to the pump feed) along with the required rear power shutoff.
 
#9 ·
Dyno Tom and qtrmiler....
...
....I tend to disagree with both of you....just because idiots put them there with no isolation.......sure as heck doesn't make it safe....so...i don't understand why you two are wanting to continue promoting an unsafe situation....
....since neither of you stressed, as Kelly did, the need for them to be isolated form the driver's compartment...(and yes QM, I saw you state mildly the isolation part)...


_________________
Larry

96 Ford F350 PSD CC DRW
97 Ford Taurus
64 Fairlaine 500 rust bucket/future Tbolt clone with 514 BBF

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Just Strokin on 4/16/03 1:51am ]</font>
 
#10 ·
Yes, you have to isolate the trunk area with a metal block off plate.

This mounting method is the way all 25.1 C cars run them.

I don't think the NHRA would tech a car to run 7.50s with a unsafe fuel pump mount.

The pump that Billy runs is a huge pump that would be very hard to find a spot under the car for.
_________________
65 Falcon Sprint 500 + CID stroker 460
66 Galaxie 500-XL 428 4-speed
88 T-Bird Turbo-Coupe
95 F-350 Super-Cab DRW
Performance Legend Supercars Wisconsin

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: DynoTom on 4/16/03 2:13am ]</font>
 
#13 ·
I use to think the same way JS, But them I started looking at the ways the Pro guys mounted them and saw that 99% of them run them in the trunk area.

As long as you follow the block off plate rules I would much rather run a trunk mounted pump.....

_________________
65 Falcon Sprint 500 + CID stroker 460
66 Galaxie 500-XL 428 4-speed
88 T-Bird Turbo-Coupe
95 F-350 Super-Cab DRW
Performance Legend Supercars Wisconsin



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: DynoTom on 4/16/03 2:21am ]</font>
 
#15 ·
WHOOOOHHHH!!!!! Did not mean to start any
or
...... Just was asking for a little advise.... I too have seen many cars mounted in the trunk street and strip only... Sorry to have stired things up with this topic....

I totaly respect Qtrmiler's opinion, becouse he has built and been around the race seen for a long time... I also respect DT for his opinion also... Justastrokin I dont think they meant any harm at all....

Anyways I am still undisided on how to mount everything... And as DT stated this pump is a big azz pump and will be difficult to place somewere under the car....

Does anyone elso have some pump mount pics that are under the car????

Thnaks guys, Billy
 
#16 ·
I imagine if you walked into a race car fab shop like Bickles or Skinny Kid and said you wanted them to set up a high hp fuel system and you wanted the pump mounted under the car it would be just about the same thing as asking them build a car to be a contender in Pro 5.0 or Pro Stock with a straight axle and altered wheel base?


I think the in trunk set up makes such a nice clean install and keeps the feed lines short as possible.......just follow the rules with the correct isolation plate and you will be fine.

I'm sure under car pumps would work good too it's just that high hp pumps are so big that they would be very hard to mount under the car...............I think the pro chassis and car builders have trunk mounted pumps as the standard install point now...


P.S. I have no problem with JS, I agree with what he says that saftey is first!
 
#17 ·
why not mount it up front? MOST PRO cars mount the fuel cell up front. Mine is mounted in front of the radiator. it is NHRA and IHRA legal. Less line to run, launching helps not hurts fuel supply. i can't think of a down side to mounting your cell up front.
JS
 
#20 ·
Tom, your right, I didn't realize he had a street/strip car. My bad.
The cell I run is a 3 gallon and the pump is belt driven off the crankshaft. Hope this answers your question. I have seen a few 5 gallon cells up front. Sorry to mis-lead the guy.
 
#24 ·
LET ME EXPLAIN TO YOU A REALLY BAD EXPERIENCE I HAD or experienced with a friends 69 camaro 396 that runs mid 10 sec qtr mile times. Cruising down the road a truck in frt of us lost a cinder block. It went under the car and hit the fuel pump. Did we explode???? Nope but the pump even though it was damaged and leaking started spraying fuel all over until we turned the car off. 1spark could have ended the life of the car and maybe us. SCARY **** I TELL YOU. Mounted inside of the trunk with a fire barrier is in my opinion the safest place. A freak accident that would doubtfully happen again but then agian one has to wonder. My pump in my 70 maverick is under the hood. It is an electric puller pump. I run carb. With Fuel injection you need a pusher pump which needs to be as close if not inside the tank. Some companys offer this set up.
 
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