other Fuel Cell

[mrwonderwood]

Looking to put a fuel cell into my 75 02 (non Tii) gas tank dented and bad sealing just an overall mess also the frame for the tank was repaired by previous owner supposedly was also looking to put a fuel cell in. just want some advice in whats the best way to go about this and what ill need to do. and also whats the best fuel cell any suggestions would be a great help.

[rapandi]

Hey Mate,

 

I have never done this conversion myself. However there seems to be some info available through the search function. 

 

 

 There is probably more out there but I haven't dug very deep. Hope this gets you started. May be someone with more experience can chime in...

 

Raj

[FB73tii]

"Best" depends on your application and budget. I have a nice 12-gallon ATL Sports Cell in one car, but their prices have really gone up (now over $800). For the other car I just did a 12-gallon Summit Racing "Pro Sports" cell for $200. Here's a few things to consider:

• Fit within existing fuel tank area or not
• Metal container or not (I recommend yes)
• Wiring for electric fuel pump
• Fuel pump cutoff relay (trigger off oil pressure)
• Baffled pick up reservoir or not (ATL "Black Box")
• Fabrication of mounting system (e.g., welding)
• Fabricate tube and gas cap mount unless you are going to fill by opening the trunk lid
• Fuel level sender or not
• Return lines or not
• Vent line plumbing
• Ground wire from filler neck to chassis (static electricity bad!)
• Replace the foam every 5 years, or when it shows degradation
• Drain cell of fuel and fill with water before disassembling

Edited June 16, 2016 by FB73tii

[TobyB]

Quote

• Drain cell of fuel and fill with water before disassembling

Huh?  never heard of this before, Fred.

 

If your trunk's a mess, it's not too hard to make a nice cage that protects the cell, supports the rear of the car

(the fenders on a 2002 are structural, which after 40 years, is often a weak spot)

and can even add a tiny bit of stiffness and certainly a bit of rear impact... mitigation?

 

1" square tube tied into the rear fenderwells and triangulated up does a nice job.  Mine's in storage at a friend's,

but that's how it's done.

 

And all of Fred's bullet points (except maybe the last one, which is news to me) are valid- a fuel cell's a bit more complicated than a tank.

 

t

 

[FB73tii]

Toby,

 

The ATL DS 525 Black Box Kit instructions state:

“Carefully remove safety foam baffling. NOTE! before removal, flush cell with water to prevent a possible flash fire due to static electric charges. Let foam dry.”

 

You can see it here
http://atlinc.com/download.php?file=pdfs/Bulletins/DS525_BlackBoxKit.pdf

 

Of course I remove the fuel pump from the cell before filling with water.

Perhaps this is an over-abundance of caution, but I do it anyway.

[TobyB]

Ah.  Interesting.  I've never done that.  I've never exploded in a ball of flame, either, but

it's not very dry around here (low static) AND I always do the foam change at the beginning

of a season, after letting the cell dry for a loooooonnnnnnggggg time with the caps off.

 

I would worry about the water not drying completely.  But again, we live in a subtropical climate 8 months of the year.

 

t

not yet consumed by flames.

[gracer]

Another thing to add to the list.  Make sure the fill cap plate is grounded.  I have had static electricity start a fire in the fuel cell while refilling.  That can get very exciting!  G

 

[Doug Riparetti]

20-gallon fuel cell with factory sender unit installed