The fuel cell has been one of the vital steps in the development of safer race cars. While a normal fuel tank is just a metal box full of gas, a cell consists of an impact-resistant rubberized bladder filled with explosion-suppressant foam baffling. In place of the normal filler neck, it has a leak-tight neck and a vent with a one-way valve to prevent spillage if the car is overturned. There are many types and quality levels of cells, but racing organizations usually require higher-quality units with metal containers to prevent impact damage. If your kit doesn't have a cell, you may want to install one for the safety of you and your car. For my Devin SS project car, I chose an ATL Sports Cell that is legal for all vintage-racing groups. This is a very high-quality 15-gallon cell with dual fuel pickups and a 20-gauge steel case. Let's see how it was installed at Minette Enterprises.
With the ATL cell installed,...
With the ATL cell installed, note how the top edge of the cell rests on the brackets and is bolted in place with the existing hardware. It should be securely mounted and as protected from damage as possible. Now that Minette has the cell installed, it's back to my shop for the rest of the plumbing.
In many old kits, there are...
In many old kits, there are already fuel tank brackets you can use to install your new cell. But if your cell is a different size or capacity from the old tank, it will require more work. On the Devin, master fabricator Mike Minette had to make a structure to hold the cell in place behind the rear suspension. Note the angle iron brackets (arrows) that have been welded to the frame. The brackets have been drilled to match the bolt spacing on the top of the cell, and the nuts have been brazed onto the bottom of the brackets to ease assembly. The long bracket at the rear of the frame has been welded to the rear bumper brackets. The bottom of the cell will sit on the L-shaped brackets.
Here are the parts that complete...
Here are the parts that complete the fuel system: aluminum fuel line, a tube beading tool, 2 feet of Aeroquip Blue textile fuel line, screw clamps, a carburetor fuel fitting, and adapters to match the cell to the fuel system. You can use steel or aluminum fuel line, but not copper, as it will crack.
The back of the beading tool...
The back of the beading tool is tightened down to force the tiny balls out into the aluminum.
We used a flare nut wrench...
We used a flare nut wrench to tighten down this adapter to the outlet on the fuel cell. This wrench spreads out the load on the fitting to allow more accurate tightening. The ATL cell comes with a -8 (1/2-inch) AN outlet fitting, and we needed this adapter to come down to a -6 (3/8-inch) fitting.
The cell is also fitted with...
The cell is also fitted with a vent. The ATL vent has a built-in check valve that prevents fuel from running out if inverted. If your cell doesn't have this valve, you will need to add one that fits inside the vent hose. The vent fitting on the ATL cell is a -6 size, so we added a -6 to a barbed fuel line fitting so we could add a -6 vent hose.
Rotate the tool to form a...
Rotate the tool to form a bead around the circumference of the tube.
You could plumb your system...
You could plumb your system with all AN fittings (aero fittings popular on racing cars), but that would look too modern for our resto-racer. We chose to go with high-quality hose and conventional fittings. Since we're using a relatively mild engine (360-horse 283 Chevy), we can get away with a 3/8-inch fuel line. Monster motors should use 1/2-inch line. To attach the aluminum line to the rubber hose, it must be beaded to prevent the hoses from pulling off. Here, an Earl's Performance 3/8-inch beading tool is slipped in the end of the tubing.
Here is the completed bea...
Here is the completed bead.
Here is the fuel outlet with...
Here is the fuel outlet with a -8 to -6 step-down adapter and a 90-degree -6 to barbed fuel line fitting installed. The Aeroquip hose does not require clamps when installed on the special barbed fitting, but we put one on anyway, just for insurance. On the tube, we used double clamps (if one is good, two are better).