Building Fuel Cell

admin

I have a 1/4" mile drag car I am working on and I am thinking of building my own fuel cell from aluminum.  I have a PT 225 that should do the job of welding.My question is has anyone built one before and what guage and material type would you recommend so it will last and I can pass NHRA tech?And does it have to be inspected / certified like an SFI cert for me to be able to use it?The reason I am building one is I need a flat bottom cell with two AN10 or AN12 outlets on the back and I cannot have a 2" sump drop due to my parachute mount supports.I only have enough room  for a 17" X 17" fuel cell up to 11" in height.Thanks!
Reply:Yes it has to be an SFI certified cell if it is not the stock tank. I don't know what you're do but most likely if it needs a parachute a fuel cell would be mandated. How about an under the hood 3 gallon or so fuel cell? You don't need that much fuel for a 1/4 mile car.Tough as nails and damn near as smart
Reply:I build a lot fo fuel cells for small boats and trucks. I tend to use .090 thick, 5052 aluminum and 4043 filler for the welds. These are replacement tanks, or one off storage tanks. They are not SFI certified, so they would not be accepted for NHRA or similar sanctioning bodies. I do have one in a street racer that hits the drag strip every Wed. night, it is an 8 gallon tank. He does not get the car certified, just runs the open track night for fun. If you post up where you are located, there may be someone here who can give you a shop to go to.And then, after so much work...... you have it in your hand, and you look over to your side...... and the runner has run off. Leaving you holding the prize, wondering when the runner will return.
Reply:don't forget to put baffles in it i'v seen allot of home made Al fuel cells that are just a box... and end up chocking
Reply:I understand the use of baffles, but most of the cells you buy (plastic) JAZ, RCI, from what I understand, do not have any baffles.  And with drag racing, all the fuel is pushed back during the run.
Reply:home made Plastic  fuel cells?no these were Aluminum
Reply:Holy sig size batman!Miller Syncrowave 180SDMillermatic 175
Reply:that gets annoying after a while...Fire!, Fire! Oh wait, that's my torch...Lincoln PT-225 TIGLincoln 175 MIG
Reply:yeah i don't have the program to size it down