Fuel cells

[Shaggy]

I'm going to put a fuel cell in my truck so I can get rid of the saddle tanks. I'd like some opinions on how big of one to get. I figure 15-16 gallons will be plenty, it should help prevent fuel starvation from having a giant tank with a big flat bottom, and I'll just buy one of the Jaz 15 gallon fuel jugs so I'll have 30+ gallons of fuel available. That's more than I have now and I can always get a second jug if I find I need more fuel on hand.

I was thinking about installing two pickups in the cell. I already have dual tanks so I have the switch, so would be real easy to do. The reason is to avoid losing fuel flow when the truck is in wierd off-camber situations. I thought that if I route one pickup to the front left corner and another to the right rear corner, I should be able to get fuel all the time unless I'm running real low. If it starts starving I'll just hit the switch and move to the other pickup. Is this a dumb idea? Originally I wanted to make a "clunk tank" with a weighted pickup that will move to the lowest point, but nobody offers a clunk pickup. I could make one myself but it's hard to find very flexible fuel resistant tubing that would work very well, it's all relatively stiff so it wouldn't move around to the lowest point all that well.

This is one tank I'm thinking of now. It will fit under the bed of the truck with just the filler sticking through the bed; so the COG will stay low, and the lowest part of the tank will stay above the lowest point of the framerails.

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&Ntt=2172a&N=0&part=RCI%2D2172A&autoview=sku&Ntk=KeywordSearch

The other one I'm looking at is a 20 gallon that will fit under the bed and hang below the framerails a couple of inches, it would need an access door cut into the bed floor to access the filler.


Thoughts, suggestions?

 

[1-ton]

You could get a fuel tank simular to this. Aero Tanks http://www.aerotanks.com/ is the company that makes the one pictured. These type of fuel tanks bolt into the bed of a pick-up truck (right behind the cab). This company makes a 50-Gallon aluminized fuel tank, which bolts into the bed, for $420.

 

[Shaggy]

I'd prefer to keep the tank low to keep the COG down, plus $420 is a bit pricey...

I hate websites that don't list prices.

 

[1-ton]

I hate websites that don't list prices.

Me too. I had to get a catalouge from them (which took 2 months to arrive), in order to find out what the prices where on their fuel tanks, but they are the only company on the West Coast I could find that made the type of fuel tank I was looking for.

 

[ntsqd]

Overton's (overton.com) carries a line of blow-molded fuel tanks (like the body of the JAZ & similar fuel cells). Lots of variety in shape and capacity.

Unless they've put baffling in the tank, tall and narrow is going to work way better than shallow, wide, and flat.

Why not just use an accumulator instead? Early Broncos lack good baffling in their tanks. When they are converted to EFI they tend to starve for fuel when leaned over. The linked accumulator is one approach that solves the problem. Don't need EFI to be able to use one, but you will need two fuel pumps. One to supply the accumulator and another to feed the engine from the accumulator.