16 Year Olds RB25 240z

[jchoi]

That makes sense then.  Good luck.
On that note - just curious - but if you reach in to the car and push forward, backward, or sideways on your fuel cell, will it move?  The two strap system looks like it could use a bit more engineering.  And, safety-wise, the tank is inside the cabin of the car, which is generally a bad thing.  Leaks, hoses torn loose (they're exposed on the outside), and accidents can all expose everyone inside to raw gasoline.  
Sorry to pick, but it is what it is.

The fuel cell is an ATL well cell with a 12 gallon capacity. It is rated for racing so I think it will be adequate. My mom grew up with these cars and so she had some concerns about the stamp tank near the rear bumper. I am going to isolate the rear of the car with some sheet metal. Maybe like a box to cover the fuel cell. Here is the link to the fuel cell.
http://atlinc.com/saver-cell-series.html


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[Zed Head]

You avoided the question about if it moves,and ignored the issue of lines getting pulled.  I went to school with two sisters that had been in a house fire.  All you could see of their faces was lips and eyes.  The rest was covered with a protective mask.  Seriously, your installation is terrible.  Your friends and your mom might have been doing it that way for years but when the gasoline is leaking after an accident you'll wish you'd done it differently.

[Zed Head]

Besides that, if you ever plan to race it, it won't pass inspection - 9.3.26.   https://dk1xgl0d43mu1.cloudfront.net/user_files/scca/downloads/000/022/824/GCR-_Updated_July_2017.pdf?1498667032

[rturbo 930]

Honestly dude, not trying to be too harsh, but I don't think your mom has a clue about engineering or safety. Put the stock tank back in and pull that fuel cell out. I don't see that as an upgrade. Also somewhat surprised she had an issue with the fuel tank, but not the nearly completele lack of safety features.

Edited July 11, 2017 by rturbo 930

[Zed Head]

Ouch.  We do sound kind of harsh.  But, he says he's planning to be an engineer, and this is the kind of stuff engineers do.  

The fabrication and installation aren't too bad, but the engineering is poor.  Those six clamps on the strap steel will let go in a second, I'll bet you can pull them loose with your finger tips right now.  Then the strap bends will open up and the cell will rise up and is flopping around on the ends of the braided hose.  

Engineering is a state of mind.  Critical thinking.  Digging in to the fine details.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulkhead

[psdenno]

17 minutes ago, Zed Head said:

But, he says he's planning to be an engineer, and this is the kind of stuff engineers do. 

However, in many ways engineers are like pilots.  There are old pilots and there are careless pilots.  But, there are no old careless pilots.  Like most 16 year olds he's probably not going to take sound and reasonable advice from old experienced adults.  Maybe there should be a new forum on this site where teens with Zs can bounce wild ideas and schemes off of each other. 

Dennis

 

 

[jchoi]

Honestly dude, not trying to be too harsh, but I don't think your mom has a clue about engineering or safety. Put the stock tank back in and pull that fuel cell out. I don't see that as an upgrade. Also somewhat surprised she had an issue with the fuel tank, but not the nearly completele lack of safety features.

Hello rturbo 930, I see what you are saying but I'm not done with the build. There are many more things There are going to go in for the safety aspects of the car and the fuel system. It's great to get free back like this. All I know is that stamp tanks by the rear of the car caused a lot of explosions back in the 70's (correct me if I'm wrong). Here is a link to the FAQ of ATL's website and their safety standards.

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[jchoi]

You avoided the question about if it moves,and ignored the issue of lines getting pulled.  I went to school with two sisters that had been in a house fire.  All you could see of their faces was lips and eyes.  The rest was covered with a protective mask.  Seriously, your installation is terrible.  Your friends and your mom might have been doing it that way for years but when the gasoline is leaking after an accident you'll wish you'd done it differently.

Yeah sorry about that. The tank does not move with the straps currently but I'm planning on creating a cover plate to go over the tank and fill the void in the rest of the wheel well. The lines are secure and like I said I'm still building. I will be getting grommets and hose clamps for the fuel lines. I have stainless lines from the cell to the hard lines in case of movement. The cell it self has roll over protection with one way valves and is made of a rubber bladder so it doesn't crack or puncture upon impact.


This is somewhat of what I'm going to do but maybe cover more of the cell.
-Johnny

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[grannyknot]

Johnny, welcome and congrats, that's a nice solid looking car you picked up. I'm looking forward to your updates. I hope you're are going to keep and restore those wheels, they look so period, always been one of my favorites.

[rturbo 930]

8 minutes ago, jchoi said:

Hello rturbo 930, I see what you are saying but I'm not done with the build. There are many more things There are going to go in for the safety aspects of the car and the fuel system. It's great to get free back like this. All I know is that stamp tanks by the rear of the car caused a lot of explosions back in the 70's (correct me if I'm wrong). Here is a link to the FAQ of ATL's website and their safety standards.

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I've never heard of that. That was a problem for Ford Pintos, but I've never heard of that being a widespread problem. Again, if your mom is anything like mine, I would take what she says about the design of the car with a grain of salt. I've been in the Z community for over 10 years now (got mine when I was 16 too) and if that were a major issue I feel like I would have heard about it by now. Again, I would put the stock tank back in. I don't see the point of a fuel cell unless you're going racing.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a6700/top-automotive-engineering-failures-ford-pinto-fuel-tanks/

[Mark Maras]

 For what it's worth, I've been rear ended in a Z. Bad enough to wrinkle the floor in the rear. Surprisingly, or maybe not, the tank was undamaged. As I recall the biggest problem with fuel tanks back then was the location of the fill pipe. Auto makers started to put them in the center of the rear panel right around the bumper height. In a rear end accident, the fill pipe was being pushed into the tank rupturing it. AS soon as they moved the fill pipe back to the quarter panel, the vast majority of tank rupture fires stopped. BTW I like the fuel cell. Glad to hear you're going to do more work on it.

 

[Zed Head]

Now I feel bad.  Until I think back to all of the unsafe things I did at 16.  Besides that, the bling factor is strong for that tank.  Seems way early in the game to be buying and installing a fuel cell.  The path of bling is fraught with peril and expense.  You'll need Triple A, for instance.  Or friends with a Z car bolt pattern, close by.