I decided to use the stock fuel tank, filler pipe and mounting location. It just seemed like a huge amount of work and expense for a new tank, floor alterations etc. With 2 fuel tanks to choose from I filled both with water and looked for holes. Surprisingly, both tanks were intact, NO HOLES! Using the fuel level gauge opening I then inspected them both and choose the one with the least corrosion.
A fuel injection engine requires an electric fuel pump to supply fuel to the motor. Again lots of online research and pricing for the pump. Basically there were two (2) choices. Internal, in the tank pumps and external pumps mounted inline as part of the fuel line. I finally settled on an internal tank pump. Then which brand? I looked at after market and "stock" units. The stock units were too tall and the majority of the big name aftermarket brands were as well and EXPENSIVE. I stumbled across and chose a Tanks Inc. pump. It had the necessary rated capacity, was adjustable to fit the internal height of my tank and a reasonable price. The instructions were relatively clear and easy to follow. Ok, of course I had to cut large holes in the tank to get everything into the tank, but the kit included everything necessary to fit, mount and seal it back up.
Since the top of the tank was cut for installation and access and feed and return line fittings projected through the top I did have to cut a section of the trunk floor. I dealt with this by fabricating a removable cover for access and any necessary repair. A picture is included of the access cover.
I purchased a new fuel tank fill level sending unit as well.
Internal tank corrosion was not bad but present. Back to the internet and research for solutions. I found several! After looking over various options and user comments and ratings I chose KBS Tank Sealer. It was/is basically a two(2) part system. The first part is a solution for corrosion treatment that dissolves and/or treats for surface preparation. The second part is the coating. The instructions were simple and clear. The user does have to be a little creative in sealing all the openings and parts. The tank and any related parts to be treated and coated must be rotated and moved about to insure proper cleaning, preparation and coating. That movement includes upside down. I used multiple layers of Saran wrap and numerous layers of duct tape to create the necessary seals. I had NO LEAKS during prep or coating!
The tank hanger straps were shot and were replaced with after market units supplied by Tanks Inc.. The original tank hangers had a thin rubber strip between the straps and the tank. I got a bicycle inner tube split it to width and length and used a little contact cement to secure them to the straps. Of course everything was painted or sprayed with rattle can truck bed liner for corrosion protection before reinstall. A picture follows.
Fuel injection engines require fuel filters to protect the injectors from fuel contaminant. There are choices of direct in-line or larger canister style types. Depending on type there micron particle sizes to deal with too. I purchased a large unit rated for the required fuel flow and the smallest micron size capture, pressure and mounted it the floor pan rear trunk wall. The pictures shown are not in sequence, showing some of the hard and flexible lines in place.
I also almost forgot an important little aside. When we initially started the engine we were kind of running around like chickens with out heads cut off; looking for leaks of all types and kind of surprised and elated at this momentous step forward!. YEP!! we found one! Crawling under the rear of the car we found a large puddle of gas!! After a quick shutdown, and depressurization of the system I found that I had pinched the large and floppy o-ring canister seal. Had to order a new one! There is a link to First Start-up and on CAR DOMAIN.com to see and HEAR a mufflerless Viper engine. A pic of the filter canister .follows.
Now I need fuel lines. Remember back in MO POWER that I said Chrysler personnel had told me the motor mounts were backward? I could not figure out where the fuel line went on the Viper motor. Out of pure frustration I took a shot at contacting Chrysler to ask WHERE? My son had posted a number of pictures on a car site of the build. I mentioned that he called it Project Red, White, Blue and had posted it on CARDOMAIN.com trying to get their attention. Boy did I ever! They called and emailed me! The site had several hundred hits and they emailed the mount comment. The Viper uses a hard fuel line with special fittings and standard pipe thread/AN connections. The stock line at the motor is a two (2) foot section costing over $200.! Their response was there are two (2) plug fittings one on each rail end of the manifold that are NPT plumbing/AN thread. Also surprising, the manifold is one piece unit with combined internal fuel passages and manifold. Remove the "rail" plug, remove the stock fuel line and fitting and put the plug in where the hard line connector was and your are ready for new fittings and lines.
So now I know where to bring the fuel line to. What to use? The easy way out is rubber fuel lines. Talk to enough guys and shops familiar with rubber lines and they say plain rubber lines start to break down and very quickly you can begin to smell gasoline vapors! Every one said use metal lines. They are difficult to bend, can kink or crack and run; difficult to properly flare, nut and seal. Doing this on your own requires special tools, patience and equipment: or pay someone. There is at least one other alternative however. It is somewhat pricey. Some of the new cars on the road and many drag race teams are using composite layered, braided and coated lines with standard pipe end fittings (NPT) or AN fittings. I chose this route. I used a 3/8 inch boat rope and pulled it tight from location to location and wrote down the measurements. I marked possible routes and locations for brackets. I did this three (3) times and arrived at the best route for the lines. I got the custom made lines from JDA Enterprizes /Tech AFX. .
The last bit of the system is a fuel pressure regulator. Too much pressure can damage the injectors too little can burn them. Either way engine damage could result. The Viper engine I have requires roughly 55 psi. A picture of the Mallory regulator follows.
No comments:
Post a Comment