Fuel Cell How-to:
  1. I got the fuel cell from Summit Racing, I included the link below. Summit Fuel Cell
 
  2. Yes, they are the inlets/outlets. I am sure you can mount them facing forward but if you plan on any stoplight duty or 1/4 mile blast down the strip it would be a bad Idea since the fuel would be forced away from the inlets/oultets during acceleration.
 
  3. My filler neck will be thru the bed floor.
 
  4. I only needed to fab one bracket for the front support, it is an aluminum c-channel painted satin black (to match the chassis).
 
 
  I decided I did not want to run the saddle tank gas tank that was mounted on the outside right frame rails, but instead I wanted to put a fuel cell in the rear frame rails under the bed floor. I have seen people put in suburban/blazer gas tanks back there, and while there is nothing wrong with this I liked the looks and simplicity of the cell more. After some careful measuring I determined a 16 gallon unit (same size as my stock tank) from Summit Racing would fit perfectly. This is a foam filled cell (to prevent fuel slosh) that has a GM sending unit already installed. The cell will be mounted to the top of the rear frame support and to the top of the frame just behind the differential with a custom made bracket. Because the frame kicks up above the axle I will need to design a bracket that drops down, that way the cell will sit level with the bed/frame once finished. The difference from the rear of the frame to where the new bracket was going to sit was 1 ¾”. I went to Discount Steel and Aluminum and purchased an aluminum C-channel that measured 32” long and 1 ½” x 1 ½”, I then purchased a flat piece of aluminum that was also 32” long and 1 ½” wide by ¼” thick. Once home I put them together in a vice, drilled two holes (one on each end) and bolted them together, this giving me the desired 1 ¾” drop bracket. Once two pieces were now one, I drilled the remaining holes for the straps, sanded the bracket, and primed and painted it the same color as the frame. Once the paint had dried I centered and clamped the bracket to the frame and drilled two holes through each end and bolted the bracket to frame. Now it was time to install the cell, or so I thought. The problem I encountered was that the bracket for the rear brake line was in the way, the cell with its brackets installed would not clear it. To remedy this I shortened the ends on one side of the brackets (the ones that bolt to the rear frame support) by one inch, by doing this it moved the cell back the same distance and now it fits like a glove with about ¼” clearance between the cell and the brake line/bracket. If you have any questions email me at Jeff Dodge