Joined: August 12, 2012, 6:38 pm Posts: 1937 Location: worcester county, Massachsetts
rx7locost wrote:
Quote:
Sorry about the huge pictures guys. I've been meaning to go back through and scale them down and host them differently since I notice a lot of them are broken. Hopefully I'll get around to that this week and also include a massive update.
Reduce them and upload them here. That is the preferred method. That way, 2-4 years from now, when someone wants to see what your work, the pics will be here.
When I was fitting the seat belts and anchor points I found that the pass through holes on my seats were quite far forward. This made it pretty uncomfortable as it kind of forced the seat belt over the tops of your legs instead of over your hips. From pictures it looks like the new version of my Corbeau seat may have addressed this already but alas I needed to modify mine. I pealed the covers and foam off of the frames with relative ease but I could not get the pass through grommets out (I think they've been glued in).
Attachment:
DSC_0164 (2).jpg
Attachment:
DSC_0168.jpg
To reuse the grommets I had to cut the plates off of the frame, trim them around the grommets and weld them into the new plates with the holes relocated farther back.
Attachment:
DSC_0169 (2).jpg
Attachment:
DSC_0170.jpg
Since I didn't want gaping holes in the upholstery from the previous holes, they were showing signs of wear, and I wanted something easier to clean I decided to make new vinyl covers for them. I un-stitched each panel and used them as templates for the new ones. The old fabric had a bit of foam padding in it that I wanted to maintain so when I sewed the covers back together I threw the old stuff in too as a built in liner.
Attachment:
DSC_0171.jpg
Attachment:
DSC_0172.jpg
There's a few wrinkles but overall I think they look pretty good, and the pull from the seat belt is much better.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
The fuel cell is buttoned up and finished now. Originally I made a fuel tank of my own design but I was not very happy with its capacity or build quality when finished, so I decided to buy an aluminum RCI cell. The downside is that in my own tank I had baffles where the RCI cell has nothing. Its pickup is just a straight .5" OD tube that goes down to the bottom with no strainer, or baffles, or anything. I'm not too concerned about the weight shift of the fuel due to the size and capacity of the tank, but I was concerned about fuel starvation in corners. I also wanted to come up with a solution that avoided cutting the tank, so whatever I made had to be assembled inside or fit through the existing hole. This is what I came up with:
Attachment:
DSC_0235.jpg
Attachment:
DSC_0236.jpg
Attachment:
DSC_0237 (2).jpg
It's a multi-point pickup system using these nifty Walbro pickups that were originally designed for snow mobiles. The beauty of them is that they close when they are no longer submerged in fuel, so as long as at least one pickup is submerged I shouldn't have any fuel starvation. The submersible rated fuel hose was a pain to get, and expensive, but I won't have to worry about the system degrading over time.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
I think it will still degrade over time, especially if you use fuel with ANY ethanol. The DAYCO fuel hose has an extruded PTFE liner and flourosilicone inner tube to meet fuel resistance and vapor emissions standards.
You'd be better served to buy a length of Teflon tube for inside the tank.
My opinion, your mileage may vary, yada, yada, yada
_________________ Too much week, not enough weekend.
...so I'm wondering, where'd you get your submersible fuel hose, and how expensive was it?
I got my local parts store to order it but it had to come from across the country. It's gates submersible hose and comes 1 foot lengths of either 5/16" or 3/8" ID. The 3/8" retailed for around $40/foot but I still get employee pricing so I paid $17/foot.
From the gates website: "The Gates Submersible Fuel Line Hose exceeds the SAE 30R10 rating and is capable of handling gasoline, alcohol-extended gasoline or diesel fuel in fully immersed, mobile, stationary and marine applications."
...so I'm wondering, where'd you get your submersible fuel hose, and how expensive was it?
I got my local parts store to order it but it had to come from across the country. It's gates submersible hose and comes 1 foot lengths of either 5/16" or 3/8" ID. The 3/8" retailed for around $40/foot but I still get employee pricing so I paid $17/foot.
From the gates website: "The Gates Submersible Fuel Line Hose exceeds the SAE 30R10 rating and is capable of handling gasoline, alcohol-extended gasoline or diesel fuel in fully immersed, mobile, stationary and marine applications."
Good deal. Our 30R10 isn't suitable for immersion.
_________________ Too much week, not enough weekend.
Joined: June 11, 2008, 1:31 pm Posts: 432 Location: Denver,CO
I have the same tank and have been thinking about doing this same mod to prevent fuel starvation. Is the brass fitting a compression fitting? What size fitting do I need to make this work? Did you cut the pickup so you could put the fitting on?
Joined: November 9, 2007, 3:40 pm Posts: 4075 Location: Pittsburgh, PA
I thought all 30R10 was submersible and the very common 30R9 that was the issue? The 30R9 I submerged in my tank melted after a few months and the 30R10 has been going strong for years.
I thought all 30R10 was submersible and the very common 30R9 that was the issue? The 30R9 I submerged in my tank melted after a few months and the 30R10 has been going strong for years.
I have the same tank and have been thinking about doing this same mod to prevent fuel starvation. Is the brass fitting a compression fitting? What size fitting do I need to make this work? Did you cut the pickup so you could put the fitting on? Evo
Yup, it's a 1/2" brass compression fitting to a 3/8" hose barb. I used one of those mini pipe cutters to trim the pickup tube.
I managed to get the sheet metal for the floor, front fire wall, rear firewall, and tunnel sides tacked in place. I went with 18 gauge everywhere but I ended up with some tin canning on the floor. It's not fully welded yet so we'll see how that changes it. I may have to try some shrinking techniques or just add in some extra bracing. I also made my own remote gas filler out of a beat up motorcycle tank and a used gas flap from ebay. Total cost was only $50.
Attachment:
DSC_0190.jpg
The top rad mount, headlight mounts, side mirror mounts, as well as front and rear spoiler mounts are also finished.
Attachment:
DSC_0189.jpg
Attachment:
DSC_0191.jpg
Attachment:
DSC_0192.jpg
Attachment:
DSC_0194.jpg
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
All of the lights and electrical components are mounted and the wiring is finished! I used the prelude wiring harness and extended or shortened segments as necessary, and eliminated unneeded circuits (ABS, HVAC, power mirrors, power locks, power windows, sunroof, stereo, airbags, heated seats, defrost, ect.). It took forever to tease out all the wires I didn't need but it feels very good now that i'm done.
I only ran in to a few problems when I powered it all up. The first was the turn signal flashers. The Prelude used a weird turn signal/hazard flasher unit that is essentially a flasher for each side and then combines them for hazards. Since I'm using LED lights the flash rate was going crazy so I took the flasher unit apart and wired in two electronic flashers in their place. That solved the flash rate issue, but even though the flash rate is controlled electronically, it is not identical between flashers. This caused the hazard lights to go in and out of synchronization. To Fix that I just wired in another electronic flasher dedicated to the hazards.
The second problem came from the fact that I'm using the Miata steering column and turn signal stalk. The Prelude has an extra contact on the high beam flash that triggers the headlight relay that the Miata does not. This caused the flash to pass to only work when the headlights were on. Two diodes and a jumper wire later and I was in business.
Attachment:
DSC_0228.jpg
Attachment:
DSC_0250.jpg
Attachment:
DSC_0252.jpg
I also got the dash powered up and just when I thought the fuel tank was done, I was wrong. The fuel gauge range is correct, but the direction was wrong. I took the sender out of the tank in the hopes of swapping the wires but it didn't look like it was made to come apart very easily so instead i made a new float arm that goes backwards.
Attachment:
DSC_0243.jpg
Attachment:
DSC_0248.jpg
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 19 guests
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot post attachments in this forum
Login
Register
FAQ
Members
