What holds the fuel tank in place?

[Clyde's Keeper]

In the process of installing the ffr fuel tank and don't see where it gets attached to the chassis. Am I missing something or is there something coming later on in the clearly explained build manuel, does the firewall hold it in place?

Thanks, Robert.

[RDRP]

The rear firewall has the same shape on the lower portion of the fuel tank and is used to hold the tank in place. If your tank fits anything like mine did, it may stay in place without the firewall. It was pretty tight on the ends.

[Hindsight]

RDRP is correct. I didn't like that design and welded some ears to the tank so I could bolt it to the frame.

[SixStar]

Did FFR do away with the two tabs in the front of the tank?

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Mine has double sided foam tape all around as well as the two tabs with bolts in the front, (hard to see in the picture)

[RM1SepEx]

The original tank has 4 tabs and bolts in on the front lower edge and the rear against the frame uprights/rear firewall

[phil1734]

Most fuel cell manufacturers will discourage bolting directly to the frame of a vehicle. They need to be isolated from chassis flex and vibration or they run the risk of cracking.

[UnhipPopano]

While this thread is addressing fuel tanks and not fuel cells, I doubt that the older style of fuel tanks are at risk of stress failure because they were bolted in. On the other hand if someone was to apply tabs out by the doors to hold down the tank, I would expect soothing to fail over time. To me the way the fiberglass body is attached presents a far greater stress problem than the fuel tank.

[RDRP]

The front side of the fuel tank has an angle that matches the angle on the rear firewall. It looks much different than the fuel tank pictured above. There is two strips of of 1/2 moon weatherstrip that sandwich between the fuel tank and heavy aluminum firewall. It is very secure once assembled.

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[phil1734]

While this thread is addressing fuel tanks and not fuel cells, I doubt that the older style of fuel tanks are at risk of stress failure because they were bolted in. On the other hand if someone was to apply tabs out by the doors to hold down the tank, I would expect soothing to fail over time. To me the way the fiberglass body is attached presents a far greater stress problem than the fuel tank.

Fuel tank and cell are synonymous, the same way that hub/spindle and upright/knuckle are. One is more of a "racer's" term while the other is more the colloquial.

The addition or subtraction of a bladder, foam, and SFI rating does not make one the other.

[UnhipPopano]

While some standards organizations have similar values to use for maximum stress and testing, Fuel Tanks and Fuel Cells are not similar. Fuel Cells need to be designed and built to a much higher standard.

[phil1734]

Google it. Or head to Summit, Jegs, Boyd, etc. and tell me what the difference is.

It's even used interchangeably on ATL's homepage lol.

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[Clyde's Keeper]

Thanks, as usual all good information and food for thought.

[Mechie3]

From a laymans and marketing perspective, they are interchangeable. From a technical perspective, a tank is anything that holds fuel while a fuel cell is typically rated to FIA (or other) standards which includes a flexible bladder and specific connections to prevent fuel spill in an accident.

[turbomacncheese]

If I learned anything in math, it's that definitions MATTER!!!

[phil1734]

From a laymans and marketing perspective, they are interchangeable. From a technical perspective, a tank is anything that holds fuel while a fuel cell is typically rated to FIA (or other) standards which includes a flexible bladder and specific connections to prevent fuel spill in an accident.

This proves my point exactly. Regardless of what anyone imagines when they hear the words "fuel cell," most are typically NOT rated for anything. They are no different than the FFR or Boyd tanks, and there are absolutely NO minimum requirement for something to be called a "fuel cell."

This: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/pyr-pe132a/overview/ is a fuel cell as UnhipPopano and most people picture. You will notice that it quite specifically says that it is FIA approved, and as such it costs slightly more than other un-rated options. If it doesn't say FIA/SFI approved, it's just a "tank."

Can we be done with this now?