I recently purchased a 1962 bel air 2 door sedan and am doing a mild resto mod cruiser. (I will post a build thread soon) My question is, Is it a good idea to have a feul cell and a battery in the trunk? I am an overthinker, and even with the fuel cell vented outside the trunk pan, and good, clean, tight connections on the battery, what are the chances of fumes in the trunk being ignited by an arc from a battery terminal to battery post? It seems to me like one in a million, but i don't want a fire in the car after I fuel it up with my children in the back seat. Any input is appreciated.
It's done all the time, especially on drag cars where the rules are very strict. Just keep the tank vented outside and put the battery in a separate box. They make dedicated battery boxes that have vent tubes to take the fumes outside the closed trunk, or you can use a marine plastic box and add your own vent line. If you want to get real spiffy, add a sheet metal wall between the trunk and passenger compartment, but with proper venting this is overkill to some degree. Lots of our hot rods are done this way, my own 27 has an 11 gallon aluminum tank alongside a battery, and it has been that way for years. We are putting together a Capri and a Mustang street/drag cars right now and both will have exactly what you are describing. Don
I have to weld in a new trunk pan anyhow, and I already have a nice cell in a custom made pan that would fit in the trunk real nice, the stock tank is rotted out, and I like the idea of shaving the gas filler door for a long, smooth look.
In that case it sounds like a plan. I ran a fuel cell for a couple of years with the battery and never blew anything up.........
when you get gas in the trunk while refueling that could pose a problem---done it my self on drag cars--don't like it on a driver--put in a stock tank or a fire wall ---keep that family safe...
2 things needed 1) battery disconnect switch to the positive side so you can switch the power off before you remove the wire from the terminal. 2) If you are useing a plastic type cell, you must run a ground wire/strap from the fill plate to a good chassie ground as these tanks can pull static electricity.
I have this setup on my car, and it's been there a couple years. Tank and battery box both vented outside. All plastic tanks need grounding, or the sending unit wont work, so a ground is just as needed for function and safety. I've put nearly 10k miles on the car the last two years and never spilled a drop of fuel filling it. I keep a rag in the trunk and always put it over the nozzle when moving the nozzle to or from the fill neck. You could just as easily have a spark from a tailight wire in the trunk area as a battery, so anything can happen, but it's highly unlikely.
ive got 3 cars set up like that.fuel cells in the trunk and a battery next to them.i too keep rags in the trunks. i take one old towel and put it around the fill hole and use another rag for the nozzle.never even have had one get damp from spilled gas,yet.lol been runnin these cars for yrs. and we fill up the back seats with grandkids. if it wasnt safe they wouldnt be in there.the kids not the batterys.
The Jalopy Journal
