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Replacing rubber fuel hoses in trunk

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#1
Brandon

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Anyone replaced these with steel braided hoses?

If so, sourcing of material or difficulty in ensuring proper seals/connectors between the pieces (filler tube & tank)?

 

I figure protecting them in some fashion would alleviate the requirement for not just the rear deck panels but all the extra taping or otherwise that's done to ensure it's sealed (at least on my car - I hate that damn metallic tape).

 

I thought that was the SCCA's reasoning for ensuring the trunk compartment is "completely sealed" from the cockpit unless any hose carrying fuel was protected from being punctured and potentially filling the cockpit with fuel during a crash.

 

Just thinking out loud is all.

 

TIA!

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#2
Bench Racer

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Thinking out loud and following the rules are two different things.

 

8. Safety a. An electrical master (“kill”) switch is required. See GCR Section 9.3 Master Switch. b. Installation of a fire extinguisher or fire system is required. See GCR 9.3 Fire System. c. Air bag systems shall be disarmed and may be removed. d. In any automobile where allowed removal of upholstery, seat belts, etc., creates an opening between the driver/passenger compartment and an exposed gas tank, or part thereof, including the filler tube, a metal bulkhead which completely fills such opening shall be installed. See GCR 9.3. Fuel Cell Specifications.

 

9.3.26. FUEL CELL SPECIFICATIONS All cars must be equipped with a safety fuel cell complying with these specifications, except for Touring, Spec Miata, Improved Touring, production-based Vintage cars, or as otherwise specified in the GCR. All safety fuel bladders shall be constructed and certified in accordance with the FIA FT-3 or higher (FT-3.5, FT5, etc.) or SFI 28.3 specifications. Fuel cells do not time out and have no expiration date. Alternatively, safety fuel cells shall be constructed in accordance with FIA FT-3 or higher or SFI 28.3 specifications and tested to those requirements by an independent facility as witnessed and certified by a Professional Engineer. The results of these tests shall be submitted to the Club Racing department for inclusion on a list of approved suppliers. All safety fuel cells shall consist of a foam-filled fuel bladder enclosed in a metal container at minimum. There is no restriction of fuel cell capacity or dimensions of the fuel cell, except where otherwise specified. The installation of more than one cell is permitted.

 

1. Installation Internal body panels may be modified to accommodate the installation of fuel cells as long as modifications serve no other purpose. If installation includes encroachment into the driver’s compartment, a metal bulkhead must prevent exposure of the driver to the fuel cell. The fuel cell must not be installed any closer to the ground than 6 inches, unless enclosed within the bodywork or OEM floor pan.

 

a. There must be a metal bulkhead between the driver/passenger compartment and the compartment containing the fuel cell. This includes fuel cells that are flush mounted with driver/passenger compartment panels or otherwise exposed to the driver/passenger compartment.

 

With that being said the bulkhead rule between the fuel tank/cell came well before the metallic tape many of us use today. Many Spec Miata's are illegal when they would be checked to this rule. Nope, don't need any comments about not following the rule making the car more competitive or how many fires have you seen because no bulkhead. How many remember the posted video a year or two ago of the Spec Miata cockpit instantly engulfed with fire, for a leak of some sort other than the bulkhead. When your a$$ is burned it's gong to be very painful at the very least.


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#3
Steve Scheifler

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Or you could simply address the actual question by saying that the rule is to isolate the cockpit from the fuel system which includes lines and tank (or cell). If the tank ruptures you don’t want it flooding the cockpit with fuel.
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#4
Brandon

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Both of your replies are why I was posing my question because there seems to be a generally lax interpretation of said "bulkhead" requirement from region to region.

As Steve notes, "address the actual question" with the respective rules instead of trying to circumlocute the text around whether you have a fuel cell or not.

 

If the concern is having effectively a single wall of metal between raw fuel and the passenger compartment then I think we can tidy up the rules.

Not that that's necessarily a goal of ours as competitors (to tidy up rules) but in the lines of Chesterton's Fence, coming into an area without a full grasp of the previous series of discussions can lead to some poorly thought out suggestions when trying to do something different.

 

Has anyone seen a car built with such a filler & vent pipe configuration?


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