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Fuel-Cell Mount Build - Cell MatesBuilding a safe and legal fuel-cell mount for our Mini Stock Mustang From the October, 2011 issue of Circle Track By Justin Cesler Photography by Justin Cesler
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"We've got to come in on Sunday and build that fuel-cell mount. The ATL cell is already here and Fisher needs the story soon." Agh, Crewchiefs...we haven't even raced yet and I'm getting tired of Pete Epple's demands. Anyway, what was the big deal? It's a fuel cell. Don't you just bolt it down to the floor, hook up some lines, and call it good? No. Turns out, correctly mounting a fuel cell can literally be the difference between life and death and short of dying before we actually get to race City Boy, I can't imagine a worse situation than being upside down in a Mini Stock with gallons of gasoline leaking out of an improperly mounted tank and a small fire creeping closer to the source. Granted, it may never happen, but a quality fuel-cell mount is just one of those things you want to do correctly, no matter how badly you would rather be working on the engine or suspension of your circle track project. The crown jewel of City Boy's... The crown jewel of City Boy's new fuel system—the Aero Tec Laboratories (ATL) SP112 Sports Cell. This is 12 gallons of safety and engineering at its finest, and with a cell like this, it's important to keep it safe and secure. But enough with the doom and gloom Mom stuff, let's talk about the cool part of fuel cells. For City Boy, our first call was to Aero Tec Laboratories (ATL), a company from New Jersey that has been fabricating race-legal cells for about as long as racing has been around. We chose to run a 12-gallon Sport Series cell (PN SP112), which features a molded, seamless bladder, two "duck-foot" fuel traps and filters, SF-103 foam baffling for slosh and explosion suppression, and a 5-year warranty all wrapped in a 20-gauge powdercoated steel container, which is easy to install and safe for just about any type of accident. Equally important, ATL knows a thing or two about supporting horsepower, which means that not only is the cell safe to run, but it comes with two -6AN fuel fittings, a vent tube, an easy-to-use fuel fill lid, along with the slick "duck-foot" fuel traps, which can be configured to pickup from both sides of the tank if you prefer, or run primarily on the right side, which is perfect for pickup in a circle track application. With the ATL cell delivered, it was our—OK, Pete's—responsibility to build a safe and legal cage/mount for the system and you can follow along with us on the following pages as he cuts and welds about 50 feet of 1x1 square tubing into a mount good enough to run in any project, whether you're building something as simple as a Mini Stock or as complex as a Late Model. And in just one long day in any shop, equipped with nothing more than a quality welder and a borrowed bandsaw, you can easily do the same, as long as you remember to measure twice and cut once. Or, do what we did and make sure to order enough metal to screw up a couple times and keep on rolling!  As with any fabrication project,...  As with any fabrication project, ours started off with a detailed sketch, some careful measurements and building a solid game plan before jumping into any cutting or welding.  The SP112 is 20.40x17.75x9.50...  The SP112 is 20.40x17.75x9.50 inches square and our base measurements reflect a little bit of extra room, to allow the cell to slide in and out.  This entire project uses nothing...  This entire project uses nothing more than some 1x1 square tubing we purchased from a local shop and some welding wire, making it a great weekend project that not only adds safety to your car, but keeps you legal and up to par with the rest of the racing field.  The ATL fuel cell needs to...  The ATL fuel cell needs to be mounted securely and as they always say, you're only as good as your foundation. Pete cut four bars—two at 22.40 inches and two at 17.75 inches to form the outer perimeter of the base...  …and then tacked all four...  …and then tacked all four bars to the welding table.  This ensures that nothing...  This ensures that nothing moves during the assembly process, which will lead to a solid and square assembly in the end. If you don’t have a welding table, you can check out how we made ours in next month’s issue of CT.  With the perimeter tacked...  With the perimeter tacked together, Pete moved the cell out of harm's way (OK, I was still close enough to touch it, but it was pretty far away) and began working on the lower floor bars. These will support the majority of the fuel cell's weight and Pete positioned them to take the load without issue.  Next, Pete cut an 8.50-inch...  Next, Pete cut an 8.50-inch piece of 1x1 and laid a 6-inch piece above it, forming a T. These supports will rest against the lip of the fuel cell, holding it in place laterally, as well as taking some load off the base, keeping the weight distributed across the structure.  Two T-bars get tacked in place...  Two T-bars get tacked in place on the rear wall of our fuel-cell mount. When welding, make sure you keep heat away from the tank and, even then, make sure you thoroughly inspect the cell for any damage when you are done. The entire cage is for nothing if you accidently ruin the fuel cell in the process.  With the ATL cell removed,...  With the ATL cell removed, Pete welded the T-bars permanently in place and double-checked with an angle finder to make sure they were square to the base. A little outward lean is acceptable to give the cell room to slide in, but you don't want to give it any room to move around once installed.  Two in the front, two in the...  Two in the front, two in the back.  These are, obviously, built...  These are, obviously, built to the same dimensions as the rear T-bars and serve the same function.  Starting to look like something...  Starting to look like something now! As you can see, the cell mount is coming together quickly, but it's not quite a complete piece yet. If you're planning to use the same SP112 that we're using, note that the side T-bars actually have shorter tops, to accommodate the ATL cell's side flange bolts.  With the mount cooled, Pete...  With the mount cooled, Pete flipped it upside down onto the welding table and double checked to make sure everything was still square and proper. If the mount could "rock" while on a flat surface, we would know that something was a bit wonky and could address that at this point.  Happy with the mount, we flipped...  Happy with the mount, we flipped it over and slid the ATL SP112 in place. It fit like a glove and didn't need any persuading to slide right in. Note the two 48-inch bars Pete welded to the T-bars. Those will attach to the Mustang's rear framerails and allow us to permanently weld the mount in place, for a safe and strong final result.  From a lower angle, you can...  From a lower angle, you can see how the ATL SP112 sits on both the base of the mount and on the T-bars thanks to the cell's top flange. This distributes the weight evenly and gives the ATL cell a much greater chance of surviving a wreck, as opposed to just shoddily mounting it to the floor of a car.  Of course, the fuel-cell mount...  Of course, the fuel-cell mount is no good without a top section to keep the cell in place in the event of a rollover, so we took a couple of additional measurements and ran back over to the bandsaw to make some cuts in our 1x1 tubing.  This is the top piece laid...  This is the top piece laid out, which will cover the top of the cell and bolt to the lower portion of the mount, securing everything firmly in place. Alternatively, you could use straps here, but we chose the tic-tac-toe top to be sure the cell wouldn't be able to escape in an accident.  We still need to drill holes...  We still need to drill holes in the top and secure the bolts, but this is what our fuel cell and fuel-cell mount look like complete. Obviously, we still need to mount it in the car but we'll show you that in a later issue. For now, break out your supplies and start working. A safe and legal fuel-cell mount is both fun and easy to make, without breaking the bank or sending you to the emergency room.
 | Two city boys, no racing experience, and a stock four-cylinder Mustang: We’re building a Mini Stock! |  | We tear into the Mini Stock to show you what to look for when building your first race car. Demolition is so much fun! |  | It's 'cage time as our City Boys break out the welder and begin constructing the ultimate rollcage for the ultimate Mini Stock! |  | Project City Boy gets a new seat and several more safety upgrades as the boys prepare to finish the rollcage install |  | City Boy's engine takes a trip south to get some much needed power from Race Engineering |
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