Fuel fillers - twin Jag Fillers

I've always liked the look of twin Jaguar fillers so I decided to use them, especially as I now had a need for two fillers. These shots jump ahead to show the finished job.

I started by cutting two jag filler panels out of a rusty jag for a case of Melbourne Bitter ($40). This gives you the nicely shaped recess with drain holes to suit the fillers. I cut a hole, trimmed the recess to fit and then reshaped the panel and recess until they matched each other. This was then welded in place with a series of tacks after which I ground them flush and welded it all up.

 

The finished filler hole.

 

Unleaded Jag Fillers??

In pic 2, you can see the two different types of fillers, the shinier / fatter one is an unleaded filler which I didn't know existed until I came across one. I wanted to set up the passengers side with this one and the drivers side with a standard leaded one to take the lpg filler.

You can see the second difference between these fillers, the unleaded one has a higher top as can be seen comparing it to the leaded cap in the same hole, causing it to sit out of the hole more. To overcome this, I separated the two halves of the panel piece before welding it back together to drop the bottom piece down 10 mm so that both sides end up with fillers that appeared level.

The base of the unleaded filler is also a bit different. Interestingly enough, the holes in the panels are the same size, but they have added a hole on the window side for a vapour line back to the tank.

The finished filler.

A Jerry Can Tank?

I needed a petrol tank that fitted in the guard and initially thought of a mini or jag one. The mini ones are too wide, the jags come close but need chopping. Having read many horror stories of fuel tank explosions even after the tank was washed many times, I tried a jerry can I had nearby and found it fitted well. So I bought a new one so the it wouldn't go bang when welding! I still played it safe, washing it out with hot soapy water and filling it with inert gas for the first bit of welding as it had been sprayed inside with a very smelly thinners based paint. I left it out for a few days to air and dry out in the sun.

I fitted a fuel sender from an '88 corolla tank I had lying around. I first washed it out with hot soapy water, and then quarter filled it with water. I predrilled a couple of holes with a battery drill (to avoid electrocution and sparks) and then carefully cut the support ring out of the old tank with an airsaw to reduce sparks. You could use the inert gas from your mig or tig if you wanted to be extra sure. The last tank I had someone weld (in my V6 Fj) was welded by Baxter Engineering - they wash the tank out, then steam it for a couple of hours and only weld it while it's still warm (with an inert gas inside for extra safety),

As mentioned, I had set-up the passengers side for unleaded, thinking I could just attach my lovely right angle silicone turbo hose as shown in the next pic - silly me! Too easy!This is what I was going to do, then I had a horrible thought - 'wonder if the hose is fuel safe?' Checked the net, no info; so I cut a small piece and submerged it in fuel in a bottle. Two hours later I had my answer as it had swelled 50%! So back to the drawing board!

In the meantime, I added a section to the bottom to use as a surge tank to keep the pickup immersed at all times. I was originally going to drill holes, but then decided to slot the tank joint as that would create a natural lip to catch sediment and keep it in the top tank (maybe).

I fitted two fuel pickups clear of the bottom (again to get away from sediment) in case I needed more fuel for the turbo's later. The second one shouldn't be needed as this fuel system just allows for warm up and starting.

The surge tank tacked to the bottom and welded.

Breather and vapour lines, not sure how many I needed so added a couple extra before any fuel was added. Then came the pressure testing - forgot this with the FJ, had to get them to re weld it. If you just add liquid to test for leaks, you are not allowing for the pressure that builds up in the tank with fuel vapour, heat etc. I tested it at 20psi and found a couple of leaks by spraying soapy water all over it - check the close up of the bubbles in pic 2. Test and retest until you are sure there are no leaks!

This gives a shot of how I pressure tested it all.

The final Unleaded Filler

After finding that silicone turbo hose fittings are not fuel proof and not being able to find a right angle hose that was 62mm ID at one end and 52mm ID at the other end, I changed the design.

I took the standard EH filler, cut the top off and grafted an unleaded filler to it (from the '88 corolla again). You can see the unleaded restrictor and breathers to allow air to flow out of the tank as you fill it.

Tank in place, still locating brackets to be made.

Unleaded / EH filler fitted. Jag filler base chopped up to allow clearance and the roughly finished filler.

Sept 08 - Intercooler & Radiator

I've got my new custom radiator fitted in, cost a lot, but I'm not interested in driving a car that has any chance of overheating. Most EH V8's that I know overheat, so imagine what they'd be like when you add two turbo's and double their output! I fitted up the biggest, meanest 16 inch Spal from a supplier in the US - using the wonders of ebay - $100 less than buying local. This was on the advice of Jake at Jakes Turbo's in Canberra. He's a fellow who can get 1061 rwhp out of a yellow Torana with a carby and Turbo. He said that a lot of the 16in fans around are not pulling half the air they quote on the box, even some well known Aussie brands. There is one a Spal fan that is more powerful, however it's rated for race use only as it's not waterproof.

If you want to make a tough turbo with fuel injection or the old bucket of petrol with holes (carby), go see Jake! He has a lot of tough cars on the road with his name on them!

You can see the infill panels to seal around the radiator and force all the air through it. Obviously the intercooler will pose a bit of a restriction but I'm hoping by leaving it angled forward, a fair bit of air will flow around the sides as well.

The design of the intercooler allows the turbo from one side to boost the opposite side. A bit different, but I felt it was the best way to have an unrestricted air flow across the motor.

I'll let the pics speak from themselves.

VL Turbo diff - shortened 50mm.

You can see how well the wheels are centred now that I took 50mm of one end of the diff thanks to Craig at Southern Diffs in Phillip. He fitted an axle from a 12 bolt V8 VK with 28 splines, just happens to be about 50mm shorter, bring the track back to 10mm over standard - spot on for me!

Remember, you can't change the track by fitting wider or narrower rims, only by fitting rims with a different offset or changing the diff length. In my case, removing 50mm from one end worked a treat as when I relocated the spring perches across one inch (25mm) it centred the wheels perfectly in the wheel wells and the diff in the tunnel.