jclayc

iTrader: (8)

I'm 90% of the way finished with my fuel swirl pot install. Here's the progress:

I got tired of sucking air on big corners at the track, so I decided to integrate a fuel swirl pot. There was nowhere to put it in the back of the car, particularly without re-running AN lines and building a firewall between the passenger cabin and the trunk. So... I moved the battery to the trunk and put the swirl pot in place of it under the hood. I also figured that, while I'm doing the battery, I might as well install a disconnect switch.

The battery "box" I have may be replaced with a true NHRA one just because. It is bolted to the frame using two 110mm 3/8" bolts (there were some existing holes in the frame that I passed the bolts through). There was also a threaded hole in the frame just above the exhaust that I cleaned of paint and bolted the main ground from the battery to.






Here's the swirl pot in place of the battery, mounted to a piece of 7075-T6 aluminum sheet with a bit of rubber between the fuel pot and the sheet. The sheet is, in turn, bolted to the body using existing battery hold down bolt holes. The swirl pot is this one from Radium with a Walboro 255 inside. Yes, I still have some work to do to secure/separate the -6AN lines a bit better.




Finally, here's the wiring diagram. I'm still testing but this allows me to kill the battery, still gives me strong starts and (I think) the alt is charging the battery as it should. I used welding cable for all wiring.

It's tight under the car with the main hot, the ground to the battery and the -6AN return line running under there. I've still got some cleaning up to do. The ground from the battery is somewhat redundant but I figured why not.



Oh, and I used this as an opportunity to go ahead and remove my AC compressor, bracket and condensor. I hadn't charged it since I (accidentally) discharged it last winter so I figured why not.

itsslow98

iTrader: (18)

Nice engineering, im just wondering why you didnt choose a more discreet place to put the kill switch like back by the license plate. I have never seen one in a quarter panel before.

jclayc

iTrader: (8)

I really didn't care about discreet - just wanted a location close to the battery and that only had one layer of sheet metal to deal with.

Maybe I'd see it if I were looking at the car but seems like the switch by the license plate would require a few feet more of wire. I do think it would be a good idea to have a 2nd kill switch wired in serial up in the driver's compartment within reach.

Naf

iTrader: (1)

You have a track car and still run those heavy batts...why?

Braille ml30c will start the car everytime and it only weighs 9lb...thats 35lb lighter than stock...

I agree the locations are all odd . I houkd have mounted the battery where you have the kill switch and have the kill switch mounted else where

UnsafeAtAnySpd

Interesting. I too would think the license plate area would be a better placement for the cutoff. It would be more obvious to any track workers coming up behind the car and generally more accessible.

Thanks for posting up though. I'd like to move mine back there as well to free up the space up front and change weight distribution.

jclayc

iTrader: (8)

Wowza, the Braille ml30c is $2,000 What's the saying, that 10lbs lost = 1 hp gained. So $2k for 3.5hp? Nah.

I'll look at moving the switch to the license plate area - could either do it while/when I'm looking at putting a 2nd switch in reach of the driver's seat or just go with 1 switch near the driver's seat *L* I needed a dent out of that quarter panel anyway.

NIKDSC5

iTrader: (10)

HOLY chit mang! 2g's for a battery!!!???

AAIIIC

iTrader: (19)

At what point have you found you get fuel starvation issues (prior to the swirl pot install)? I've had the car die on track twice after long right-handers, and each time stepped back my "Fuel Used" limit so I know when I need to call it quits to avoid the fuel starvation. About 9.5 - 10 gal on the "Fuel Used" display is my limit now.

Have you upgraded the stock fuel pump in the tank? Does one need to do so to use a swirl pot like this?

As for the kill switch, I've never installed one, and haven't paid much attention to where folks typically put them on various vehicles. I know in Fox Mustang-land it's common to put them by the license plate (or space the plate out and hide it behind the plate). But on those cars the license plate is on the body (not on the trunk lid or hatch); it would seem to me that having the switch on the V's trunk lid would add quite a bit of undesirable wiring since it would all have to be routed to allow for the trunk to open and close.

jclayc

iTrader: (8)

If I start a 20-30 minute session with a full tank, I'm sucking air by the end of the session on long right handers - I'd say I'm 4 gal down. I haven't done the fuel used thing.

Yes, I've got a walboro 255 in the tank already. I don't think you need to upgrade the stock pump to use a swirl pot but having a swirl pot (aka fuel surge tank) does mean adding a 2nd pump inside or after the surge tank. That's why I liked the Radium design - it (optionally) comes w/ the 2nd pump inside it. Radium also makes a swirl pot with integrated, returnless FPR that's pretty cool but I already have a return-based system set up which I think is better than a dead end system.

There are other manufacturers that looked like good stuff too - spotted a square one for Subarus that looked easier to mount for a bit more money...

isis

iTrader: (1)

I dig your wiring diagram. Unconventional but really easy on the eyes and easy to understand.

Rock44

iTrader: (1)

Just curious, why not run the racetronix hotwire leads after the relay directly to the switch in the trunk, rather than up to the alternator?

jclayc

iTrader: (8)

Thanks - I noticed that there have been a lot of people in the past asking for recommendations on how to wire a battery to the trunk. I'm no wiring expert, for sure, so this is more "how I did it" rather than "best way to do it".

Yeah, I'm thinking about that. If all else, just to reduce the wires under the car. What made me keep it to the alternator initially is just the fact that the hotwire installation instructions say to connect it to the alternator.

(BTW, I've got the swirl pot switched hot running to the same switched hot wire on the main fuel pump's relay so they're activated on the same circuit.)

jcollege

iTrader: (2)

Nice looking setup, I know I dont know half of what most of the members do here, but what does a swirl pot accomplish?

jclayc

iTrader: (8)

when you're taking sweeping corners at high speeds, gas pulls away from the fuel pickup inside the fuel tank, you suck air & the engine dies. Some people run fuel cells with little "gates" around the pickup to keep gas from moving away from the pickup but, if you don't want to run a cell, you can put one of these swirl pots between the main tank and the fuel rails. The main tank feeds the swirl pot and the swirl pot pumps gas to the fuel rails. The swirl pot is like a very small fuel tank with its own pump - the chances of fuel moving away from the pickup inside the swirl pot and the engine sucking air is much reduced.

Additionally, I believe this will allow me to run much less gas in the main tank, reducing weight.

jcollege

iTrader: (2)

Cool, learned something new today!

Junior-1

iTrader: (1)

Very nice. Let me know how it works out. Btw, got an email recently that Holley's Hydra Mat is set to come out with a few different shapes and sizes.

jclayc

iTrader: (8)

I updated the original post above to show:
The 8ga wire from the alternator back to the switch/battery just wasn't enough; I was only getting like 12.6V back to the battery. I upgraded it to 2ga and now I'm getting 14.0V.

I replaced the picture of the switch to show the new way I wired the alternator in.

I added a picture looking up under the battery, above the muffler to show the main ground attachment plus where the two 3/8" bolts go through the frame.

jclayc

iTrader: (8)

Yeah, I see you can order for May delivery! https://www.holley.com/products/fuel_systems/hydramat/