Rick's Tank, Fuel Cell or?
 

I'm putting together a 406 w/ EFi

What's the best solution for ease of install and setup, balanced w/ cost?
is a fuel cell fine, or just buy a Rick's / Rock Valley and be done with it?
anyone that's done either or both chime in...thanks:cool:

I have a ricks tank for my ls swap. Let me say...you get what you pay for:unibrow:

The quality is superb and it was around a 2 week wait time. Install is simple...nothing a person with a tool set can't do.

here's a picture of mine:

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f2...IMG_0641-1.jpg

-Dan

I'd go with the Rick's tank, I've seen a lot of cars using them in the forum, and, well, they're a lot more discrete than a fuel cell, and unless you're going to just race it, well, the tank is more for street use and show. more pleasant to the eye. So, your choice, personally I don't like fuel cells.
GIMME FUEL GIMME FIRE GIMME THAT WHICH I DESIRE! UUH!
:_party: :fire:

rock valley.
rick k:thumbsup:

i'd go with a ricks and be done. prodigy has a sale going so i would give frank a call and be done. it'll mount stock, look better than stock and work bitchin.

I recently found out about these SPECTRA fuel tanks (in tank EFI pumps) - musclerodz.com & www.rockauto.com sell them - I don't have one but I'm looking into them - there is some talk about them at PT.com

I hate to be that guy, but until you've run your setup it's hard to recommend it. Sure it looks great, but does it function the way you hoped?

I think a lot of the decision making has to be based on what you are going to do with the car. If it is a cruiser and a little spirited driving then the Ricks will work great. If you plan on some hard use such as going to one of the events such as RTTH's, the I would go with a fuel cell or something custom built and baffled for that application.

Mike Norris

ricks is now building with internal sumps, baffles and check balls. these should be way better than his older style tanks. still wont compete with a surge tank and 2 pumps, but should be enough for anything but an all out racer. mine should be here this week!!!

That is good to hear and I would not mind seeing the differences they put into them.

Mike Norris

Ease of installation you mentioned.Rick's. Best for hardcore duty... Fuel Safe, but Fuel Safe are not bolt ins.

Either Ricks or Fuel Safe, we have them both on special

Frank whats the major modifications to run the Fuel safe one besides cutting the floor?

and which one has the efi pump inside it?

I Have A Rick's Tank. I Love It. I Would Get One Again.:)

The Fuel Safe is a Fuel Cell, and we can put internal pumps in them. Badd penny is the most famous car that has one.

As for installation, they are generic, the Ricks will go right where the factory tank was.

Fuel SAFE has safe in the name for a reason, A internal bladder adds a second level of fuel containment should the worst happen and you back into the wall at a buck twenty

fuel cell
 

Not to steal thread,but Frank do you think fuel safe could make something for the first gen f-body guys similiar to what they do for the Mustang folks?

That is what I used from Rock Auto. Almost done with LQ9 (6.0L swap) with a Mangacharger. Drove the car around the block.....will drive it harder this weekend. Everything works so far, but need more driving experience in the car. Bolts right in factory location.

67bird - fuel safe will make any tank, any size, any shape. you supply the drawing and they will build it. but that also means that the bladder has to be custom shape as well. plus, according to their site and the few techs i talked to, they recommend changing the bladder and foam because fuel will break it down. IIRC, something like every 7 years though, so not too bad.

the killer for me was my fuel fill since its on top of the cells. there wasnt a good way to make it work without ruining the trunk. once hector convinced me that his new design tanks work well, i just went that route.

Ive used Rick's Tanks in several projects; the thing I like about that company is the customer service and the fact that each tank can be custom ordered with whatever baffling, punp config, or sender suits you best... not to mention the beautiful brushed SS finish. Ive never been dissapointed with their products. and in an age when customer service is usually a distant memory, they still treat their customers with respect and do what they say they're going to do.

JMHO.

KT.

Anybody have any experience with this setup??

http://www.tanksinc.com/index.cfm/pa...prod/prd84.htm

so looks like Rick's is in the lead...

I just don't want drop a grand on a tank and have starvation issues in high G turns

anyone else have a Rick's or other tank they loved or had issues?
I haven't bought one yet so...

I used to have a Rock Valley tank in my car for several years and never had any issues with it. The tank's construction was great. Installation was easy but the stainless straps were a pain to get right. The only time I had starvation issues was when I accidently ran it out of gas LOL. I ran it at the drag strip but never autocrossed with it. For a cruiser it was good. Their customer service although not bad, it wasn't very "techinical". I was having a fuel venting issue and they would tell to try "this (insert possible fix)" and call us back. After a few times of that and no help/fix of the problem, I decided to not call them anymore for help.

I changed my rear suspension to a airride and needed to go another direction, need clipped corners on the tank (so I could run tailpipes). I ordered a tank from Ricks. Installation of their tank was easier than easy. I had the tank installed in about 10 minutes. Rick's customer service is GREAT! They answered all of my questions and explained other options (got the ones with check balls in the system). I liked both tanks but if I had to decide between the two I would say Ricks.

Ricks Tank is a sweet looking piece but at over $1,000 dollars and an AC delco fuel pump it uses I say there are better options. I am not talking about a build were money is not an issue and look is just as important as performance.

I just had to change the bladder in the fuel cell in my Panoz and the price was about 1200.00. The recommend replacing it about every 5 years. That is a recurring cost I would not want in a street car.

Nemesis, what would you suggest then?? I agree that the price is higher than most guys would like to pay for a tank. When it comes to excellent workmanship and awesome tech support, I will spend some extra money. I have about $1500 in my fuel system, more than I wanted to spend but it is top notch for what I am running in my car. I have gone the cheaper route before (until I saved enough money for the better stuff) but now I can drive my car as hard as I want and not have to worry about it.

There are other options out there, but most have some known "imperfections". None of them are perfect but I have had the best experience with the rick's one. In the end it just depends on what you want to do with your car (autocross, drag strip, cruiser). The Spectre tank, although cheaper, has been known to have starvation issues at low fuel levels and the fuel pump doesn't support some high horsepower levels. If you are just building a cruiser, than this might be an ok option. Depending on what you welding skills are, you could use the tanksinc unit or have your stock tank modified. If you don't have any welding skills, then that cost adds up. Not really sure on how the tanks one or a modified ones are for their baffles. You can research the cost for buying a new stock tank, paying for the modifications and the costs aren't that far away from the higher end units. If you are worried about the stock AC fuel pump, just upgrade to the Walbro one (or similiar).

I will tell you from personal experience, that after doing my fuel system a couple of times (to improve it), it is easier to do it right the first time and not have to worry about it.

Anyone can do some searching and see that an off the shelf ricks tank (or any off the shelf tank besides fuel cells) will not perform well at all with low to moderate fuel levels even on the street around normal corners.

Comparing it to a modified stock tank, it obviously has a huge benefit in that it looks ten times better, and also you don't have to think about it much at all, you can just buy it and install it and just remember to keep the car above a quarter tank.

Additionally a number of people have had Ricks make them tanks that perform better although I'm not sure of any additional cost involved with that.

Like almost all parts it's weighing appearance, performance and price and different people value different things. The Ricks tanks can give you the first two, a modified stock tank can give you the last two.

I plan on going with this:

http://www.tanksinc.com/index.cfm/pa...cat/cat113.htm

You can have a fuel pump that is rated to 550 hp. In my experience Walboro pumps are under rated. (my stock fuel pump on my daily driver is supporting around 500 hp without ever a problem)

As far as starvation concerns wouldnt keeping the tank half full take care of that concern?

If there are any concerns with this specific tank please inform me.

You can get them with Bosch, Aeromotive, or Walbro pumps too. I had an internal Bosch in mine from Rick's. Very nice piece.

Hey Flash, was your Bosch noisy? I may need to change my pump after I drop the tank in a few weeks.

Mark, what pump is currently in your Ricks tank. Noisy??

hey Mark. I could never hear it. It was in-tank and I had pretty loud exhaust anyway. But I don't think they are known for being noisy - only that big Aeromotive has that rep I believe.

I think it's the Walbro. I'm loosing pressure at WOT so I'm not sure if it's the pump or the connecting hose. You can hear the pump as your driving . We had it on the dino yesterday and ran into the problem. Hector is working with me to find out what the problem is.

Please let me know when you find out as I also have the same set up and am now installing my fuel system. I'd rather take care of it now than later ya know:_paranoid :lol:

Just call Hector at Ricks, he's great to deal with.

just wondering, are those spectra tanks the same as the fuel injection tanks that you can get from the NPD catalog?

More than likely. If it looks stock and is a FI replacement for stock it is more than likely Spectra.