banzairx7 wrote:
I'm still toying around with fuel tank ideas for my build and the latest is a scuttle mounted tank. There are a few reasons I like it and only one that I don't and that isn't even that bad.
So the pros-
1. Gets fuel tank out of the "kill zone" in the back of the car where it is pretty vulnerable if I get rear ended.
2. Opens up a ton(relatively speaking) of room for storage in the back of the car.
3. Moves the weight of the fuel more central to the car.
4. Makes use of a giant dead space
5. Reduces fuel line and wiring runs
Con-
1. Moves the CG of the car up some. On my car design it would move the fuel weight up by only about 2" though
So am I nuts for thinking about this? Is there something I'm missing? I just don't see many if any people going this route for the tank. I feel like I'm missing something obvious that makes this a terrible idea.
I don't think you are nuts,
Tanks have been set in the front, even behind the scuttle for a long time. However relatively speaking there is one situation in which I would prefer to have my fuel tank in the rear: that is if an engine fire was going to start under the hood while underway. My own tank is in the front, between the front wheels because my engine is in the back. On my first build with the engine in the front there was never any question for me where my tank was going to be (in the back). Nothing is perfect. With the engine behind the scuttle you may want to make sure your firewall is meaningful. You may even want to look at racing car fuel tanks for good measure. Good luck.