The fuel system consists of the gas tanks, fuel level sending unit, fuel filter, emergency shut off valve, fuel pumps and lots of hoses. I decided to modify the fuel tank mounting. John Spurling showed me a method that is a lot more sturdy than the RotorWay method. Also, I raised the tanks about an inch from the original design so the filler caps will be flush with the body panels. |
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The fuel tanks first had to be cleaned up from the molding process. There was excess material that had to be trimmed. A very light sanding finished off the filler opening. |
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| The RotorWay instructions say to wash the tanks with water after the initial clean up work. So, Chip and I went out back and baptized the tanks in the swimming pool. |  |
After the tanks dried out, we had to figure out how to install the fuel strainer in the bottom of the tank. RotorWay just tells you to install the strainer in the tank; they don't tell you how. Chip came up with a great idea that worked like a charm. The string was used to drop the strainer into the tank. By moving the tank around, we were able to get the strainer to drop through the bottom hole in the tank. The strainer was fixed into place by a large nut threaded on from outside the tank. (Place your mouse over the picture to see the other end of this operation. The alternate picture was a little distorted in processing.) |
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I discovered a velcro "tape" that has hooks on one side and loops on the other side so it bonds when it's wrapped around onto itself. It was used as a temporary anchor for the fuel tanks while we figured out the dimensions and geometry for the final fit. (Place your mouse over the picture to see the how the tank is attached on the back side to the frame.) |
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| Here you can see the wooden block used to raise the pilot side tank to the level we wanted. You can also see the main fuel line connected to the fuel strainer. |  |
The method John Spurling gave me for mounting the fuel tanks required creating a fiberglass plug in the hole that exists in the stock fuel tank. (Place you mouse over the picture to see the plug after curing.) |
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Once the plug cured, I cut about 3/4 inch off the broad end so the plug would be recessed into the tank. I used the top slice on the back side of the tank to give added stability to the mount. (Place your mouse over the picture to see the mount assembly.) |
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| Next the frame is marked and drilled to accommodate the large carriage bolt used to secure the fuel tank to the frame. |  |
The result is a strong, stable mount for the fuel tanks. You can see the pilot side tank mounted here. It has the heat shielding applied to protect it from the exhaust header heat. This is another exciting moment; to see the fuel tanks in place. |
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The next step is to get all the other fuel components mounted. Here I'm showing off the fuel filter before mounting it on the frame. |
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Here you can see the dual electric fuel pumps. The emergency fuel shut off valve is in the background. The hoses aren't connected to them yet. |
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| You can see the routing of the fuel hoses from the pumps going to the filter. This looks simple but it turned out to be a pain until I found out how to get the hose ends to rotate for proper alignment. Both ends of the hose have an angled fitting that doesn't rotate. I had to call RotorWay to find out how to get the hose ends to rotate so they would align properly with their mating components. It's the red part that needs to rotate around the hose. |  |
It's a little difficult to explain but I'll give it a try. To get the hose end to rotate to a different position the red coupling needs to swivel. Well it doesn't unless you know the trick. It's easy to unscrew the blue coupling but doing so will not get the red coupling to swivel. |
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| Believe it or not, Rotorway instructed me to whack the red coupling hose end with a piece of wood to loosen it so it will rotate. It actually works. |  |
Here you can see the fuel system complete with both tanks mounted and the hoses connected. Wow, another chapter bites the dust. |
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