|
|
Project Fox Big Block Budget Fuel System From Russell - Feed Me, Feed Me!Project Fox's Thirsty 532 Big-Block Gets Fed With A Budget 1,000hp Fuel System From Russell. From the April, 2010 issue of Popular Hot Rodding By Stephen Kim Photography by Stephen Kim
|
|
The snowball is rolling, and poised to bury you in an avalanche of debt. But fear not, for exercising a few wise decisions and plotting out your battle plan in advance is all it takes to prevent your budget-built project car from mutating into an oxymoron. As our foray into the promised land of single-digit e.t.'s continues to progress, it came time to plumb up a fuel system for Project Fox's 532. Peering out in misery from between the shock towers like Robert Downey Jr. gazing out the window of a Malibu rehab facility, the 775hp big-block was begging for a hit of some tasty 93-octane brewski. Although feeding a motor with such a voracious appetite can get quite costly, we managed to pull off the feat for $804, thanks to a dollar-stretching turnkey fuel system from Russell Performance. Fuel filters must be carefully... Fuel filters must be carefully matched to the pump, as any restriction they impose will reduce pump performance. Russell's 8.25- inch inline filter is more than up to the task. It features an anodized aluminum housing, and a replaceable 60-micron nylon filter element. While budget-priced high-performance hardware is certainly part of the equation, we could have easily spent four times as much money on a fuel system had we stuck with EFI on our '93 Mustang. The 52 lb/hr injectors necessary to fuel nearly 800 hp would have gobbled up two-thirds of our entire $804 budget. Furthermore, the stand-alone engine management system, wiring harness, mondo throttle body, and custom intake manifold mods necessary to run EFI could easily ring up another $3,000. Since plans call for running at either idle or wide-open throttle-and not much in between-who gives a hoot about the driveability advantages of EFI? The comprehensive Russell fuel system (PN 641523) includes a monster 160-gph electric pump, 20 feet of -8AN hose, an inline filter, hose clamps, all necessary fittings and wiring, a pressure regulator, and a fuel pressure gauge. The Edelbrock pressure regulator... The Edelbrock pressure regulator included with the Russell kit is adjustable from 5-10 psi by turning the adjustment screw located at the top of the unit. In addition to a gauge port, the regulator has two outlet ports, making it compatible with both single- and dual-feed-style carburetor logs. Keeping things simple and cheap has been the underlying theme of Project Fox since the beginning, and we decided to skip on the mini-tubs while the chassis was under construction. Larger wheel tubs usually require installing either a narrower gas tank or mounting a fuel cell in the trunk, neither of which are appealing in a dual-role street/strip car. Fortunately, with the luxury of being able to retain the stock fuel tank, there's still plenty of room in the trunk to stash fat bags of cash hustled off unassuming victims on cruise night. Or so we've heard. At the risk of sounding obsessive-compulsive, we have to give a huge thanks to the folks at Bill Buck Race Cars once again for pulling an all-nighter this time around. With Project Fox now plumbed up, all it needs is a cooling system, exhaust, and an interior rehab before it's ready for action.  Russell offers a choice of...  Russell offers a choice of either blue and red hose ends, or black and silver pieces. For a low-key appearance, we opted for the latter. Included in our bundled system were three straight ends, three 90-degree ends, and one 45-degree end.  To ensure proper fitment in...  To ensure proper fitment in a wide range of applications, Russell offers fuel logs for both Holley and Edebrock/Carter carburetors in braided steel or nylon. Carb inlets with an integrated fuel filter are also available.  To convert our Mustang's stock...  To convert our Mustang's stock EFI tank for carbureted duty, we ordered a fuel sump from Competition Engineering. It features dual 1/2-inch NPT female fittings. To channel fuel from the sump to the pump, we attached a -8AN 90-degree hose end to the sump with a 1/2 to -8AN pipe adapter fitting. Since our system doesn't use a return line, the other end of the sump was capped off.  The first step in installing...  The first step in installing a fuel sump is draining the fuel tank. Unless all traces of oxygen are removed from the tank, there may be residual fuel in a vaporized state that could potentially create a nasty explosion when the welder fires up. To prevent this, Buck purges the tank thoroughly with Argon gas. With the prep work out of the way, after centering the sump on the backside of the fuel tank, Buck traced around the sump with a marker, cut out a hole, then TIG-welded the sump in place. It's much easier to check for leaks before the tank is re-installed on the car. Since they won't affect flow in any way, we left the stock sending unit in place, and capped off the hard lines. The factory vent is always retained.  Fuel pumps should be positioned...  Fuel pumps should be positioned at or below the height of the sump. The drawback of running a stock tank instead of a trunk-mounted cell is that it requires dropping the pump down closer to the ground. To accomplish this, Buck mounted the pump on a custom bracket made of 1/8-inch steel plate, which was first welded to the Mustang's framerail. To prevent gunk from ruining the fuel pump's internals, Russell recommends installing the filter between the tank and the pump. The pump's compact size allowed us to position it parallel to the side of the car, and connect the filter directly to it at a 90-degree angle.  Although it may cut down on...  Although it may cut down on mobility underneath the car, it makes sense to route the fuel lines with the wheels, tires, and all suspension components installed. This makes it much easier to spot potential interference issues with moving parts. After angling the feed line upward using a 45-degree hose end on the pump outlet, we routed it along the passenger-side framerail, and inboard the spring/shock assembly, to clear the rearend and control arms using the supplied cushioned clamps.  With the rearend cleared,...  With the rearend cleared, the feed line was positioned just outboard of the passenger-side subframe connector. There is no set rule on where the clamps should be placed, but positioning them 10-12 inches apart is close enough to get rid of slop and free-play.  Some people prefer routing...  Some people prefer routing fuel lines into the engine compartment through the trans tunnel, but even with a scattershield, we felt it was safer to go up through the fenderwell instead. With the stock plastic liner removed, we found an existing hole sized just right for our -8AN hose. Before clamping the hose down inside the fender, it's a good idea to turn the front wheels from lock to lock to check for interference.  As a general rule of thumb,...  As a general rule of thumb, it's best to mount the regulator as close to the carb inlet as possible. We found a suitable location on the passenger side of the firewall, right behind the shock tower. Before mounting it up, we attached a pressure gauge to its 1/8-inch NPT port.  Since we're using a single-feed...  Since we're using a single-feed fuel log, we blocked off one of the outlets on the pressure regulator, then attached two 3/8-inch to -8AN adapter fittings onto the remaining ports. We don't anticipate the motor moving around much under load since it's attached to the K-frame with solid mounts, so the feed line has just enough slack in it to allow easy removal of the valve cover.  The main supply line was fed...  The main supply line was fed through the fenderwell, then attached to the regulator with a 90-degree hose end. While it's true that hard-90s should only be used when no other hose end will get the job done, they don't hurt flow much at all. According to Russell, if 90-degree turns were so detrimental, no one would make 90-degree fittings. The truth of the matter is that 90-degree hose ends are produced in massive quantities because they're an essential component of almost every fuel system.  Cold temperature makes the...  Cold temperature makes the fuel log stiff, which makes it difficult to attach the inlet fittings to the fuel bowls. An easy solution is to remove both carb inlet fittings from the fuel log, and then attach them to the fuel bowls. Since the fuel log has -AN fittings, it's much easier to thread them onto the carb inlet fittings after they have already been attached to the fuel bows.  In theory, keeping the fuel...  In theory, keeping the fuel lines as short as possible reduces the load placed upon the pump. The most obvious benefit is that it makes for a clean, clutter-free install. The final step in installing a fuel system would usually be wiring it up, but the electrical system in Project Fox hasn't been buttoned up just yet. Nonetheless, hooking the Edelbrock pump up is as easy as wiring the supplied relay to a switched ignition source.
|
|
|