TPI Plumbing

[tony barnhill]

So, somebody on this forum must have the answer:

On my '77 Corvette, originally a carbureated car, I'm installing an '86 TPI engine with all emissions removed.....so, now I've got to go with an electric fuel pump....there appear to be 2 bodies of thought: fuel pump outside tank and fuel pump inside tank.....main reason for inside is noise & fact that electric pumps are primarily designed for pushing not pulling.

I could mount a pump right next to the tank of a frame rail or cut into my tank and drop a new pickup, keeping the old pickup because the float is attached to in...whichever, I've removed the hard carbon cannister fuel return line from the driver side of the frame and am removing the fuel return line from the passenger side (the hard supply line will become the return line)

Anybody familiar with the issue?

 

[14dna]

Tony;

My only concern with the pump in the tank is keeping enough fuel around it to pump.
The new systems have a small tank around the pump, with bleed holes at the lower corners, so there is always an ample supply of fuel for the pump. If you could get a newer tank from FI to fit, then use its pump system and you're good.
Otherwise, I would get a remote pump.
Just my opinion.

Hope this helps.

Dave

 

[tony barnhill]

Here's something along the line of what I'm thinking: https://www.vetteworksonline.com/ls1_conversion_fuel.htm. The only part of my old setup would be the float itself.

 

[14dna]

Now that is a really neat setup.
I guess you could have great success with that.
P.S. I love the idea of FI in older cars.

Dave

 

[tony barnhill]

Tony;

My only concern with the pump in the tank is keeping enough fuel around it to pump.
The new systems have a small tank around the pump, with bleed holes at the lower corners, so there is always an ample supply of fuel for the pump. If you could get a newer tank from FI to fit, then use its pump system and you're good.
Otherwise, I would get a remote pump.
Just my opinion.

Hope this helps.

Dave

Checked an FI gas tank - way too large to go under my car...I'm waiting to hear from the vendor who I linked to in the other post....so, while I'm figuring out the fuel pump issue, I started taking all the emissions from my engine....not going to have any on it!

 

[JPSmit]

Another route with the same outcome is

https://www.aeromotiveinc.com/products.php?prod=267

 

[tony barnhill]

JP, did you see the price? $1,465.00!!

 

[JPSmit]

didn't get that far - shoot you could buy one and a half vettes for that kind of money - sorry.

 

[tony barnhill]

That's okay...think I have it figured out:

First, I needed to understand how to convert my '77 fuel tank to one with an in-tank pump...."Dub" of Corvettes, Etc. in Charlotte, NC & I talked on the internet....he told me that if I could find an '84 thru '96 unit & put one of them besides mine, I would understand...well, I just happened to know where the wrecked '86 that my TPI engine came from was sitting, & since it belongs to a friend, he didn't care if I removed the sending unit setup from his gas tank.

So, out in his yard in the rain, I pulled the sending unit from his tank - it has an in-tank pump & was providing gas for my engine. When I laid it down next to mine, lights came on!

In the photo below, my original '77 sending unit is on the right....it's setup for the stock mechanical fuel pump that came on the L82 carbureated engine; the '86 sending unit is on the left....it has the electric fuel pump in the tank for my TPI engine.

In this photo, the '86 sending unit with the electric pump on the end of the pickup is on the left & my '77 is on the right. My mind started spinning & I started measuring.

Then, I telephoned Dub to confirm what I was thinking of doing: merge the 2 into a modified '77 unit that has an in-tank fuel pump, he agreed & even gave me some advice on how he does it in his shop.

Now, it's on to my workbench for some measuring, some cutting, & some connecting so my original float works with its '77 oval tank cover but my pickup gets modified to accept an '86 electric in-line pump.

Smell of gas everywhere but it's coming together.

Photos when I'm finished.