C3/C2? firebomb??

mrvette

mrvette

Phantom of the Opera
Joined
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Some concerns of mine over the years have been brought up on another thread....

gas tank shields, rubber bladders, etc....

I have a '72 vette, and I wonder if all that crap is a stop gap measure....

I know my '60 vette had the gas tank upright with a metal barrier between me and the gas tank.....unsure about much more than that, as not owning it very long....

so the ultimate question is....what, if anything to DO about being slammed in the rear???

this car is a hotrod anyway, I take my own chances....but wondering about my son who is on the title...

does anyone have a decent solution?? I thinking of a earlier tank? put behind the seats??

:bonkers::flash::goodnight:
 
mrvette said:
Some concerns of mine over the years have been brought up on another thread....

gas tank shields, rubber bladders, etc....

I have a '72 vette, and I wonder if all that crap is a stop gap measure....

I know my '60 vette had the gas tank upright with a metal barrier between me and the gas tank.....unsure about much more than that, as not owning it very long....

so the ultimate question is....what, if anything to DO about being slammed in the rear???

this car is a hotrod anyway, I take my own chances....but wondering about my son who is on the title...

does anyone have a decent solution?? I thinking of a earlier tank? put behind the seats??

:bonkers::flash::goodnight:
Click to expand...
Had the same thoughts. Maybe a plastic fuel tank. I'm pretty sure it exist some kind of "soft" plastic, that could deform but would never break.
I bet airplanes have some kind of wicked technologies regarding fuel tanks.
 
denpo said:
mrvette said:
Some concerns of mine over the years have been brought up on another thread....

gas tank shields, rubber bladders, etc....

I have a '72 vette, and I wonder if all that crap is a stop gap measure....

I know my '60 vette had the gas tank upright with a metal barrier between me and the gas tank.....unsure about much more than that, as not owning it very long....

so the ultimate question is....what, if anything to DO about being slammed in the rear???

this car is a hotrod anyway, I take my own chances....but wondering about my son who is on the title...

does anyone have a decent solution?? I thinking of a earlier tank? put behind the seats??

:bonkers::flash::goodnight:
Click to expand...
Had the same thoughts. Maybe a plastic fuel tank. I'm pretty sure it exist some kind of "soft" plastic, that could deform but would never break.
I bet airplanes have some kind of wicked technologies regarding fuel tanks.
Click to expand...

These are FIRST thoughts on the matter, which go long the lines of maybe totally shifting the tank location....

anyone even know what a C1 tank looks like,? and dimensions??

:bonkers:
 
Later C3's had a bladder lined tank to reduce the risk of fire from a rear end collision. Also keep the spare tire mounted. Other than that it is what it is.

George
 
Gene,

You really think this is a problem? I'm sure it could happen, but I'd think if it was an issue, people like Ralph Nader would have made a stink about it years ago. I think you're okay, it's not like you hear of this happening much, not like it was a Pinto!!!
 
Something like a NASCAR fuel tank? Thick wall aluminum, internal bladder, and an internal air space. $$$$$$$

Another thing you can do with a stock tank. Don't drive with a full tank of gas. Even for my daily drivers, I never fill up the tank. 2/3 of a tank, at most, for the DD. I often have to drive to Azusa, Ca, about 80 miles round trip. Many times I make the trip with about 6 gallons in my Tbird (97) which means when I return home, the fuel gauge is down near the E reading.
 
68/70Vette said:
Something like a NASCAR fuel tank? Thick wall aluminum, internal bladder, and an internal air space. $$$$$$$

Another thing you can do with a stock tank. Don't drive with a full tank of gas. Even for my daily drivers, I never fill up the tank. 2/3 of a tank, at most, for the DD. I often have to drive to Azusa, Ca, about 80 miles round trip. Many times I make the trip with about 6 gallons in my Tbird (97) which means when I return home, the fuel gauge is down near the E reading.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure that's valid reasoning. After all, it's the vapor that's flammable, and the lower the fuel level, the greater the volume of vapor in a solid tank. If you really wanted to reduce the risk, I'd think a fuel bladder inside a solid tank that would collapse as the fuel volume is used, would be the way to go, but again, why? I've not seen anything to lead me to believe our C3/C2's are any less safe in this regard than any other vehicle on the road.
 
If you get smacked in the azz end hard enough to get the tank, the chances of you walking away are pretty slim anyway. Even big trucks with saddle mounted tanks get hit and don't usually go up in a fireball. Early Chevy trucks had fuel tanks IN the cab, then went to outside the frame rail. The later ones there was a thing about tanks leaking and burning, but either the NHTSA or DOT did a big study and found it was not really as bad as (imagine this!) the news media played it out to be. The one video I saw from a news media they had to add a small burn device to get it to blow.

-denpo- you wouldn't beleive what airplane tanks are like- wiring inside them, along with pumps and valves- the "official" thing was TWA flight 800 had a problem with tank wiring, but they never really proved it beyond any doubt either. The NTSB story was that the tank wiring shorted and caused it, but they used the center wing tanks of a cut up 747 to test the theory and had to mix propane and air in the tank and then induce a really hot spark to get it to go boom. they couldn't get it done with jet fuel and air, even when they heated it to boiling.
 
TimAT said:
If you get smacked in the azz end hard enough to get the tank, the chances of you walking away are pretty slim anyway. Even big trucks with saddle mounted tanks get hit and don't usually go up in a fireball. Early Chevy trucks had fuel tanks IN the cab, then went to outside the frame rail. The later ones there was a thing about tanks leaking and burning, but either the NHTSA or DOT did a big study and found it was not really as bad as (imagine this!) the news media played it out to be. The one video I saw from a news media they had to add a small burn device to get it to blow.

-denpo- you wouldn't beleive what airplane tanks are like- wiring inside them, along with pumps and valves- the "official" thing was TWA flight 800 had a problem with tank wiring, but they never really proved it beyond any doubt either. The NTSB story was that the tank wiring shorted and caused it, but they used the center wing tanks of a cut up 747 to test the theory and had to mix propane and air in the tank and then induce a really hot spark to get it to go boom. they couldn't get it done with jet fuel and air, even when they heated it to boiling.
Click to expand...

Which tells me to believe the witnesses about a rocket trail being seen......what they have like 6? including a pilot of some validity.....

Which brings to mind some folks who owned a jewelry store, met them for security reasons, stickups, etc.....the gal I think was the daughter of the couple that owned KAY JEWELERS....the ones in the malls and shopping centers just about nation wide......well her folks were on that KAL plane the Ruskies shot down over Kamchatka.....

instant billionaires......later on we cross paths again over a kitchen remodel.....been a LONG time....25+ years now....

:gurney::drink:
 
I don't think moving the tank to a fuel cell behind the seats is a good idea at all. Now you have all that flammable gas inside with you in the event of a wreck. I think the plastic tank with a bladder may be your only upgrade, otherwise I'm counting on the frame rails it's sandwhiched between to save me. :)
 
Eat, drink, be merry (should be do Mary) and if you are really worried take the bus. ;)
 
Come on Gene relax, if you think that C3 tank is dangerous, then you should start thinking about airbags, softer dash material, 5 mph bumpers and all the crap the new cars are equiped with.

Or better yet, park it and just look at it and remember how much more fun those things are to drive than the cars of todays.
people die in brand new safer cars too, we have not much control over that.



Relax Gene.
 
I don't run a spare as I run 17 and 18 inch rims and brakes won't clear 15 inch spare. Heck I had to mount the battery right behind the diff as the original location is taken up by the a arm suspension.

Friend of mine got slammed in the rear of his 79 while at a stop sign. Bumper cover was trashed and frame rails where pushed up. Car fared well for being at 50.
 
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You know... if you really want to you can weld some pipes behind the bumper cover... from one side to the other, like additional impact bars... then fill the area between tank and bumper cover with impact absorbing foam like the stuff that UScomposite sells....enclosing the steel pipes... that foam stuff is like "great stuff" but available in several different "strength" and "expansion" levels... the toughest foam they have is what I bought: 1:1 ratio, almost no expansion but hard as a rock.... if you want some sort of cushioning then I recommend a few levels below what I bought ... whole thing can be done for $250 or even less..... Pipes and foam... hope you never need it....
 
Corvettes White said:
Later C3's had a bladder lined tank to reduce the risk of fire from a rear end collision. Also keep the spare tire mounted. Other than that it is what it is.

George
Click to expand...

Yep.

If a C-3 is hit from behind with a full tank, the hydraulic pressure will pop the cap off with an insueing geyser of fuel.

Bolt a crossmember behind it to cage it in, then worry about the steering column spearing your chest next.
 
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