Do the C3 tanks have a rubber bladder in them?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 924
Likes: 1
From: Houston Texas
Do the C3 tanks have a rubber bladder in them?
If so, can you have an in tank fuel pump for a fuel injection application with the rubber bladder? How are the new fuel injection tanks designed, and what safety is built into them?
mark
mark
Safety Car
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 3,758
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From: Surrey
Re: Do the C3 tanks have a rubber bladder in them? (81vette)
Mark,
I've read somewhere that the '81 did have a bladder fitted but found that mine definately hasn't (had to fix a couple of fuel leaks so needed to drain it. Twice). After that I read somewhere else that the '81 didn't have one. :confused: Best way to find out is to run it low on fuel & have a look inside with a bright flashlight.
:cheers:
I've read somewhere that the '81 did have a bladder fitted but found that mine definately hasn't (had to fix a couple of fuel leaks so needed to drain it. Twice). After that I read somewhere else that the '81 didn't have one. :confused: Best way to find out is to run it low on fuel & have a look inside with a bright flashlight.
:cheers:
Abby Normal
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 53,460
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From: Press "2" for English
Re: Do the C3 tanks have a rubber bladder in them? (81vette)
ours don't. that was a mid '70s thing, like '76 or '77. i've had my sending unit out a couple times and it's steel all around.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 924
Likes: 1
From: Houston Texas
Re: Do the C3 tanks have a rubber bladder in them? (81vette)
Thanks guys. I'll take a look to make sure mine doesn't have a bladder. I've been looking into various options for having a new tank built, or modifying my existing tank for an in tank fuel pump. One of the fuel tank companies that I was talking to said that 81's did have a bladder, and he could not install an in tank fuel pump because of this. He wants around $1000 for a stainless steel tank with baffles and Holley in tank fuel pump. He wasn't familar with the later model C3 tanks, because he wanted me to send mine to him so he could build the new one using it as a guide. He did have plans for the earlier model C3's though.
I really don't want to spend that much money, so I basically have a couple of options. Install an in tank pump in mine, or weld in a sump and install an external fuel pump. I've seen somewhere an internal fuel pump with 3 or 4 lines running around the tank so that the pump always has a fuel pickup point. At the moment I don't remember where I saw that. It has a check valve to keep air out as well.
What might be invloved with installing an internal fuel pump in our cars existing tank?
mark
I really don't want to spend that much money, so I basically have a couple of options. Install an in tank pump in mine, or weld in a sump and install an external fuel pump. I've seen somewhere an internal fuel pump with 3 or 4 lines running around the tank so that the pump always has a fuel pickup point. At the moment I don't remember where I saw that. It has a check valve to keep air out as well.
What might be invloved with installing an internal fuel pump in our cars existing tank?
mark
Race Director
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 15,146
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From: NM
Re: Do the C3 tanks have a rubber bladder in them? (81vette)
Believe that they started putting the bladders in the tanks starting in 76 or 77. (what ever year they moved the pick up from under the tank to the top of the tank.) The 82 CrossFire had an electric fuel pump for its engine. I would just pull your pick-up and fuel gauge sender out of the tank and drop in an 82 pick-up/fuel pump and fuel guage sender. I would think that it would be a fairly easy swap. Would just need some additional wiring to the rear of the car for the pump.
tom...
tom...
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From: Exiled to Richmond, VA - Finally sold my house in Murfreesboro, TN ?? Corner of "Bumf*&k and 'You've got a purdy mouth'."
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Re: Do the C3 tanks have a rubber bladder in them? (81vette)
Why not use the existing pickup with an external electric fuel pump ?
That is what I plan to do with my fuel injection system.
That is what I plan to do with my fuel injection system.
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Re: Do the C3 tanks have a rubber bladder in them? (BSeery)
I was thinking '78-'82 had some kind of "hard shell bladder" like plastic or fiberglass, not the type the '75-'77s had. Never had a '78-'82 tank opened up, but I heard others here saying something about them.
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Re: Do the C3 tanks have a rubber bladder in them? (Paul Borowski)
The 82 has a bladder inside the tank, it's got a fuel metering unit bolted in from the top on which the fuel pump hangs. The bladder is a semi hard black sort of pastic (rubberized) The bladder really is the tank, the metal is just therefor rigidity and does not seal off the tank or come in contact w/ fuel.
Here's the metering unit (ignore scotch blocks, they are there for a TPI pump)
[Modified by Twin_Turbo, 4:20 PM 3/25/2003]
Here's the metering unit (ignore scotch blocks, they are there for a TPI pump)
[Modified by Twin_Turbo, 4:20 PM 3/25/2003]