Opinion - Centre fill gas tank but on the side?

[EarlySport]

Hey guys,

I'd like some opinions. I am putting fibreglass fenders on my IROC project, and they don't have a fuel filler door. So I'm debating the options;

Under bonnet fuel fill.
Centre through bonnet fuel fill
Rear side through bonnet fuel fill
Flush in fender fuel fill.

The rear side of bonnet is interesting me the most right now.

Here is the fuel filler I'll be using ( off a motorcycle ). I'll possibly paint the centre cap part to match the mexico blue of my car.



And here's a similar car to mine with the rear side fuel fill I'm proposing photoshopped in..



What do you guys think?

[Jeff Alton]

Why not?

Looks okay, but why are you leaning towards that set up as compared to a true center fill?

Cheers

[RWebb]

That will be easier to fill - I think I've seen something like that on some old race cars.

Early 911s bbs folks might know for sure & have pics.

[911pcars]

Authenticity and historical accuracy aside and in this day of rampant look-a-like clone cars, I like the placement of Early Sport's proposed filler. It preserves the clean surface lines of the fender and hood as well as valuable trunk space. Flush-mounted, it'll disturb less air than the more-popular, holy finned cap, but maybe not as racy looking as some prefer. It looks like it could be a sealed assy. so there might be less of an issue with water leakage and/or providing water-tight drainage with the typical center-fill setups.

FWIW, I vote aye.

Sherwood

[HelmetHead]

Are you going to run a flexible hose to the filler since it will be mounted to the hood? I like the idea.

Helmethead

[JohnKo]

Under bonnet fuel fill: would interfere least with under-bonnet capacity for 'stuff,' plus it would be a crowd-pleaser at the petrol station!

Centre through bonnet fuel fill: traditional, sexy, kind of a pain; maybe worth getting some opinons from guys who actually have one;

Rear side through bonnet fuel fill: some of the same advantages and weaknesses of the two options above; might be the best compromise;

Flush in fender fuel fill: forget it; too complicated, too nasty looking

There, sir, are MY opinions... Cool project!

[EarlySport]

Thanks for the opinions - much appreciated!

I was leaning ( and still am ) toward the rear side position as I think it's a much easier filling position than centre bonnet, and a little less obtrusive. The filler will be hard mounted and meet up with a hole in the bonnet. It will fit up to the factory plumbing real easy too and not compromise truck space much at all.

I'm going to wait until I get the filler and then take a look at it sitting in place - maybe mark the hole with a marker pen and take a good long look before I cut!

[4flyboy]

That machine is so pretty you could stick on the bumper and I'd still be slack jawed.......looks good on the side to me.

S.

[Christien]

Don't do the under-the-hood option. IT definitely has a clean look, but it's a pain in the ass. At some point in my car's history, the front fenders were replaced with fibreglass with no fuel filler, as you describe. However in my case, they didn't add a centre-hood filler, just removed some of the piping and now it sits under the hood. It's a big pain at the gas station, especially with dodgy hood shocks or windy weather.

You can see some inside pics in this thread on my misaligned hood:
How do I fix my misaligned front hood?

[KevinS]

For what its worth. I'd put it in the center, it just looks way cool.

KevinS

[karlusmagnus]

from 1972 Nurburgring, Fitzpatrick's Kremer S ... another option
looks like nice project ...

Karl.

[nameisbauer]

Under hood sounds cool. Ultimate in smooth, and least work? best of both worlds. It seems rare to have the best option be the easiest/cheapest also.

[rvanderpyl]

Center fill was done so that it was the same reach from left or right when you might be racing on different circuits with different refueling setups, offsetting if you know you are fueling from one side is faster and safer. For street where it is about the look, not the practicality you might as well choose whatever you think looks the best.

[RSBob]

Owning a 914 - it only has an under hood fill. It's never a problem. You could initially go with under-hood and later go to through the hood if that becomes a PITA. Even when I fill up - the gas stations have overhangs so getting the trunk wet is never an issue.

[EarlySport]

I definitely like the idea of underhood for the cleanest look, and I think if I had a C2 turbo style body I would do that. An IROC for me though is a bit more mechanical. I'll definitely have hood pins too ( and I need them for track work ).

I guess the idea is to have something unique about the car, but that unique feature has also got to look cool and not be a negative...

That's why I value everyone's opinion on looks and practicaility.