Jim Rosenthal
Supporter
The sixties GT40s had rubber bladder tanks that were put into the sponsons by collapsing them with a shop vacuum and then pushing them inside with a broomstick. The rubber bladder tanks are prone to leaking and also have to have various fittings on them to permit them to fill and empty etc. Good technology for the time but not for modern usage. Most owners of vintage GT40s have, as far as I know, refitted them with fuel cells made by ATL or FuelSafe to permit them to run on race tracks. I don't know if the bladder tanks would pass tech inspection. I think in order to really race you have to have fuel cells; SPF cars which are track-only cars have their stainless tanks removed and fuel cells fitted.
Safir Mark V cars were fitted with aluminum tanks similar to mine, as far as I know. Mine are baffled vertically in order to prevent the fuel from sloshing away from the tank pickup, which is at the lowermost point of the rear of the tank. The baffles are welded in to prevent them moving around. They also stiffen the tanks and help them keep their shape. The areas where the inlet spigot and the fuel level sender mount were cut from heavier aluminum and welded into the tank roof, after which the lower and upper halves of each tank were welded together. It is very pretty to see how this was done.
I am absolutely going to drive it. I drive my Cobra all the time when weather permits. This car will be usable in a greater climate range as it is a closed car and will be usable in dry winter weather. As a matter of fact, with the amount of heat that gets into the cockpit of a GT40, dry winter weather may be the most suitable climate for it. In the rain it will leak, in all likelihood, but they all do.
Safir Mark V cars were fitted with aluminum tanks similar to mine, as far as I know. Mine are baffled vertically in order to prevent the fuel from sloshing away from the tank pickup, which is at the lowermost point of the rear of the tank. The baffles are welded in to prevent them moving around. They also stiffen the tanks and help them keep their shape. The areas where the inlet spigot and the fuel level sender mount were cut from heavier aluminum and welded into the tank roof, after which the lower and upper halves of each tank were welded together. It is very pretty to see how this was done.
I am absolutely going to drive it. I drive my Cobra all the time when weather permits. This car will be usable in a greater climate range as it is a closed car and will be usable in dry winter weather. As a matter of fact, with the amount of heat that gets into the cockpit of a GT40, dry winter weather may be the most suitable climate for it. In the rain it will leak, in all likelihood, but they all do.