Aeromotive's fuel tanks combined with its various lines of submersible pump began with its direct fit performance tank replacements for original equipment cars. The company has since graduated to fuel cells ranging from 3.5- to 20-gallon units for all-out racing applications. All 15- and 20-gallon cells are also equipped with a universal fuel level sending unit.
“Brushless fuel pumps and our new brushless gear pumps are a new technology providing many advantages compared to brushed electric motor pumps,” Jeff Stacy, Vice President of Aeromotive Inc. said. “At 75-80 psi of fuel pressure, a 5-gallon per minute pump with a brushless motor will draw 20- to 22-amps less current compared to some other brush motor pumps.”
Brushless Motor Technology Explained
In a simplified explanation; a standard DC electric motor utilizes carbon brushes to charge electromagnets on a shaft that is surrounded by a case of magnets. A “brushless” motor is basically flipped inside out, with the magnets on the spinning armature, and the DC powered electromagnets are on the outer stator.
Since the electricity is fed to the electromagnets on the case, there is no need for carbon brushes to make contact with the spinning armature. Special electronic circuitry is needed to “flip” the polarity of the electricity, which causes the armature to rotate. It is the advent of these electronic controls that allows brushless motors to be proven for use in everything from cordless drills to racing fuel pumps. The brushless technology offers a leap in not only efficiency but also eliminates the sparking of the carbon brush contacts within a volatile situation such as fuel pumps.
“When people ask us about the advantages of brushless, my response is to explain our controller system used in a brushless motor,” Stacy explained. “The controller not only excites the motor to rotate in the proper direction, but it also has other distinct advantages where brush motors fall off.” Stacy continued, “When you start applying fuel pressure downstream, obviously that creates resistance, and a brushed pump motor wants to slow down. Our brushless motor controller senses that and advances the timing to compensate and hold the same pump RPM at any pressure.”
Aeromotive’s brushless fuel pump technology is available in multiple configurations; there are external pump models used within the traditional fuel line system, and internal pumps that are installed within the fuel tank. The A1000, Eliminator Brushless, and Brushless Stealth fuel cell lines are available in 3.5-, 6-, 15-, and 20-gallon sizes.
Upgrading Our Project Camaro
Our ’68 is aptly called
Project Rover, as in “teaching an old dog new tricks.” What was an old-school Texas Super Stocker is slowly going through a transformation by replacing the old with new technology. For the number of passes we made on the car prior doing the total rebuild, the Holley Dominator carburetor, old “blue” fuel pump, and small fuel line was obviously starving our well-built big-block, even on the 1/8-mile.
The new fuel cell will now feed a recirculating fuel system comprised of
Fragola Performance Systems PTFE-lined -10AN fuel hose. The top of our 489 cubic-inch Chevy is a
Fuel Air Spark Technology (FAST) EZ-EFI 2.0 fuel injection system, another jump in technology for the old
Rover.
With the entire line of Aeromotive fuel pumps now designed for extended service life in a methanol or ethanol fuel environment, the Camaro’s new fuel system is a prime fit, as we will be using
VP Racing Fuels C85-ethanol as our racing fuel.
Our old-school Camaro is way overdue to take a quantum leap from a vintage spun aluminum fuel tank and into the latest brushless pump and fuel cell combination. We fabricated a pocket in the trunk floor for the new Aeromotive fuel cell to sit within.
Our Aeromotive fuel cell retrofit included stripping the Camaro’s trunk area and fabricating a pocket for the new 12- x 12- x 10-inch cell to sit inside. This fabrication is well worth the effort compared to merely strapping any cell on top of the floor pan. It afforded us much more room in our limited first-gen Camaro space with the large wheel tubs.
The lower amp draw by these pumps is absolutely nuts. Some early generation fuel pumps could draw over 40-amps when supplying significant pressure and volume demands. Our new brushless motors draw approximately half of that amperage while also running cooler and with greater reliability. – Jeff Stacy
The pocket was far easier to fabricate due to the absence of a bottom sump fitting to feed an external fuel pump. We factored in approximately an extra 1/4-inch of space so we could line the aluminum tank walls with a thin membrane of rubber sheeting to protect it from any wear.
The brushless Stealth cell tank we chose is constructed of heavy wall aluminum with quality TIG welds for the cell and all fittings. The cell is equipped with the A1000 brushless stealth fuel pump. There is a large fluted pickup beneath the pump containing an integral 100-micron pre-filter.
Tank And Pump Technology Combined
The 6-gallon tank features aluminum baffling within the cell that keeps the fuel surrounding the fuel pump pickup. A return line fitting also has baffles surrounding an internal return tube that drops the fuel level. These baffles prevent aeration of the fuel returning to the tank, as well as holding the fuel level around the pump pickup.
“Higher horsepower levels plus the wider use of methanol- and ethanol-based fuels have increased the demands for more fuel delivery capabilities,” Stacy describes. “Brushless motor pump technology combined with our proven pump mechanisms has achieved more consistent fuel flow curves.”