Does anyone have a picture of the baffle? Perhaps a cutaway picture?

Mark.

 

Hey Mark:

Yes I have good pics of the 1LE baffling. Will post tomorrow or monday. PS - my car is finally almost done!!

 

im curious...

 

Hi,

Long time not chat. Glad to hear the car is coming along. Email some pictures of it ... I like to see it.

Mark.

 

Here it is...

This tank came out of a 1989 1LE Firestone Firehawk race car. As you can see, the "special baffling" consisted of no more than just a plastic box with holes in the sides and bottom. The double-sided fuel sock at the bottom of the pick-up sat in the box.

 

and another of the baffle. I broke it slightly by pulling out the pick-up improperly.

 

and one of the pick-up...

 

and a final one of the pick-up...

 

very useful pics. glad i got a tank with baffles my 88 would strave in the turns.

 

Very interesting.

I would have thought the baffle might have been a steel part, but I had heard they tried many different plastic "containers" before they got one that was "good enough".

- Is the fuel pump different? (Larger?)
- Does the fuel pump "swing" or does the larger socks just pick up the fuel?
- The sending unit must be different to fit in the baffle?

Mark.

 

All very good questions...

As I said, this is a very early 1LE tank so perhaps they ultimately used steel for the baffle?
The pick-up did not swing in this version - I assume the larger sock was also an early solution.
As far as the fuel pump itself, I would imagine that it is far from "stock" as we always tried to get the most fuel pressure back then for more HP.

Hope this helps.

 

I have a 89 formula 350 and it has this same baffle in it...The car is not a1LE but did have every other performance option.
I also have a tank from a 91-2 305 A4 GTA and it has the same thing in it, hope that helps..Of all the tanks I have pulled I have never seen a swinging pickup..maybe I'm just not lucky

 

Hey Mark hows it going? I figured sooner or later I would bump into you on a forum. I will get that CASC book copied this week. That should clear up who I ma ;-)

Anyway I had the tank off my 89 1LE and I think it had a swinging pick up and the plastic tub as well as some steel baffling inside but I have no pics sorry.

 

Hmmm, I got a 20th Anniversary TA 1989 with the 1LE tank etc and I know this is mentioned in the brochure and also a slightly larger tank as well.... anyway I replaced my fuel pump a year ago or so and had the tank out of the car and what I remember there where defenitly not a plastic baffle could been a metal one but not sitting that high as your pictures show. I had not problem getting the sender unit in and out of the tank ..... by the way you don't have spare sender unit you like to part with if so drop me a PM.

 

The more I think about this I am pretty sure there were small trap doors in steel baffle walls just outside the right and left edges of the plastic tub so the fuel would only go into the pick up area and not out. I wish I took some pics now. To make matters worse I had two tanks and scrapped one cause it was rusty. Doh!

 

All the later cars got the baffled tank. I still haven't seen anything to prove that 1LE's have 18 gallon tanks that are specifically baffled for those cars.

I've experianced full starvation in an 89 RS TBI car, but never in either my 91 Formula 5.7 or my 91 Firebird 3.1. The 3.1 has the exact same baffle as shown in this thread. It also had the same sock.

 

2 questions.

Can anyone with a 1le car confirm the 18gallon tank?

and 2, is there either aftermarket company that produces swinging fuel sender units?

 

1LE cars (at least the 20th Anniversary Trans Am) never got a 18 gallon tank, this been discussed on and off and everyone seems to agree GM never got around putting a 18 gallon tank in them but they did tell marketing about it so it's in the marketing material :-)

 

Reading the tech sheets from the players series, the swinging fuel pickup allowed access to 20% more fuel. And if you take a 15 gallon tank, 20% more equals 18. This is one possibility where the 18 gallon tank rumour came from.

Also if you compare US gallon and Imperial gallon. An imperial gallon is 18.2% larger. The 15 gallon tank is measured in imperial gallons ... not a US gallon, hence the US cars do have an 18 US gallon tank. Again, this could be a source of where the mystery 18 gallon number came from. Also supports the statement from people that have put more than 15 US gallons into their car.

In all the technical sheets I have ... all of which is from GM, I have no reference to an 18 gallon tank, rather just many instances of the 15 gallon tank.

Now this is not to say that GM or other parties did not make one. I'm sure they looked at ways to increase the fuel capacity. I know of race prep that did heavy mods to the tanks to increase capacity without changing the tank.

Mark.

 

I'm starting to believe that the "swinging" fuel pump doesn't exist either, for the simple fact that I've looked for the better part of the past month and have come up with nothing to prove that it exists.

Maybe a larger sock was the only difference..

 

There is a different part number for the sending unit (which is the whole thing except the fuel pump). The fuel pump is a different number as well.

There was another thread where the person had the pickup out of the tank and a part number. Do a search and see if you can find it. It was only a month or so ago.

He would be the one to ask if the pickup actually swings.

MArk.

 

Does any one know how or where to get a baffled tank, 15 or 18 gal.??

Was the sending unit different in the 1LE to accommodate the baffle than the base tanks other than the dual sided sock?

Thanks

 

They're all 16 gallons, there is no 18 gallon. And all 89's and up (or 90 and up?) have the baffled tank, so get one of those. The only one you can get new from the dealer is the baffled tank, as well.
Sending unit is the same, as far as I know.

 

It must be 90's on up as I certainly didn't have the baffle in my late-production 1989 when I replaced the pump last spring, what an awful job that was.....

 

Just replaced my fuel pump and the inside of my tank is wide open no baffles.
1988 t/a 5.7
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wow how did I get into this old thread much less resond to it....honey I need another beer

 

I wish this myth would die.....I've had a 90 & 92...Changed pumps in both myself.....neither one had a baffled tank.

The only explanation I can come up with, it was part of the 1LE & B4C package, because I know those got them.

 

Here's an article I clipped years ago. It's by no means to be gospel. It just adds to the controversy and might be of some use. I find the part number list to be the most useful.

 

Continued.....