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Hi Andrew, Both the Mazda rally cars that used to be in the family had their armour sheathed fuel lines through the inside. Supply and return(injected). They were also both road registered and warranted and used on the road, but that is here in NZ.
Cheers Ian A
I'm no expert, but I'll tell you what I have been told on the subject. The fuel lines are run outside the vehicle for safety reasons. If there is a severe collision and the fuel lines are ruptured, it is much safer to have the fuel lost onto the pavement rather than to the interior. The other reason given to me was that the fuel line connections may leak a bit over time, and again, it is safer to have the fuel leak to the exterior further from the passengers.
That does not address why Ian had an interior fuel line. It may be due to regulations in a country that the Stags were intended to be exported to (if not the regulation in the UK). I can tell you that in the US, I have never seen fuel lines on an interior, they are always on the exterior, including trucks, which are not considered passenger vehicles. If it was due to regulations, it makes more sense for the manufacturer to standardize design and make all the same, regardless of destination.
My understanding is that rally cars ran them inside to protect against damage from rocks etc. however the interior of a rally car is totally different to a road car, exposed flooring, roll cage, fire extinguisher system, etc.
On my old MR2's the fuel tank sat between the driver and passenger seat. I guess that if there were an impact so severe as to damage a component between the seats along the centre tunnel that the persons in the car wouldn't be worried about it anymore. I guess that having the fuel lines outside will ensure, however, that any fuel escaping will find its way quickly to the hot exhaust boxes or cat!
As Koy 23 says, our rally cars have fuel lines running inside the car, but there are specific bulkhead connections etc installed to allow this.
Personally I think it is ok on a rally car for previously mentioned reasons, but I wouldn't install them inside on my own cars.
PS, I don't know many rally cars which run with inertia cut out switches because they can tend to trip unintentionally going through forest stages. We had a couple oh Honda cars which were delivered with switches still installed and they did trip, bizarely on the same stretch of forest in the same rally, 3 years apart.........twilight zone perhaps
Unless you are 1000% confident you will never have any leaks I would route them on the outside. Petrol vapour is extremely dangerous, especially in a confined space.
Steve
Our thought was the flow and return pipes 'could' go thro' the rear bulk head,cross the area below the folding hood, down thro' the B pillar, along the lhs of passenger seat(closed in) and our thro' front bulk head. The only join in the pipe being in the boot and under the bonnet. More thought needed maybe...
I have one thing I don't like about running fuel lines inside..
If there is any leak/seepage or any fumes escape at all, and if in a confined space, it will build up.
In a car, you'll have underfelt and carpets to absorb fumes.
Therefore it is better to run the line under the car ie open air.
Rally car or any race prepared car will have a bare inside shell, usually just painted.
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