DansBlkonBlkZ06

I'm putting in a fire suppression system this winter. Does anyone have some photos on their install? Where is the best place to put the extinguisher as well as the pull handle? Where is the best location to go through the front with the tubing? Any DIY threads out there? Thanks for any suggestions.

davidfarmer

the main goal of a small system is to protect the DRIVER, not the car. You only get a few seconds of spray, so don't go crazy covering the engine bay and fuel tanks with a bunch of nozzles, or the driver will get nothing.

they usually come with soft aluminum tubing that is easily cut and bent. You can mount the bottle in the passenger floor, or in the back, totally up to you and your weight needs. It's really not a complicated process

MySR71

I have the big system (5.0 liter) from ESS Fire. It is the double pull handle mechanical system with an aluminum tank. I didn't do the install but here's a few pictures.

The tank is located behind the roll hoop and rear cage support bars.


One pull handle is on the dash so the driver can reach it. The dash panel where the pull handle is mounted in made of metal.


The other pull handle is accessible through the passenger's side window. I was hoping that this handle could be mounted on the same pad as the electric kill switch but the cable wouldn't really route there. That's one of the downsides of the mechanical systems. The cables are harder to route and offer fewer options.


My system has four nozzles. The driver, over the transmission, and two to the engine bay.

Driver


Engine bay




One other thing to note, which may not be a problem in SC, is that the ESS Fire system uses AFFF which has a lot of water in the tank. Since I am in Michigan and my garage gets below freezing in the winter, I have to remove the tank each winter.

There's some more pictures from different people here:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/auto...e-mounted.html

WNeal

run the tube through the fire wall where all you main electrical comes through. There should be a rubber seal that easily penetrated.

Zip ties will be your friend. After making sure the bottle is nice and secure, the rest of the install is very easy

BERETTA

Mine came with 6 nozzles, so I put 3 on me and 3 on the engine.

travisnd

I went with the Spa Technique 4.0 AFFF system from OG Racing. It has 6 nozels and two mechanical pulls... hope I never have to test it. I put one nozzel on the rear diff/trans, one on my feet/legs, one on my torso and 3 on the engine bay. Since I have the HVAC unit and dash out of the car I was able to use one of the pre-existing holes in the firewall that was on the right center. It was where one of the attachment studs for the HVAC unit had passed through; worked perfectly. The brackets for the nozzels are just aluminum flat-bar you can get at most any home improvement store. I used a combination of nutserts, rivets and nut/bolts it install them depening on what worked best for the area they were in.

Driver's side pull


Passenger side pull


Bottle mount


Rear diff/trans nozzel


Feet/legs/torso nozzel


Engine bay nozzels

RacePro Engineering

Dan,

Based on your question, it sounds like you are a ways away from actual racing, but here is something to keep in mind:

SCCA (and I am certain, other sanctioning bodies as well) has some fairly specific rules about the placement of spray nozzles, based on how many the system has. For instance, the halon system in our ITE car has 4 nozzles, and two MUST be directed at the driver, and at least one MUST be directed at the motor.

If you ever plan on racing, doing it according to the regs right at the start could save some time later.

A bottle of a fire supression system has significant weight, so placing it as low as possible in the cockpit is never a bad thing.

Ed

rmackintosh

This....driver is #1, #2 and #3 options....goal is to get you out....let the corner workers save the car!

yooper