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I have first hand experience having worn full Nomex fire suits. When I was a kid, I raced a Jr. Dragster with a methanol burning engine. Rules required a full Nomex suit, gloves, neck restraint, hand restraint and full face helmet since I had 2 gallons of methanol directly behind my back. Waiting for your turn to go, you can get pretty roasty and sweaty but I know what bad burns are like and so does my dad and a few other racer friends. When we raced NHRA pro mod, we had to wear a double layer Nomex suit, full Nomex underwear (including headsock), racing shoes with flame resistant overboot, race gloves with full pitards. The car even had onboard fire suppression bottles. You end up looking like a puffed up spaceman and in the summer, it about roasts you to death with that layer of protection but again better than severe burns. A lot of guys have the water cooled vests they put on under the suit that circulate ice water to cool you.
I have seen fire make a persons skin drip off their meat. You don't want to be burned like that! My dad had 2nd & 3rd degree burns on his left arm from a shop fire. The same thing can happen in a race car.
In your case, I would run SFI approved braided line and as many AN fittings as possible and absolutely without fail, change to an SFI approved fuel cell. I'm surprised thats not mandatory. Being seated that close to the fuel, I would get yourself a single layer nomex race suit. They are more comfortable and lighter today than when I wore one and can be had for reasonable costs. Check Jegs & Summit for racing suits. And a light color goes a long way towards being cooler. Also, they have or you can make a cool vest/shirt for less that you pre-soak if you need extra cooling. If you just zip off the jacket between heats, its not too bad.
Feel free to ask!
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