6cstevec,
go to hfecell.info this new site is easier to find the information on, the attachments and file downloads cant be seen unless you register, free, and the same or better info.
The pdf gives a basic dry cell assembly and construction, you just take your available materials and make changes that will work with what you have or can buy. The fill & gas holes are important as to their placement, top for gas, bottom for fill, DUH! you say, well a centered hole along a flat top line will cause gas to cover a top portion of the plates, reducing effective production area, while gas fills the area looking for an escape. Place the holes so that rising gas finds the hole easily.
The seals or gaskets should be as narrow as possible so they cover the least amount of plate area, again you don't want to cover gas production area unnecessarily.
You can place bolt holes in the plates and seals to keep everything aligned, and insulated, but they take up precious plate area too. Placing bolts alongside the plates with insulator covering takes more planning, and can help align the plates if placed correctly, and close enough to the seals and plates.
My design in the pdf isn’t the only shape to use, look at it, redesign it, improve it, it’s your skills that determine the final outcome.
I’m running a similar one, with a +-+- config using 22 plates, with 1/32 gasket material from Advanced Auto Parts and .010 SS from Fastenal (302 SS, the same material as on your car for SS parts), and end frame plates from scrap 1/2″ Acrylic material from our local hockey arena. It pulls 45A in brute force using tap water and puts out 2 l/min. The reservoir is a 2 gal lawn tractor gas tank with added fittings and internal bubbler.
The electric connections can be a problem, but with a little forethought, you can adapt them any way you want and with many different type connectors. My first one, I used as a last resort, because I didn’t think that part thru, 14 gauge wire, wrapped (zig-zagged) around the terminals in a figure 8 pattern, with a connector for power, soldered to the ss, and yes I know ss doesn’t soldier, but the soldier does stick to the copper and flows thru the holes I drilled in the tabs to make secure connections.
Hope this helps.
