I am wondering how difficult it is to make a fuel cell/tank ? I looked in the tech archives and didn't come up with any . Has anybody done it ? I guess my big question is , using either steel or aluminum , is it possible to mig weld a tank and not have a big mess ? How bad would the welds leak and could it be sealed inside with tank sealer and work OK ? I'm having a shitload of trouble trying to find a ready made cell/tank to fit where I want and really don't have the cash for a custom made one . Let's hear from those who have done it/tried it . Thanks .
I am a sheetmetal worker by profession. When it finally came time to make a tank for 56NoBrakes 29 A I made one outta stainless. I broke it up on my employer's cornice brake and tig welded the seams. I won't BS you, if you want something custom made to fit the space available it is a lot of work. Just like you, we wanted something to maximize the tank capacity in the little space available so no premade tank would work. If you do choose to make one be SURE you put baffles in the tank. Joe
I don't have access to a tig or a brake so there would be more welded seams than I would like and they would be mig welded . In your experienced opinion Joe , do you think it's worth trying given my being limited to a mig and would it be better with steel or aluminum ? Thanks for the info .
I had a tank made out of steel to fit in the kick of my model a Rpu chassis... it was Mig welded and pressure tested.... There was a baffle added as well...
Have made a number of them over the years as well. Joe's advice is sound. Overall I like stainless as it forms and welds easier (for me). 304/316 .060 makes a great tank. Be sure to add at least one baffle; 2 if the shape/size allow.
Its not a thing of beauty but it held 15 gal and the pic showes it going in its 2nd car. Two brakes and mig welded 14 ga steel.
yeah ive made a couple out of stainless, that stuff is hard on tooling if your not careful. joe and gearhead bills adivce is good stuff. personally im going to make my next one out of aluminum and see how it goes, i would not recomend mig welding cause i can only imagine youd increase your chances of having leaks, pressure test everything before you put fuel in it, obviously. i only pump them up to like 10 psi and spray it all with windex. find someone locally whos got a brake and save yourself a ton of hassles.
chucksdart, you can still build a tank without a brake or tig welder. If you choose something like 18ga mild steel you should be able to brake it over a bench, door jamb, etc. If you want a radius then use a plumbing pipe, welding gas bottle, etc. Like I mentioned, use your imagination. Obviously mild steel has the opportunity to rust should there be some moisture in the tank. It looks like you live in Missouri, humid there? Okay, then there is lots of moisture in the air. There are a lot of tank sealers on the market for old tanks that need help. If you find one that is genuine (as opposed to a scam) then sealing a new tank should be easy. As far a mig welding, if your skills are low then lots of wire brushing to look for pinholes will be in your future. Get your seams as tight as possible, IMHO, run the heat up on the welder and maximize your penetration. Oh yeah, like everyone else is mentioning, baffles dude!! If your tank is as wide as the car then I recommend two baffles. If you are going to mount a sending unit you will also need to make a steel ring for a reinforcement under the sending unit. Remember to do this before you weld up all the sides of the tank. PM me if you have questions when you are welding it up especially if you need a speedy reply. Joe
Chuck....its too easy to make to not do it. Mig em up and do a little clean up grinding. You may need to spot a few weepers. Sending unit plate is easy too. Good luck!!!!!
Thanks a lot guys . Looks like I'm making a fuel tank ! I always get great advice here from guys that know what they are talking about .Joe, I'll shoot you a pm if I get hung up . Chuck
Chuck: save yourself a lot of cutting and welding by taking your material to a shop and have it cut and bent, then you can weld it up. I have made quite a few Stainless tanks,( 2 in Great 8 Cars). If you go with Stainless cutting it will be a challenge.I cut mine at work on a laser and bend at work also. Gary
What they said... ... I absolutely agree, do NOT try to make it out of 6 pieces of metal. Take the raw material to a shop and have them bend as much of it as you can...a lot less welding would be involved. I have a mig and a tig and I personally would not hesitate to mig a tank together. One other thought is to purchase a tank from something and modify it to fit your car. Some drag cars get the orginal tank narrowed when the rear frame rails are brought closer together for tire clearance. Just remember that the old tank must be prepped correctly if it ever held fuel in it before you weld. One simple way to clean the tank of fumes etc is to (this really works, I've done it myself) run a hose from the exhaust of a car into the tank that needs prepping, start the car and let the engine for a while. The exhaust from the running engine rids the tank of any fumes etc. Oh, and before you start welding get your wife to drop a lit match into the tank to verify it is ready (you can replace a woman, you can't replace yourself....God I hope my wife doesn't read this) You aren't still reading this are you????? Get out there and do it
After some thought, I should add that the correct way to clean a gas tank that has had fuel in it is to take it to a rad shop and have them boil it out. I personally have taken an old tank, emptied the tank of any raw fuel, rinsed it out with soapy water and then connected the tank to the exhaust of a running car. The exhaust should enter the tank at the sender hole and it will have an escape through the filler neck (or vice-versa). This does work...I personally have done it. But you must PROCEED WITH CAUTION AND AT YOUR OWN RISK...just because it worked for me does not mean it will work for you. And I highly recommend sealing the tank even if it doesn't have leaks. Baffles are an absolute must.
I'm not big on welding on old tanks no matter what so I'd vote for making one new. Try this. Mock one up out of cardboard so that you get the dimensions right. Then sit down and draw up a set of plans complete with baffles and the backup ring for the fuel gauge sender. Then go to your friendly sheet metal shop and have them cut and bend the pieces you need and then haul it home and weld it up. Make sure you figure out where your fuel outlet is going to be before you weld up the tank. Most states now require that the fuel pickup goes through the top of the tank and not the bottom or near the bottom. If you use a factory fuel sender/pickup unit there is no problem.
Okay, after reading some comments I will add and agree. As stated above, I mocked up the stainless A tank with cardboard. It's a WHOLE lot cheaper and easier to cut than metal. Secondly, being employed by a sheetmetal shop I would also highly recommend paying one to cut and break your tank wrapper, end caps and baffles for you. If you can swing the jingle to pay them it will make your tank soooo much nicer looking. Then you can take it home, weld it up and still tell people you designed and built it.
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