Fuel Cell

[Team Slammer]

Hi all, just a few questions i cant find answers to. Im looking at building a smaller fuel tank for my 88 diesel hilux as it will be for competition use only.
Im thinking about a 30 litre tank situated on the passenger side under the tray.
My questions are, has anyone done this before and could supply tips or trouble spots.
If i make it the same depth as original can i reuse filler and level sender
I would be using stainless and tig welding at work, will it have to be treated with any chemicals prior to filling with diesel.
And my last question will it be worth all the trouble just to distribute
wait on the ute and save a bit of space.

[Mick.]

You can buy fuel cells pretty cheap off ebay in all shapes and sizes with sender units already installed. I paid about $500 delivered to my door for a 60 litre one. For those sort of prices I don't know whether i'd bother making one.

Cheers Mick.

[Team Slammer]

i trying to build this comp truck on a budget by building as much as possible,and being an apprentice money is tight and may aswell utilise skills im learning.

[DamTriton]

i trying to build this comp truck on a budget by building as much as possible,and being an apprentice money is tight and may aswell utilise skills im learning.

A fuel tank is not something I would cut corners on, nor would it be a safe thing to "practice" on.

[Team Slammer]

ill have plenty of boilermakers on hand if i need someone to do the welding, can all so get it pressure tested at work. No different to me building the exo cage or all the under carriage

[fat496]

Go for it, Slammer. What have you got to lose. all it's going to cost you is a bit of materials (just find them at work ) and some time. If you don't try it you'll never learn. Get one of the tradies to check it over after you're done and you'll be fine.

[coxy321]

Correct me if i'm wrong, but dont fuel cells have to comply with a list of standards for road use and a seperate additional list if used in a motorsport application??

Although simple enough, a fuel tank/cell is definately NOT something worth saving some coin on.

[chimpboy]

And my last question will it be worth all the trouble just to distribute wait on the ute and save a bit of space.

Possibly not; how big is the standard fuel tank?

[fat496]

Correct me if i'm wrong, but dont fuel cells have to comply with a list of standards for road use and a seperate additional list if used in a motorsport application??

I'm not trying to be a smart arse here, but essentially everything we build for our trucks has to comply with a list of standards for road or comp use. just because there are rules that must be followed does not mean that we have to buy everything already made.
Why is a fuel cell (especially diesel) regarded to be any more dangerous than say doing a cut and turn on a front diff, or putting a new set of seats in a cab, or doing a body lift

[coxy321]

Correct me if i'm wrong, but dont fuel cells have to comply with a list of standards for road use and a seperate additional list if used in a motorsport application??

I'm not trying to be a smart arse here, but essentially everything we build for our trucks has to comply with a list of standards for road or comp use. just because there are rules that must be followed does not mean that we have to buy everything already made.
Why is a fuel cell (especially diesel) regarded to be any more dangerous than say doing a cut and turn on a front diff, or putting a new set of seats in a cab, or doing a body lift

Do the standards for diesel and petrol fuel cells differ at all?

Clearly there is a big difference between the two fuels as far as volatility goes, however i don't know if there would be "petrol specific" or "diesel specific" cells due to the small difference in cost savings in manufacturing.

[want33s]

Wouldn't it be a whole lot easier to just cut the original tank in half?

[dank]

go down to the wreckers and find something smaller that can suit your needs. probably work out cheaper and safer than building your own.

something out of a small hatchback etc will work and will be cheap.

[muppet_man67]

go down to the wreckers and find something smaller that can suit your needs. probably work out cheaper and safer than building your own.

something out of a small hatchback etc will work and will be cheap.

I dont see why people seem to think fuel tanks are such a difficut thing to custom build. Its easy enough to source senders, gauges etc. They are relatively simple devices. Probbably simple formulas for expanding/head room etc. One thing youll learn quickly in the 4wd comunity is to take advice with a grain of salt, if I had a dollar for everytime I've been told, "cant be done mate"

[coxy321]

No one is saying that "it can't be done", just stating that for safety's sake, saving such a small amount of money might not be worth the risk.

[AFeral]

Saving money would be one side of things. The pride of building something yourself, priceless. Good to see a apprentice applying his new skills to something he enjoys. Most of the materials can proberly be sourced from work buy just asking.
Good luck building your tank look foward to seeing the pictures

[macca81]

No one is saying that "it can't be done", just stating that for safety's sake, saving such a small amount of money might not be worth the risk.

but if he is gunna do it anyway, why not give him some advice on how to do it safely rather than letting him run into it blindly??

[dank]

go down to the wreckers and find something smaller that can suit your needs. probably work out cheaper and safer than building your own.

something out of a small hatchback etc will work and will be cheap.

I dont see why people seem to think fuel tanks are such a difficut thing to custom build. Its easy enough to source senders, gauges etc. They are relatively simple devices. Probbably simple formulas for expanding/head room etc. One thing youll learn quickly in the 4wd comunity is to take advice with a grain of salt, if I had a dollar for everytime I've been told, "cant be done mate"

I'm more so for "why reinvent the wheel?" - There are so many options sitting ready and waiting for bargain prices, unless you enjoy building stuff and really want to have a go at it yourself I'd be buying something that has already been built and had the homework done for you.

But each to their own, if you build one show us your handiwork!

[Team Slammer]

thanks for all your input, as for material i will be getting some from my work,
the tank will not cost me a cent just some time. going to source material this week, also trying to find a few plans on the net concerning baffles to prevent to much sloshing around of diesel. My original plan was to move my old tank to the passenger side or width ways behind whole of cab.