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Custom fuel tank

Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 8:26 pm
by bubs
Who here has made a custom fuel tank, what material did you use and how did you baffle it.

I need to make one to fit in the new project of mine.

Buddy

Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 9:48 pm
by just cruizin'
Depending on how you what to mount it and where it will be. Isolated with no torsional forces, 2 - 3mm ally would be ok. Or if you're mounting it to the chassis thus inducing it to flex 1.6 - 2mm mild steel would be the go.

If you've got access to autocad I'll see if I can dig up a rough drawing for some I've designed and email them. Drop me a PM if you want.

Greg

Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 11:56 pm
by awill4x4
All the tanks we've made in the past have been aluminium, the mimimum thickness we use is 2.5mm and preferably 3mm. We use 5005 grade as it's less prone to cracking and work hardening than say 5052. All the internal baffles are made with folded edges which allow a little movement and don't crack compared those that are just a square cut and then welded up to the tank shell.
We always try to use straps to hold the tank in place over brackets as brackets will crack over time. If straps are impossible we weld a "doubler" plate on the tank shell and weld brackets to the doubler plate then if there's a failure it will tear from the plate and not the tank shell itself.
For fuel pickups we generally try to pick up fuel from the top of the tank with a tube going to the bottom of the tank internally. You're far less likely to tear a hose off from the top than if you had your fuel pickup at the bottom.
Regards Andrew.

Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 2:00 am
by ISUZUROVER
Haven't made any myself but have had a few made. They were roughly 900x450x450 (lxwxh), 1.6mm steel, two baffles (equally spaced along longest dimension), pickup from top.

Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 3:18 pm
by LTDHO
What is the cost? I wouldn't mide a slightly wider one in the vit.