Fuel tank for Fad

I have bit my lip and decided to start on the fuel tank.
The idea of a 5 sided tank that forms to a star at each end has been in my mind since day 1. This is the last big project (except for the top which will wait until the T has done some miles) to get the car on the road.
First step is to make up a card mock up so I have templates to cut the steel sheet from. 2mm thick in my case. There will be 2 off 5 sided internal bulkheads with holes for the fuel to move through. I wanted these at each end of the center section to stop fuel slop.
So with my templates made and mocked up in to one end of the tank I will be borrowing a friends workshop to cut fold and tack it all together.
All the marking out was done with a couple of rulers, a compass and a basic knowledge of drawing. Course you could just print these out from a drawing package on your PC but I like to do it the old fashion way just to keep the brain alive.




Gerry

 

holy cow Gerry. That's a very ambitious project. if I understand correctly, there will be at least 4 major weld seams (if you're VERY good with a brake), plus the lengthwise one, fittings and cap? that should keep you busy for a wile. how many gallons do you figure that will hold?

Russ

 

Hi Russ.
Going to make the center section in one strip and bend it. Only 4 panels though. The 5 th panel will be the bottom and mount so its going to be in 5mm thick plate. Each end section will then be welded on 3 sides. Then there is the ends. I still have to work out the mount to the chassis and how to run 4 pipes into it. Feed, return and breather along with another breather for the reserve tank which is going in the rear corner of the body. This will be made out of 3mm minimum plate.
Total capacity should be around 7 UK gallons. which is about 10 US I think.
I will tack all the joints but get a friend to do the finished welding because I am planning to have it brass plated.
Should keep me busy
G

 

Wow Gerry, that is going to be to cool! Hope you can get it to the states or I can get to England to see that in person! Somehow I just don't think pictures can do that car justice.

 

You are all welcome, if you make it to England
Be sure to let me know if your coming.

Keys are waiting for the old guys. Sorry young uns I ve been there and I know what its like to play. I broke a few of my friends toys in the past.. Bad boy... Aghhhhhhhhhh
Gerry

 

Yooooooooooo Gerr, Well you said you were going to get carried away with a fuel tank, that is a good one, should look wild, I will say that... Good luck, don't get in any type of hurry... Are you going to keep all the fuel lines to the top side? this will lessen any chance of leakage causing any big problems... more or less like any stock tank, for a reserve you could use a long and a shorter pickup tube, kinda like a VW system...

 

Ted
I have waited till im in the right mood to do this bit. I am going to mirror the diff mount pad so it hold the tank from underneath but looks the same. All the plumbing will be inside this mount and hidden.
The reserve will be an additional tank inside the body at the rear corner. This allows me to feed the EFI return to the main tank and use it like a swirl tank. Then there is a feed to the little resrve on and out to the fuel pump.
I am also going to use a fuel sender in the main tank which when it shows empty will mean that I have around 1.5 gallons left to find a gas station.
I will aslo 'bladder' the main tank with some polymer to add an additional safety feature.
Pic shows the mock up of the reserve tank in the back corner of the body. It will be made of 3mm plate (at least)

Looks like the pic will not load
Will try again later

Gerry

 

Today I turned up the mount for the fuel gauge sender unit. This will sit in the back lower section of the middle of the tank. I think I can ,make up a cover to hide all the bits and wiring. The sender itself has had to be shortened past the point that its capable of but this will give me a top to bottom swing on the float.
Sorry but for some reasons the last 2 days i have not been able to upload any pics.
http://s1137.photobucket.com/albums/n504/15fad/Yella fella build/

first try at a link to photobucket

Gerry

 

I have just uploaded a vid on the same link as above. Its not good but I can now see how to do it
Gerry

 

Wow mate that will look awesome on the rear of the car. Correct me if I am wrong but did you say you are making the tank out of flat bronze sheet???

 

Thanks
Making it out of steel which will be brass plated.
G

 

Turned up the filler neck today. It should end up looking like the rad neck. Going to use the old 4 finned rad cap as a filler cap.



Gerry

 

When did you paint the frame and body a different colour than yello ?

 

Oh
If you are looking at the mock up of the tank on the T in the first picture, that was before I painted it yella. The mock up was made from fiber board and just shot from a can with a yellow I had hanging around. Must have been last year sometime.
Body and frame were in black for many years while it 'matured'. I think that a hot rod term for ....
out of money, out of time, family stuff, and career. Would use one of those little yellow animated things here but dont know how to do it..

G

 

Just a trial to see if the pic is too big

G

 

Today I started on the sheet work for the fuel tank. Its made out of 2mm thick MS sheet. I chose that thickness because I wanted something substantial and would resist distortion when I welded it.
Started with the center section which will have a 6mm thick base to mount on the pad from the chassis. Took 3 goes to get it right but its a long time since I did any sheet work and I forgot the bend allowances. Never mind worked out right in the end. Moved on to the ends. Had to cut to shape and then bend to the right angle so they will form a star at each end. This is where the card template comes in handy. Its a breeze to compare the metal to the card.
Next step is to prepare the base plate for the pipework before welding it in and fitting the bulkheads. I am putting a bulkhead at each end of the center section to stop fuel slop and make the whole thing stronger.
Hope pics show a days work.





G

 

Over the weekend I have been making more bits for the tank. Next step is to weld in the fitting for the internal pipework - breather, return and feed. Once this has been done I can weld the baffles to the middle section and then move to the ends. Final bit is to put on the stars and he presto we have a fuel tank. Now Im getting worried about the capacity so a rethink on the extra tank in the bottom corner of the body. Mr Kinsler says with the map they did I should be looking at 20 plus on light throttle and a long run, Hope is is right otherwise I need to plan my trips around gas stations.Not that i care about that, cause this has got to look right. Vanity is a real pain sometimes.



Gerry

 

WOW thats about all I got. I am really looking forward to the end product.

 

Update on the fuel tank.
Started on the internal for the middle section. As you can see I have the breather and return pipe welded in. Next I made a small hole where the filler tube is going to allow the breather to poke through. Moved on to cutting out the hole for the fuel sender and tacked in the boss that i turned up a few weeks ago. Cut and bent the sender float arm so it goes to to bottom. Well almost to the top. More to come before its welded up.

Gerry