Gas tank fab - Tech Week

[FHK13]

so what do you do with a tank that has shit stuck in it? ie scuff pad and random newspaper crap.
you section it and make it a frisco to accomidate for the section you take out of it.
plus fuck a buncha wassels. and untill now i havent run into anyone with a sectioned sporty. just wait youll see more.

tank with 2inch strip cut out then welded in small sections to prevent warpage. used to weld that way for door handles and roof sections so i figured it would be safe.
side not clean each weld before welding to existing weld.

after cutting out the tunnel youll notice that the gap is larger than the top due to tunnel width being wider than section pulled out of the top.

simply just grind the bottom edges off to seperate the sheets

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please note the edge before the metal lets go

after knocking out the bottom with a grinder place the tank on a flat sheet to see what you have to trim to make the bottom level.

notice from heat the paint peeled right off exposing primer

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using the sheet as a level surface i placed the sharpe flat and traced it around the bottom to get the extra that needed to be trimmed

note excess taken off and crappy picture showing how level the bottom is

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using the same method as before trace the shape of the outside of the new tank dimesions

cut out the shape desired insuring that it fits to the orginal designed for.

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weld new bottom to sides as pictured below. yet again i used the sparatic weld method that i used to avoid warping


grind welds flush and visualy check for pinholes. the only reason there should be pinholes is from impuritys in the welds or a dirty weld (not exact name)

[FHK13]

now addressing the ferked up hole for the filler neck, i just cut a square shape out of shit i had laying around and traced it on top of the tank so i could cut out crap hole left

then welding and grinding away.
using the same method for the front were i had to cut out the tabs.
the only difference is having to bend it manually to fit the shape of the front. ie knee or some fucks face.

weld in place and grind

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i had a buddy hold the tank for approximate postion and what kind tabs i wanted to make

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now for tabs, I made a centerline and got a width that was needed to weld to the bottom of the tank.

tabs were simply flat stock layingaround that i drilled mounting holes in then welded to the bottom.

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finding the right petcock ment searching through ace's pressure fittings and valves for a while then finding a threaded steel tube that matched compression fittings.
simply drill a hole and angle cut your steel tubein desired direction then welding to the bottom.

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now that i have a way for fuel to exit but i need to fill it some how. being the extreme angle of the tank the neck needs to be relocated to allow for optimal fuel usage.

cutting a slightly smaller hole then the filler neck insures i have material to join to.

welding on a left over piec of curve from a exhaust build provides for a subtle profile from the side

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next i bondo the tank to get rid of any low spots from slight warpage and grinder marks

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now understand i had a run to the ole strip club next day and it is 0300 already so i sanded enough to make it look decent but not fine enough to hide sanding scratches.
paint provided by walmart regular black krylon fusion satin that i used to touch up a old car.
high mounted bitch on a pole. enjoy fellows and remember when a dick face trys to get over on you by sending you a shitty tank way late and over priced, just hang it on a wall it will come in handy some day.

[todd]

the quest for the non leaking tank continues. kudos kenny. i have your DST tshirt brought them with me last night. but it looks like you had more important things to do. right on

[Big Nick]

sexy

[kd4]

Looks good.

I noticed the mig welder in the background. I thought migging a tank was a no-no b/c it does'nt fuse as good as tig causing pin hole leaks?

Maybe I'm wrong but I swear someone posted that advice before.

It would be nice to get some clarification from some of the better welders on the board, since all I have is a mig.

But still looks good. I hope I did'nt rain on the parade.

[Big Nick]

You can MIG tanks

[FHK13]

awww you didnt piss in my cornflakes any. have to clean welds as much as possible. took 2 hours to plug all the pin holes properly and then pressure test.
tigs are expensive and I suck at my job so they wont give me a raise. mig away my friend seemed to work fine for me.
oh except for the leak on a tab on the bottom due to not properly welding on a tab nut ole shamrox let me use his welder. so all is good.

[FHK13]

Originally Posted by todd

the quest for the non leaking tank continues. kudos kenny. i have your DST tshirt brought them with me last night. but it looks like you had more important things to do. right on

ti i tuesday and the TI showed up???? i love you man my job feels working me late with no extra pay will keep me here. not going to vent on that, not the place or time.

[Ed]

man that looks good. hit it next tuesday. i'm gonna be there.

[KnuckleBuster]

I've MIG welded a bead seating tank we have here at work. It gets filled with about 150 psi. of air then a valve is thrown to release the air and seat tire beads. The tank looks like a smallish propane tank. I haven't had a problem with leaking yet. I just make sure the metal is really clean and that the welder is set up right. I also find that lacing small figure-eights together is a more sure-fire method than just running a straight bead. I think you get better penetration, plus you're working over your weld a little so seal up any pinholes.