anybody have any info on how to build a fuel tank?

[double R]

...for a jeep by the way, with filler neck. is it as straight forward as making a box or some kind of bent sheet metal with plates on the end. thanks

[Scott V]

How ever you bend it,make sure you put some baffles inside to make the whole thing stronger.The sheetmetal shop I go to doesn't make gas tanks, only water ones! Then if you use it for something else it's your problem.


I would bend it in two pieces,and just weld up as needed.A decent shop will know the right way to bend it, so it is easy to weld up.I would tig weld it if I was you.16 gauge mild steel would be very easy to weld up.Stainless would even be better,considering all the water in the fuel you buy nowadays.

[Sberry]

Have the fab shop bend 2 pcs in U shapes that fit together to make a box. It eleminates a bunch of welds, distortion and makes it easy to assemble.
Whoops,, didnt see Scotts post.

[Scott V]

Sberry27,you said it better than I did anyway.

[morpheus]

I'd put in a recessed part for a sump if you off-road the jeep.

- jack

[Sberry]

We weld fuel tanks with wire all the time. I like to tack up well and the grind the tacks up. I start the weld in between the tacks and run over them. It also helps with distortion.

[Paychk]

I used to fabricate gas tanks 20 years ago.

The way we did it back then was to us 12 gauge sheet metal and MIG weld all the seams. One of the long sides of the tank had the main seam and it was a 1” overlap of the metal, welded in and out. Then depending on the size it had 1 or 2 baffles inside. Baffles had 1.5” of each corner cut at a 45-degree angle and welded to all 4 sides of the tank. Then the ends were installed. Be sure to have an opening located some were, so pressure can vent will welding, we usually had the filler neck installed to accomplish this or at least had the opening cut for it. Sealing the inside against corrosion was done with a lime green/yellow compound that generated considerable pressure when sloshed around. This stuff would seep out the tiniest imperfection and show the leak, it also glued any manufacturing debris down so it wouldn’t get sucked up the gas siphon tube. The problem is I don’t know what it was, I never asked, I know it had a lot of MEK by the smell of it.

[metal tech]

Eastwood has a liquid coating for inside gas tanks. I've never used it so I can't say how good/bad it works. You could send Transfer Flow an email asking what they use inside their tanks. McMaster Carr probably has something that would work, they have just about everything else, they are the Big Kids toy store.

Al

[Scott V]

I think the stuff for the gas tank,that was green was made by Sherwin Williams.I think they held the patent on the stuff at one time.3M use to make some awsome stuff,but I haven't seen it in years.I still have some glued to my tool box,and it won't come off.BMW motorcycles have used something similar for many years(about thirty years or so).

[double R]

if possible, can someone post drawings, a picture or a sketch diagram?thanks...

[Franz]

Filler necks, there are junkyards across America full of them. If you know a guy making his living by scrapping cars you can usually get all of them you want for free. I've epoxyed a few of them into the necks of stainless beer and wine barrels for portable gas tanks. (don't ask)