Gas Tank: Anyone every made one out of sheetmetal?

What all does it take? I have a limited space behind my spring in the coupe, and I'd like to maximize the space and make a custom tank to fit in there. I've mocked one up with cardboard that fits perfect and is 10 gallons.

I was thinking I could get the sides and top made out of one piece and roll some beads in it for strength and then have some side made as well and weld it up. Would it be that easy? Then add my own drain and filler hole?

Thanks for the help!

 

Baffles.... you need baffles. You can probably get away without them, but when the tank gets low, you'll find those air pockets when you turn.

 

when you say sheetmetal do you mean 18-20 gauge as used in car bodies?i made one once and i believe i use 14 or 16 gauge....more strength and easier to weld

 

I used 16 ga to build the tank for my 38 Chevy coupe. It was 4 pieces. One piece was the front and top with a 90 deg bend, and identical piece was the back and bottom, and each end was a separate piece. I also put two baffles in it which consisted of two pieces identical in size to the ends but with the corners cut off and welded them to the inside about 1/3 of the way in from each end before I welded the ends on. Since I moved the tank from above the floor behind the seat to under the trunk floor (I built a new trunk floor that was raised up so the bottom of the tank is even with the bottom of the frame) I intalled a sealed flush mounted filler neck in the trunk floor and installed a vent in the top of the tank with a check ball.
The baffles gave it enough strength so no beads were needed. Pressured it up with about 5 psi air to check for leaks then sealed the inside with some stuff from Eastwood to be sure.

 

You should make it with aluminum or stainless. You can buy weld in bung fittings from Speedway. Also to measure the fuel capacity, found the cubic inches of the tank and divide by 231.
231 cubic inches = 1 gallon

 

I made mine out of 14 ga. I would use 16 ga next time. Weighs a ton.

 

I made 2 out of 18ga. stainless steel. make the width and top and bottom out of 1 piece. get it bent with someone with a big brake. cost me $10. you only have one seam to weld at the top. make the end pieces as little trays, with a 1/2" lips, put it in the ends backwards and fuse weld the reverse seam, no need for filler rod. I hope you understand what I'am trying to explain. the ends will be 2 flat plates standing on end. little trays as end plates, backwards. add some baffles. It don't have to be stainless.



Ago

 

Here's some drawings that might help, a pretty simple project really.

 

That's what I'm talking about, I'd rather do stainless or aluminum, but I'm on a budget and I can weld steel.

Thanks guys for the info. I think I'll be getting the pieces cut tomorrow or next week for it.

 

I made one out of 18 gauge for a tractor once. Made it about the shape of a suitcase.

 

I did a how-to on making one out of stainless for my F-1 truck. Same deal if it's steel. I showed how to make nice radiused edges in it, to minimize the amount of warpage when welding, and it looks so much better, too!

 

Hey chopolds.... where is this how to??

 

I made a tank in 1974 to fit behind the rear seat of my 31 A Slant window. Within a year I had rust from condensation. Someone in a prior post said to coat it with tank sealer. I totally agree.

Mine on the way back from Memphis in 1975 filled the carbs up with rust flakes from condensation. I cleaned them under an Expressway bridge in Tennessee during a thunderstorm. I had to use the original cowl tank from that point on.

 

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=38970
I checked back and found it!

 

Just remember steel does rust...If ya let the car sit for long periods be sure to have a full tank. The gas we're getting anymore is ****..and with the ethonal in it, well it contains alot of water propertys.

 

That's what I was thinking about doing, Now I need to figure out the vent/pickup part.

Can I weld in a bung on the bottom and run a rubber hose to my solid line on the frame?

 

What about this one? Could you do something with it? It's 36" long, 7.5" tall, and 20" deep if I remember correctly. I think it came off some piece of military spec equipment, and it still has a touch of diesel in it to keep it from rusting. Something like between 20-25 gallons as is if I remember correctly.

Let me know if you're interested. It could be sectioned or something simple if the main dimensions are close to what you need.

 

I'm limited on my space, that's why I'm trying to build one. 8x10x38 is the size I'm looking at building, which is 10 gallons. Thanks GR...

Where do I get a bung for the line?

 

I remember the old man always just looking somewhere like the hardware store and picking up one of those ribbed connectors and just brazing it into whatever tank or container he needed.

I remember him brazing a fitting and pet**** into the bottom of a metal gallon sized Marvel Mystery Oil can so we could use it to meter the flow of used oil over the fire at his shop. Worked so well that when the wind blew from the north, traffic would slow down to go through the smoke cloud!

 

You will need baffles to keep the fuel from sloshing around, but what is even easier and cheap is the ultra low density sponge that summit and jegs sell. Throw a couple of bricks of that in there and you'll have no problems with sloshing fuel

 

made my tank out of 065 aluminum.

 

Man this is the truth. We have made some kick *** looking tanks that fit in the tightest places but can't keep the rust out. A factory gas tank is coated or plated with **** that retards the rusting process. I know this doesn't get a tank in your tight spot but it is a problem we fought until we changed the tank>>>>.

 

Probably won't be any help to you but I just scored a nice aluminum beer keg tank.

 

for the pickup tube, I welded a 1/4" pipe ****** in the top rear corner of one end then got a 3/8" farel connector and drilled out the center so a 3/8 steel line would slide through it. Bent the steel line so it would lay on the bottom of the tank and the other end sticks out through the farel conector and the farel and nut hold it in place and seal it off. Then use a double flaring tool to swell the end of the tube sticking out and clamp a hose on it.

 

thanks Lobuc....

Wouldn't the liners from eastwood keep it from rusting?

 

i see this on a past post...

 

I've built quite a few tanks, steel, aluminum and stainless, but speedway sells a round poly tank 8 x 33 that holds 8 gallons, or a 10 x 30 that holds 10 gallons, no rust to worry about and they are under $80.00. I have one in my studebaker and I installed a gas gauge sender with no problems.

 

It would be 13.1 gallons........

 

You're right, that's even better!!!! thanks for correcting me, I'd probably thought I had a Dr. Who tank when I got to the station and put 13 gallons in a 10 gallon tank!