seems to me that 90% of the guys i know building hot rods are in need of some type of fuel cell, and with the limited space we're all working with, catalogue fuel cell dimensions won't cut it. i've been making custom-sized aluminum cells for awhile now, and everybody seems to need one, or have a buddy that does. just curious as to how much need is really out there. here are some pics of a few i've done to get an idea. i just know that anytime you call a big-name cell manufacturer, they wont touch a custom application for less than about 800 bucks that i know of... even for a damn rectangle w/ no tricky stuff. what have you all been doing??
I've been fabing stainless, baffled tanks. Heavier I know, but they're easier to weld and you don't have to worry about any corrosion.
I have one of those long & skinny tanks out of a chevy C-10 truck in my car... worked out real nice... plus it only cost $50! I built a few too... usually out of Aluminum.
A to Z Speed, I always wondered how the guys fabbing those tanks (be it stainles or aluminum) do them with no warping. What do you do to prevent this????
Good question about the warping thing. I've built a couple of fuel cells out of stainless with baffles and always get warping no matter how carefull I am. These companys that make and sell them "claim" the price is so high because they have to buy a liability insurance for them. I think its more a supply and demand thing. But yeah I'm looking for tips on building them, goin to need one soon for an EFI in a 51 merc.
the warpage really depends on a lot of factors i think. the biggest problem i have is warpage when i weld the fittings on, (especially if they're in the center of a panel, which i try to avoid). i usually end up quenching w/ a soaked rag, most of the time it works amazingly well. for the seams, i make sure to get plenty of tacks before i start, and i weld aluminum pretty fast, so i think that keeps a lot of heat out of the larger areas
I've been making the patterns out of plywood to make sure they fit and taking them to a local stainless shop and they have been fabing them for me. They are a bit pricey but very nice.
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