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Building a fiberglass fuel tank and using aluminum fittings?
Can someone point me on how to build a fiberglass fuel tank and use
aluminum fittings? Thanks Bill |
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Building a fiberglass fuel tank and using aluminum fittings?
On Feb 4, 10:37 am, wrote:
Can someone point me on how to build a fiberglass fuel tank and use aluminum fittings? Thanks Bill You might get some hints from various sections of my web site. www.kisbuild.onfinal18.com There are several examples of the fittings on the wings of both the KIS Cruiser and the TR1. The main thing you need to do is bond in aluminum hard points on the inside of the tank for your fittings to connect. Pre-tap the hard points threads to keep any shavings from getting inside the tank. |
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Building a fiberglass fuel tank and using aluminum fittings?
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Building a fiberglass fuel tank and using aluminum fittings?
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Building a fiberglass fuel tank and using aluminum fittings?
Hi Bill, here is a reply from Corky Scott to me when I asked the same
question. It came in very handy and I'm just finishing up my tanks now, or when the temperature get above 0 again.l |
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Building a fiberglass fuel tank and using aluminum fittings?
I'll try that again.
Lou There are several ways to do it using fiberglass. I don't personally remember the type of foam board to use, but Wicks does, just ask them. If you choose to use the 1/4" foam board, you cover both sides with two layers of fiberglass and then cut out the pattern. You assemble the tank and bond the pieces together using a slurry of resin and flox. Make up a slurry of glass beads (looks like powder but is actually microscopic glass beads) and resin such that it's like putty and lay it into each joint and using a spoon or something similar, radius the putty. Overlay each joint with two layers of fiberglass tape, two inch and four inch. Put the two inch layer down first, and overlay the larger layer second. Smooth the tapes into the corners as best you can. When all is cured, you get to make the various holes necessary for things like the vent, the drain the fuel sender and the gas cap. A really neat way to do this is to use a dremel tool and cut hole two inches larger around than whatever is going there. Lift off the layer of fiberglass revealing the foam below. Radius the foam down to the outer layer of fiberglass so that the foam slants towards the middle. The radius doesn't have to be real gradual, it's just that you don't cut the foam straight down to the outer layer. Cut out about 6 to 8 round patches of glass, each one slightly larger than the first, and the first has to overlap the hole by at least half an inch. Soak the smallest patch with resin and lay it in the hole. Soak the next bigger patch and put it on top. Continue this until you have all the patches installed. Let it cure. When cured, you will have a very very strong hardpoint for the drain, or vent outlet or whatever. Varying the size of the hole works for the gas cap too. Now add anti surge fences to keep the gas from racing like a wave from one side of the tank to the other. These should be double faced foam board too. Bond them in place and do the radius thing with them too. You can bond in a layer of foam along the top of the tank if you wish, flush with the top edge. This will give you a nice large edge to bond the top of the tank on. But you don't really have to do that. Bond the top of the tank using the slurry of flox and resin, let it cure. Using a good mask, round down all edges and corners using an angle grinder and appropriate rough disc. Blow it off and apply two layers of fiberglass tape, 2 inch tape first, 4 inch tape on top. You will end up with a REALLY strong and leak proof gas tank, **IF** you used an approved resin that has been proven to resist all fuels that will be used. That's one way. Some people don't use foam board, they just lay up several layers of fiberglass on a large work surface and once cured, peel it off and use the sheet of cured fiberglass to create the gas tank. Still another method is to create the gas tank out of a foam board that melts in the presence of gas. Coat the foam with fiberglass and then cut a hole in the fiberglass and pour in gas. The gas melts the foam, and you pour the yuck you're left with out and you have a tank. Or you could work with some plastic firm and have them cast you a tank out of plastic. I made two of the first variety, and tossed them both out because they were too heavy and I was disappointed with their capacity. Corky Scott |
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Building a fiberglass fuel tank and using aluminum fittings?
Many years ago (about 40), I made a tank for my smith mini by cutting blocks
of white Styrofoam into the desired shape,sticking a VW gas cap and nozzle into the top and sticking the fittings for the outlet in the bottom. Then I covered the whole thing with fiberglass matt and epoxy resin. After curing, I just took off the gas cap and poured acetone into the opening. I had to pour slowly to allow it to work (dissolve the Styrofoam). After pouring all the sludge out and allowing time for the remainder to harden, I mixed up some sloshing compound and sloshed the tank. As a final task I covered it all with fiberglass bi-directional cloth and epoxy resin. Was still working fine last I heard. Chuck wrote in message ps.com... Can someone point me on how to build a fiberglass fuel tank and use aluminum fittings? Thanks Bill |
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