Gas Tanks
- Thread starter kruzer52
- Start date
letterman7
Honorary Admin
Stock VW in one car; none in the other as it will have to be custom built.
delbertinie
Member
stocker but i'm going to tig a stainless one together. i want more volume nothing fancy just big with baffles. and a shut off and separate drain.
letterman7
Honorary Admin
Ooooohh... you can do stuff like that Dale? Do you pressure test them and all that? When I get to that point I'll be looking for someone to custom build me a tank (or two)... and I'd rather throw the job to someone in the hobby rather than a boat shop or someplace like that.
delbertinie
Member
its not that hard really . IF you can weld you can build your own tank....... seriously.
When your done if it will hold water it will hold gas.
If you can weld continuously you can do it.
weld from the inside have someone else watch the penetration from the outside. If you have a good even penetration band on the outside. It will not leak.
take a few(at least 3 ) plates drill 1 inch holes randomly, put the plates in front to rear make sure none of the holes are parallel with each other and there are your baffles.
Flange all four top corners put a lid on the top weld it solid if you wish or make a rubber gasket and bolt it together. I personally prefer the gasket method so I inspect and clean the interior.
It's really not hard just because the word gasoline is included people freak.
Use thick metal put the heat to it think about you design.
As long as it does not leak your fine.
When your done if it will hold water it will hold gas.
If you can weld continuously you can do it.
weld from the inside have someone else watch the penetration from the outside. If you have a good even penetration band on the outside. It will not leak.
take a few(at least 3 ) plates drill 1 inch holes randomly, put the plates in front to rear make sure none of the holes are parallel with each other and there are your baffles.
Flange all four top corners put a lid on the top weld it solid if you wish or make a rubber gasket and bolt it together. I personally prefer the gasket method so I inspect and clean the interior.
It's really not hard just because the word gasoline is included people freak.
Use thick metal put the heat to it think about you design.
As long as it does not leak your fine.
ydeardorff
New member
When I was working in heavy construction we used to weld previously used diesel tanks by filling them with water. Make a good ground, and weld the wet spots till it stops.
If your welding up your own tank, once its complete it can be filled in the same way to check for leaks. Just make sure your ground is solid and your fine.
I was thinking of trying to use all the stock components that are on the stock WRX tank, only mounted to a custom bladder type of fuel cell. Then make a cage around it. So after the main crash cage is built it would be a cage within a cage.
If your welding up your own tank, once its complete it can be filled in the same way to check for leaks. Just make sure your ground is solid and your fine.
I was thinking of trying to use all the stock components that are on the stock WRX tank, only mounted to a custom bladder type of fuel cell. Then make a cage around it. So after the main crash cage is built it would be a cage within a cage.
letterman7
Honorary Admin
I can weld, I just can't TIG weld, which is the only way I'd have a tank built.
ydeardorff
New member
I hear ya there. welding aluminum is like trying to weld butter. Im really good at fouling the electrodes, on the tig. So I just quit trying to do aluminum.
delbertinie
Member
No its not but its no easy at 1st. Its easy to find the melting point, it takes practice to find the welding point.
The cheaper tig units have a heat control knob and no peddle.
My suggestion to tig it is to have a variable heat peddle to find your melting point, then back off till it welds. To begin with you need make a stop so you can't go too hot some peddles have a adjustable stop to help you. Just remember you must get it hot enough to blow a hole first then back off and start adding your rod. Remember the rod will flow easier than parent metal. SO when you back the heat off just enough so you can push the parent metal around with your torch your ready to fuze the two together. Once you get the two pieces together you go back and flow it together. That is the beauty of the tig.
When your first learning don't try to join two pieces of metal together.
1st Learn your melting point
2nd learn to push the metal around without blowing through
3rd learn to add the rod to parent metal
4th learn to join to pieces together ( butt weld) and leave just enough gap between to see between the two
5th learn to go back and flow your weld adding more rod where needed ( make your weld pretty )
6 th angle weld two pieces of metal clamped together no gap ( practice your push weld as you do with a mig) this is the easiest time to learn this.
7th to save frustration start with thick metal first repeat over and over until you can do the thinnest of metals.
Oh by the way when your learning to tig, start with steel go to stainless then to aluminum
remember tig's was preceded by gas welding not mig or stick. Practice your gas welding.
There is nothing wrong with building your tank with a mig yeah I said it!!!! You can weld stainless with your mig The big diff between mig and tig is poricity With a mig turn the heat up, slow down your wire and watch your heat lines to see penetration. You will get a quality weld.
HOW DO YOU EAT AN ELEPHANT......ONE BITE AT A TIME
the point is learn in small chunks and be patient. You can go to your local junior college and audit classes to refine your skills
The cheaper tig units have a heat control knob and no peddle.
My suggestion to tig it is to have a variable heat peddle to find your melting point, then back off till it welds. To begin with you need make a stop so you can't go too hot some peddles have a adjustable stop to help you. Just remember you must get it hot enough to blow a hole first then back off and start adding your rod. Remember the rod will flow easier than parent metal. SO when you back the heat off just enough so you can push the parent metal around with your torch your ready to fuze the two together. Once you get the two pieces together you go back and flow it together. That is the beauty of the tig.
When your first learning don't try to join two pieces of metal together.
1st Learn your melting point
2nd learn to push the metal around without blowing through
3rd learn to add the rod to parent metal
4th learn to join to pieces together ( butt weld) and leave just enough gap between to see between the two
5th learn to go back and flow your weld adding more rod where needed ( make your weld pretty )
6 th angle weld two pieces of metal clamped together no gap ( practice your push weld as you do with a mig) this is the easiest time to learn this.
7th to save frustration start with thick metal first repeat over and over until you can do the thinnest of metals.
Oh by the way when your learning to tig, start with steel go to stainless then to aluminum
remember tig's was preceded by gas welding not mig or stick. Practice your gas welding.
There is nothing wrong with building your tank with a mig yeah I said it!!!! You can weld stainless with your mig The big diff between mig and tig is poricity With a mig turn the heat up, slow down your wire and watch your heat lines to see penetration. You will get a quality weld.
HOW DO YOU EAT AN ELEPHANT......ONE BITE AT A TIME
the point is learn in small chunks and be patient. You can go to your local junior college and audit classes to refine your skills
Last edited:
delbertinie
Member
take a block of wood to rest your wrist on and edge of your torch it will help steady your tip and help you not fowl your tungsten.
ydeardorff
New member
I have a MIG welder, that is designed to weld both steel and aluminum, depending on what wire, and polarity I have it set for.
Ive never welded aluminum with it. But I may try one of these days. For the price I paid, its probably one of the best welders Ive ever played with. I can weld pop cans (although not easy), all the way up to thick steel (with several passes).
i don't know how it would compare to a tig for welding aluminum. But most of my welding is on steel.
Ive never welded aluminum with it. But I may try one of these days. For the price I paid, its probably one of the best welders Ive ever played with. I can weld pop cans (although not easy), all the way up to thick steel (with several passes).
i don't know how it would compare to a tig for welding aluminum. But most of my welding is on steel.
Awesome thread.
I have to be the NEWBIE-est of welders...
I have played with the cheapo Harbor Freight 110volt stick welder, and I get more comfortable as I use it. Then I was given an old Lincoln 220volt stick welder - OMG - WHAT a difference.... And that's just with a stick!!
So I got a Miller MIG Argon-shielded welder, and now I'm learning on that.
I've never gas welded, but the above post is the kind of thing that makes me thing what the heck - give it a try. And i WILL graduate to TIG one day soon.
Wayne Gretsky always said you miss 100% of the shots you don't take...
I have to be the NEWBIE-est of welders...
I have played with the cheapo Harbor Freight 110volt stick welder, and I get more comfortable as I use it. Then I was given an old Lincoln 220volt stick welder - OMG - WHAT a difference.... And that's just with a stick!!
So I got a Miller MIG Argon-shielded welder, and now I'm learning on that.
I've never gas welded, but the above post is the kind of thing that makes me thing what the heck - give it a try. And i WILL graduate to TIG one day soon.
Wayne Gretsky always said you miss 100% of the shots you don't take...
delbertinie
Member
Guys I tell you true you will fail upwards.
Welding of any sort take time and practice the more you work with your machine the better you will get
I am self taught it was not until a couple of years ago did I get my certification
I learnt through my failures as will you. I am by no means some welding guru nor do I want to be. I am just not afraid to make mistakes. There are few mistakes that you can not recover from when welding.
A grinder and cutoff wheel will fix most.*thumbs up*
The one thing that I forgot to mention That will improve your welding skills almost immediately.
Add a halogen light to one side of your hood. I use a #11 lense in my hood.( 10 -12 are the norm)
Position a 500 watt light on your work and turn it at a angle that you do not have light in your hood. You will be able to see where your mig or tig or stick is in relation to your work. (it sure saves your equipment)
You will be able to see the color change in penetration as you weld, so no more guessing.
The only other advice I would give is do your work on a bench or table.
GET CLOSE TO YOUR WORK
Wear your gloves and leathers so you can rest you hands and wrist on your work to steady your hands.
Ps. hammer your welds while they are still hot it makes them less porous less grinding time too
I hope this helps
I do not want to come across as a know it all.
I am just relaying what I have learned.
I am here to help anyone that wants it
pm me anytime
Dale
Welding of any sort take time and practice the more you work with your machine the better you will get
I am self taught it was not until a couple of years ago did I get my certification
I learnt through my failures as will you. I am by no means some welding guru nor do I want to be. I am just not afraid to make mistakes. There are few mistakes that you can not recover from when welding.
A grinder and cutoff wheel will fix most.*thumbs up*
The one thing that I forgot to mention That will improve your welding skills almost immediately.
Add a halogen light to one side of your hood. I use a #11 lense in my hood.( 10 -12 are the norm)
Position a 500 watt light on your work and turn it at a angle that you do not have light in your hood. You will be able to see where your mig or tig or stick is in relation to your work. (it sure saves your equipment)
You will be able to see the color change in penetration as you weld, so no more guessing.
The only other advice I would give is do your work on a bench or table.
GET CLOSE TO YOUR WORK
Wear your gloves and leathers so you can rest you hands and wrist on your work to steady your hands.
Ps. hammer your welds while they are still hot it makes them less porous less grinding time too
I hope this helps
I do not want to come across as a know it all.
I am just relaying what I have learned.
I am here to help anyone that wants it
pm me anytime
Dale