Starting up some gas tanks to weld up!

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Well I'll be adding on some gas tanks to my current product line and I thought I'd share the starting point before I go on and weld them. This is probably the most aluminum welding on one piece that I would of had done. I've made "extended range" tanks in the past for another customer as one off pieces but those were no longer than 16", this is about 36". Material is 1/8" 5051 aluminum if anyone is wondering. I'm getting my burnt cream ready  Attached Images
Reply:Looks pretty beast, dude!! [Account Abandoned 8/8/16 Please Do Not Attempt Contact Or Expect A Reply]. See you on YouTube! -ChuckE2009
Reply:so, what is it for?
Reply:They're designed to fit 1979-1985 Mazda rx7. It's to offer better baffling, and to also have something to replace the stock ones as some are no longer available.
Reply:Well decided to start up the welding on it a little while ago, I have the 2 pieces fully welded together now at least! I still need to bend up the other pieces before fitting them on there. Attached Images
Reply:A couple side notes:I really should of opted for a dynasty welder with a water cooled torch vs my synchrowave 200 and air cooled torch. Adding a water cooler is certainly on the list! If anyone knows of a good way of doing so let me know! Secondly, I'm really happy that none of that warped. Makes me more confident to try out the next batch with 3/32". Anyone with experience like this know if that will be too much heat and too thin to do it quickly without warping? I would certainly like to have them weight a little less and it would certainly help my machine out from overworking it out as much. Sam
Reply:Looks good... I'm a big RX7 fan, owned a TII for a while... really wish I had never sold it...Did you get the parts waterjet/laser cut? Frosted edge makes me think waterjet.
Reply:Originally Posted by kustomizingkidLooks good... I'm a big RX7 fan, owned a TII for a while... really wish I had never sold it...Did you get the parts waterjet/laser cut? Frosted edge makes me think waterjet.
Reply:Do you pressure test these at all?I've patched diesel slip tanks that go in the back of my truck and usually air up to about 5-7 PSI to check for leaks. 10 PSI has been known to pop the bottoms out. (Not pop them off, just bow them out.)Andrew
Reply:Originally Posted by Andrew_DDo you pressure test these at all?I've patched diesel slip tanks that go in the back of my truck and usually air up to about 5-7 PSI to check for leaks. 10 PSI has been known to pop the bottoms out. (Not pop them off, just bow them out.)Andrew
Reply:looks good, stick with the 1/8"  don't go thinner. (if I read that right)   And just a tip that I learned with my recent welding, instead of cleaning the edges with a wire brush, use a red scotch brite, it keeps the scratches to a minimum.www.thefusionsolution.com
Reply:When working on aluminum stuff I like to lay down a soft barrier between the table and piece I am working on so it doesn't get all scratched up. Might not matter much for a gas tank but I know my customers like nice shiny parts with no scratches.Just watch for fires. lol
Reply:I have done that in the past for parts that need to stay clean and scratch free. The issue with these is that by the time the guys at the laser cutting place load them up on a crate, there's already pretty scratched, not to mentioned also after the guys bend them up on the hydraulic brake. Really hard to keep big pieces like that scratch free especially on something as soft as aluminum. The tanks will most likely be coated before being installed on the vehicles though with something such as truck bed liner or POR-15.
Reply:Looks great!Are you filling the tank with argon when welding?
Reply:No I haven't, I have never had to purge the inside of aluminum. Whats the benefits of doing that? I would honestly see it as waster of gas most likely for a project such as this.Last edited by dj55b; 10-19-2011 at 07:52 PM.
Reply:Here's another panel welded on there. And yes I know the beading could be a bit more consistent  Attached Images
Reply:If these are for fuel you better do something about the holes..Post 5 pic 1 @ 9:00...The last pic above at the bottom..That's a problem just waiting to become a bigger one.....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Post 5 pic 1, there's more to weld in that corner hence that. The other one, I'm not sure, I'll have to check it out later. But I think there's another dab already on there. QUOTE=zapster;565422]If these are for fuel you better do something about the holes..Post 5 pic 1 @ 9:00...The last pic above at the bottom..That's a problem just waiting to become a bigger one.....zap![/QUOTE]
Reply:Originally Posted by VPTLooks great!Are you filling the tank with argon when welding?
Reply:Originally Posted by GambleWhy? Isn't that just for SS?In for some knowledge.
Reply:Originally Posted by VPTI have noticed its the same for aluminum. The aluminum welded with no backing will be separated at the joint. With backing it will flow much like the front side. I have had non-backing welds crack I believe because of this. After backing the welds with argon and getting the weld to flow together the cracking stopped.  This was all done on a test cars intercooler. We were trying something different with the end tanks on a car pushing 30+psi of boost.Maybe its just me and backing up aluminum welds does nothing. But after what I seen I always back up critical aluminum joints.
Reply:Originally Posted by dj55bI've personally never seen that issue in the past. I'm sure it won't hurt, but would it really be needed for every aluminum project, I don't think so. Its all added cost at the end of the day.
Reply:My quote was referring to purging the inside of the tanks, I'm not sure if we're on the same page here? As for welding the baffle though, I was actually hoping to leave those spots open and not welded. Then the only welds holding in that baffle plate would be the T weld on the outside, and the weld ontop to weld on the other plate to it. Is that asking for trouble down the road?  Originally Posted by dave powelsonCorner welds are notorious for cracking, especially in dynamic structures like tanks.I've personally seen this issue on hundreds of occasions, involving fueltank repairs on steel, AL, SS.There's a detailed, exhaustive WW thread on this--with the use of temporary backers, etc.T-Joint connection of baffle bottom edge to tank wall.To prevent cracking thru the tank wall, suggest flanging that lower edge,then fully welding that flange edge (red line) to the tank wall.This STOPS cracking of the wall; which is wholly common in lightly or even fully welded baffle T-Joints without a flange.The design and placement of the exterior tank mounts has everything to dowith tank durability. Ditto for the use of fully flanged, fully welded heads and baffles,plus lapped seams-if durability and survivability is desired.Pressure testing via air or hydrostatic has been previously discussed-ad nauseum.Despite what the pundits may say, it's easy to damage/deform a new tank.http://weldingweb.com/attachment.php...1&d=1319165718
Reply:the aluminum might flex under the pressure of the gas sloshing back and forth which could break the welds on the side, which could cause a tear in the tank and ultimately causing a leak.www.thefusionsolution.com
Reply:Originally Posted by speedfreak87the aluminum might flex under the pressure of the gas sloshing back and forth which could break the welds on the side, which could cause a tear in the tank and ultimately causing a leak.Originally Posted by GambleSo how do you prevent this?
Reply:speedfreak sez: "the aluminum might flex under the pressure of the gas sloshing back and forth which could break the welds on the side, which could cause a tear in the tank and ultimately causing a leak. " Originally Posted by GambleSo how do you prevent this?
Reply:I would most certainly stay away from the foam, I have never had any good luck and alot of people that I know that have used it, say the same about it. It tends to clog up the filters quite a bit especially at the beginning, and it does need to be replaced after a few years. As for the baffle construction, I do appreciate all the input. I think that I've mentioned this somewhere before, this is my first big tank to ever do. All the other tanks have only been about 5 gallons tops, and are all fairly simple with no issues till this day. I don't think that I can do much about this one, but the next few to follow i'll certainly improvise on that.
Reply:Originally Posted by dj55bI would most certainly stay away from the foam, I have never had any good luck and alot of people that I know that have used it, say the same about it. It tends to clog up the filters quite a bit especially at the beginning, and it does need to be replaced after a few years. As for the baffle construction, I do appreciate all the input. I think that I've mentioned this somewhere before, this is my first big tank to ever do. All the other tanks have only been about 5 gallons tops, and are all fairly simple with no issues till this day. I don't think that I can do much about this one, but the next few to follow i'll certainly improvise on that.
Reply:Originally Posted by speedfreak87First I'm hearing about the issue with foam. *shrug*Anyway, fwiw, I would cut out the 4" long pieces, bend them in half making an L bracket, weld one side to the baffle, the other to the bottom.. if you don't do something, the bottom of it will bow out once you put fuel in it.
Reply:This stuff. goes inside fuel cells to keep the fuel from sloshing around. http://www.summitracing.com/parts/RCI-7050A/www.thefusionsolution.com
Reply:Originally Posted by speedfreak87This stuff. goes inside fuel cells to keep the fuel from sloshing around. http://www.summitracing.com/parts/RCI-7050A/
Reply:Yeah it should be changed every few years, but I don't know of anyone having issue with the stuff, it's in every fuel cell on the drag strip.www.thefusionsolution.com
Reply:Originally Posted by speedfreak87Yeah it should be changed every few years, but I don't know of anyone having issue with the stuff, it's in every fuel cell on the drag strip.