inspired by the tinsmith' in frame tank

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thegnu

thegnu

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Sep 15, 2011
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All inspiration here I owe to tinsmith's thread, got my fuel tank made today ,it took all day an was well worth it . I started with some leftover 2 inch exhaust tubing an a peice of 4 inch exhaust tubing an some peices of 16gauge flat sheetmetal an just started cutting an welding. heres the pics .
 

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thegnu

thegnu

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Sep 15, 2011
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I split one side of the 2 inch on one side hammered out the sides flat made right an left bottom halves , tac welded them in place , then cut the 4 inch in half . it was kind of tricky to get my side templates to line up on the 4 inch then cut them out an tacked them in place .
 

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thegnu

thegnu

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made the front template from printer paper as well as the top , oh I also added a long taper cut of 1/8 x 3/4wide x 12 inch steel bar in the middle of the tank welded to the inside of the center tube to get the top peice to smoothly transition from a high center to the edges.
a good tip when doing this is paper reacts very similar to sheetmetal when you bend it an allows you to see possible problems before you go to cut an form your steel , I hope someone else can use that tip .
 

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thegnu

thegnu

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took a day off the tank project yesterday an today wah laa mounted an finished , almost had a real mishap with it figured I would check it for leaks an decided to emerse it so I soldered a nut to a 1/8 hole in the top of it screwed in an air fitting , did not even consider checking my air pressure started to connect it an the top of the tank SWELLED UP ALMOST AN INCH ! almost crapped my pants in the process! an learned NOT SO MUCH AIR PRESSURE IN THE TANK EVER ( but a great metal forming technique perfectly uniform curves), so I turned that down to about 3 psi an submerged it sealed a couple larger leaks with solder , an ordered some tank kreem to finish it off . the mishap actually gave me slightly more capacity , imagine that . an just for everyones benifit a fuel petcock from a lawnboy is a great fit an easy to find . last pics of the tank an soon to be in body an paint work.
 

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silverbear

silverbear

The Boy Who Never Grew Up
Jul 9, 2009
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Nice job on your tank! Pretty cool how you 'invented' a way to give it the nice, gentle air pressure curvature. If only all 'mistakes' turned out so well. Tank compliments the bike nicely, too. I love seeing all of these custom gas tanks. Thanks for sharing the photos.
SB
 
thegnu

thegnu

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Sep 15, 2011
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swapping out those forks the more i looked at them the more i thought they would kill me .
thanks all for the complements
 
thegnu

thegnu

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Sep 15, 2011
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Dan that is the first tank I ever built , thank you. All I can say is in my career as a bodyman I have had the pleasure of working with some great old school metal men , I still have much to learn .
Gary
 
T

Tinsmith

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May 15, 2009
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Gary, You are fortunate in your line of business to learn the craft of metalworking and keep it going. As an old guy it's always fun to be able to help or teach someone and know they appreciate the effort. The steel tank I made for the Worksman/EZM Stretch Thread was my first welded tank and although it was a lot of work it was worth it just for the learning experience. Had some pin holes but I work with the best welder in this area and he helped me finish. You should try to make it to the Lebanon rally next August. Everyone there would like to see what you have built and meet you. Dan
 
thegnu

thegnu

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Dan I would love that . All I need to do now is get it finished an reliable . I am only slightly afraid of how many bugs I will have to work out of it after its finished , its just like building a car "no matter how much planning an foresight you build in theres always going to be something ."
Gary
P.s I'D love to pick your brain for any new techniques I can get . hehehehe
 
T

Tinsmith

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May 15, 2009
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The brain is picked "to the bone" and I don't have any "new techniques" but there are always plenty of guys there with lots to offer. JB Cruisin will make mention of the rally next spring and summer. It's a real nice event, we all pitch in some $$ and Bonnie has plenty to eat for lunch. Many of the folks stay overnight. Dan
 
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