Different Style Tanks?
- Thread starter MattLGiberson
- Start date
LOL, snork. Know what you mean. "My Chinise 66cc does 43 MPH and gets 203 MPG because I modified it using nylon washers...."
I forgot to bring this up with TS about our kits, but I really want to make this an option. The "kettle tank" No kidding, he did such a great job machining the drive that it looks manufactured. Don't get me wrong, the thing is art but some how to good to be asked "Did you make that?" kinda thing. Would love to hear folks opinion. I can be a lil more then half a bubble off plumb on things like that.
This is coming off as shameless self promotion and that's not my intent. Is more "proud poppa" syndrome.
The quest for the perfect tank continues! ( or in the great words of Buzz; "To China and beyond!" or some thing like that.
Pic is of the prototype. Really need to find a tank that will accent it well. Second pic is the "Original Shelly" Mrs. Ma (Mother in almost law) behind her
Nothing on Earth can compare to a good dawgs heart.
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I probably should have explained the reference. My company name is "Shelly Motor Bike Company" (after my dawg)
LOL, just more shameless self promotion. I'm gonna need a 12 step program soon.
"How is your coffee?"
"Great thanks and goes perfectly with my *insert brand name here* motor assisted bicycle kit"
LOL, just more shameless self promotion. I'm gonna need a 12 step program soon.
"How is your coffee?"
"Great thanks and goes perfectly with my *insert brand name here* motor assisted bicycle kit"
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Yes, they come with a gas cap. They also come with plastic line out but no petcock. The price I paid for one is $75.
slump
slump
even better if they come with a cap
$$$ ?
Here's a trick for making a fiberglass tank...
If you make a plug or model of a tank out of styrofoam
(the packing kind in computers or furniture)
Using a hacksaw, "cheesegrater" wood file or even 36/60 grit sandpaper.
make it like 3/16" smaller all around, the fiberglass will bulk it up.
Using epoxy resin and a light fiberglass, 2 layers should do it.
it will be a little rough but it should sand smooth,
later on a little body filler can fill in any bad spots.
Basically you just made a miniature surfboard.
Anyway,
figure out the placement for the inlets and outlets.
This might sound like the tough part but its not too difficult just time consuming.
Use a hole saw/drill bit/file whatever and make the holes.
You can use plastic from a soda bottle and tape a cylinder for the cap,
than fiberglass around it and remove the plastic.
*you can fg inside or outside of the plastic "mold"
The cool thing about epoxy is it will bond to aluminum as well,
so if you have an aluminum cap/inlet/outlet than just fiberglass it on there.
(I guess if you were thinking ahead, it could have been fg'd during the first coating process.)
Anyway a fg outlet is easy too.
Find a bolt that is the same thread as the stock valve,
wax it with some candle wax or car wax,
making sure not to plug threads though, just to slick it up,
and screw it into the hole that you put in your tank.
Mix up a little epoxy and add some chopped fiberglass powder, or flour even,
and make a thicker paste, coat it around the threads.
Than fiberglass a little bit around that to give it some strength.
After it cures,
unscrew the bolt and you will be able to screw in the fuel valve.
Now that you have a tank with an inlet and outlet,
pour acetone into the filler and it will immediately dissolve the styrofoam.
Just repeat that process until its totally empty,
plug up the ends and shake it up to make sure its all out,
if you throw in some marbles, ballbearings or clean rocks it will scour the inside really good.
(make sure to not breathe in the fumes it must be toxic)
After paint,
i'd throw some gas in there and shake it up too,
and inspect the gas for any contaminants.
Anyway that's a kinda easy way to make a one-off fiberglass tank.
TP
If you make a plug or model of a tank out of styrofoam
(the packing kind in computers or furniture)
Using a hacksaw, "cheesegrater" wood file or even 36/60 grit sandpaper.
make it like 3/16" smaller all around, the fiberglass will bulk it up.
Using epoxy resin and a light fiberglass, 2 layers should do it.
it will be a little rough but it should sand smooth,
later on a little body filler can fill in any bad spots.
Basically you just made a miniature surfboard.
Anyway,
figure out the placement for the inlets and outlets.
This might sound like the tough part but its not too difficult just time consuming.
Use a hole saw/drill bit/file whatever and make the holes.
You can use plastic from a soda bottle and tape a cylinder for the cap,
than fiberglass around it and remove the plastic.
*you can fg inside or outside of the plastic "mold"
The cool thing about epoxy is it will bond to aluminum as well,
so if you have an aluminum cap/inlet/outlet than just fiberglass it on there.
(I guess if you were thinking ahead, it could have been fg'd during the first coating process.)
Anyway a fg outlet is easy too.
Find a bolt that is the same thread as the stock valve,
wax it with some candle wax or car wax,
making sure not to plug threads though, just to slick it up,
and screw it into the hole that you put in your tank.
Mix up a little epoxy and add some chopped fiberglass powder, or flour even,
and make a thicker paste, coat it around the threads.
Than fiberglass a little bit around that to give it some strength.
After it cures,
unscrew the bolt and you will be able to screw in the fuel valve.
Now that you have a tank with an inlet and outlet,
pour acetone into the filler and it will immediately dissolve the styrofoam.
Just repeat that process until its totally empty,
plug up the ends and shake it up to make sure its all out,
if you throw in some marbles, ballbearings or clean rocks it will scour the inside really good.
(make sure to not breathe in the fumes it must be toxic)
After paint,
i'd throw some gas in there and shake it up too,
and inspect the gas for any contaminants.
Anyway that's a kinda easy way to make a one-off fiberglass tank.
TP
Thanks for this post... very good to know! I may try this next summer. If you were going to make up a "block" of Styrofoam to carve out a tank using say 2" thick insulation type Styrofoam, what would you use to glue the layers together without dissolving away the Styrofoam? Would contact cement work? Would the blue foam work as well as the less dense white foam? I was thinking that the blue stuff would give a better surface... less 'crumbly' than the white stuff. This information deserves a kind of 'tutorial' how to with photos to give encouragement to guys who want an in frame tank and have never worked with fiberglass before. Anyone who tries this... please take photos as you go so that the rest of us can learn from the successes and failures. Very cool. Thanks for sharing. By the way, how would you go about anchoring bolt in points for the mounts? Nuts embedded in the surface of the styrofoam... would that work?
SB
Silverbear-
First off, EPOXY ONLY, vinylester or polyester resin will disintegrate styrofoam...
The first steps in the fiberglassing is called a "hot-coat",
where the styrofoam is coated in epoxy resin, sealing it up, using no actual fiberglass.
Just continually sand and coat it until it is smoother and smoother. (with no fg cloth)
At this point it would be a good step to add your nuts WITH BOLTS for your frame clamps.
(dig into the styrofoam before so there's a little sealed divot)
than they can be flush during the actual fiberglass cloth layup.
As to the styrofoam,
white styrofoam I know works and dissolves cleanly.
Practice on other types of styrofoam with the acetone to how it reacts.
Surfboards use the "bigballed" styrofoam not really anything too special.
On something small, 5-min epoxy used in little dabs should be fine.
Hot glue gun or contact cement might work,
but the least amount possible as it mightr melt into the tank and be hard to clean out.
I've actually never made a gas tank but have made a number of oil tanks and other random hollow bulbs,
and never thought of pictures.
but i know it works, just is kind of a dirty job, lotsa sanding ya know.
I'm in the process of making a fg tank right now, but its not the same method,
it might work out easier for some.
It'll be posted soon.
TP
First off, EPOXY ONLY, vinylester or polyester resin will disintegrate styrofoam...
The first steps in the fiberglassing is called a "hot-coat",
where the styrofoam is coated in epoxy resin, sealing it up, using no actual fiberglass.
Just continually sand and coat it until it is smoother and smoother. (with no fg cloth)
At this point it would be a good step to add your nuts WITH BOLTS for your frame clamps.
(dig into the styrofoam before so there's a little sealed divot)
than they can be flush during the actual fiberglass cloth layup.
As to the styrofoam,
white styrofoam I know works and dissolves cleanly.
Practice on other types of styrofoam with the acetone to how it reacts.
Surfboards use the "bigballed" styrofoam not really anything too special.
On something small, 5-min epoxy used in little dabs should be fine.
Hot glue gun or contact cement might work,
but the least amount possible as it mightr melt into the tank and be hard to clean out.
I've actually never made a gas tank but have made a number of oil tanks and other random hollow bulbs,
and never thought of pictures.
but i know it works, just is kind of a dirty job, lotsa sanding ya know.
I'm in the process of making a fg tank right now, but its not the same method,
it might work out easier for some.
It'll be posted soon.
TP
White Styrofoam it is. It also has the benefit of being cheap and commonly available. As you say, it could be done with packing materials if a way is found to easily glue chunks together to make a block. This sounds like a good method for an oddball tank on a less common bike where no commercial version is available or for someone like me who likes to experiment with making my own things partly out of economic necessity and partly just for the joy of making. Your other tank in progress will be interesting to hear about and pictures will be stared at by many more than just me. Thanks again.
SB
Very nice. I just took a refresher look at the Shelby and can see how it will fit right in there. You say it iis glass, but used a different process. How was this one done?
here's a sneak peak, silverbear.
It's for that shelby project.
TP
SB
here's a round tank for an old briggs I found in my garage. Wrapped it in some dark brown leather. Tommyboy1442 and I came up with the mounting technique. Cost $7.00 at the local hardware store. We needed 3 feet of 1/4' steel round bar, 2 shaft collars, longer allen bolts, and 2 washers. It's only a temporary tank, utilizing stock mounting points on the frame.
Attachments
I checked out the website link that sojudave left. Under the "misc" link, I recognise the location of a few motorcycles for sale.
The Motorcycle museum in Anamosa Iowa, owned by Matt Walksler! He has some serious collectables there, for sale???!!!
Sorry for the off subject hi-jack.
