Building a fuel cell

[epmills]

Has anyone had experiance building a fuel cell/tank? I'm looking into building 2 custom fit tanks in my veggi-oil converted Mercedes. I've been practicing welding on 22ga sheet steel, which im planning on building the tanks out of. I need one for diesel and one for vegitable oil. I'm looking for pointers on welding thin sheet metal, I'm using a basic 120v mig welder (using .035 flux unfortunatly)to do it, and no I wont get a better one nor hire someone to weld it, I'm looking for an economical alternative to buying 2, $200 tanks. If anyone has some pointers to welding thin sheet, any help would greatly be appreciated. These are all **** welds, and while I can get peices to weld together, they arent the greatest looking (which I dont care) I just need them to be water tight.
-Zach

 

[rsanter]

for one you should think about an upgrade to using gas

next you will want to practice with the same material so you can find you settings. tack weld the thing every inch or so and then weld between the tacks. jump a few tacks and repete. let the item cool before going again. if you get it too hot it will be that much easier to burn through.

you can also back the area with copper (thicker the better) as a resist to help prevent burn through

dont think it will be a quick job, there is alot of weld lenth to do.

another tip...if you are making these yourself you should also weld some baffels inside the tank to reduce sloshing as well as it will strenthen the bottom of the tank

bob

 

[tfi racing]

Have you looked at RCI or Jaz plastic fuel containers for race cars?It may be easier to buy one of their units and just make a container out of steel for protection/mounting.It takes a lot of experience and skill (don't forget about patience!)to weld up a metal tank and not have leaks.

 

[Graham08]

I have built several fuel tanks out of aluminum for race cars. I TIG weld everything together because it is a much more controlled process, especially for thin sheet.

In my case, I build the outer container that holds a fuel bladder, but the principles are the same.

I would recommend getting as much of the tank made in one piece as possible. In the attached pictures, the top, bottom, front, and back are one continuous piece, with the weld seam near the upper rear corner of the cell. The sides were welded in after the outside was formed. In this case, there is a separate, removable lid to be able to install/remove the bladder.

I would also recommend trying to get access to a bead roller with a set of tank rolls and a set of 1/4" or so bead rolls. In the photos, the edges of the tank are radiused with a tank roll, with some hand work at the corners. The radiused corners allow the weld to be more of a flat **** weld, which is stronger than a corner weld that would be used on sharp corners. Plus, the tank looks much nicer with the radiused corners, and the radii add a bunch of stiffness to the tank so the welds aren't stressed as much.

The beads I rolled in the sides of the tank also do a lot to help the stiffness and keep the tank from swelling out due to the fuel load.

Another thing is to fit everything as tightly as possible (no gaps!). This makes welding 100% easier.

Good luck!

 

[nissan_crawler]

You can build it out of one piece, it'll make the least welding. we've built them many times on the farm, from 5 gallons up to 340 gallons. The best thing I can say is to get a cap that you can hook a regulator to, pressurize it with 5 p.s.i. or so of air, and spray soapy water on it to check for leaks.

I would also get a tank of gas, I wouldn't do it fluxcore, especially with .035 wire.

 

[Kevin54]

I'd check these at Jegs. For the time involved, materials, and all the fittings, buying may be cheaper. And you may be able to pick one up cheaper than this if you do a more extensive online search, but basicaly there is a 12 gallon for $110 and a 32 gallon for $150 along with some in between. http://www.jegs.com/p/JEGS/837886/10002/-1/10297 But you will need to add a baffle, some fuel cells will have a bladder (this prevents a spark directly to the fuel in case of an accident. You will need a vent, and a way to attach the sending unit and/or fuel pump. The pump or sending unit sets in a baffled area so any sloshing around of the fuel has minimal effect on it.

 

[RogerC]

Check here:
http://www.iimuchfabrication.com/

click on "Fuel Tank" link

No explanations but good illustrations. If you have questions shoot him an email or look for him on http://www.pro-touring.com/forum/index.php?

 

[ed_v]

22 ga. seems a little light for a fuel cell to me even with adding some bead rolls. I've never built one before though. All I know is every fuel tank I've taken off of a car feels heavier.

Ed

 

[Merkava_4]

I'm using a basic 120v mig welder (using .035 flux unfortunately)to do it, and no I wont get a better one nor hire someone to weld it, I'm looking for an economical alternative to buying 2, $200 tanks.

You're gonna have a hard time with that; NR-211 .035 flux cored wire has the ability to weld up to 5/16" steel plate; it likes to run hot; too hot for thin gage metal.