Motorcycle Tank

[cfiiman]

Hey all,

I've been practicing a lot, and I am ready (I think) to start a motorcycle tank. The pictures in the post below really helped me gain some perspective on how to carry out the project. I have been wanting to ask 2 questions for a while,

1. When welding the sheet metal for the tank (or any panel for that matter), do the panels need to butt up next to each other or can they overlap? The overlapping would certainly be easier b/c the panels wouldn't have to be perfect, but wouldn't it be a real pain (and lots of filler) to smooth out the "ridge" from the overlapping pieces? I am assuming that they need to butted up against each other, but I've always wanted to ask this question.

2. Is there any advice on making the internal part of the tank that would hold the fuel? I've got a decent idea, but some pictures or advice would greatly be appreciated.

Thanks for all your help, this board is great!

Jason

[John Jordan]

Jason,

The joints on the tank Jim made in the photos were very near perfect. His welds were fine, and he lightly ground and then planished the seams. If you lapped the seams you would likely need to fill them.

Good luck.

[Boogiemanz1]

Jason, there is not "inside part that holds the gas" That's the inside of the outside...............That is why a good weld is critical. Gasoline will find a way out of the best weld sometimes, so pressure testing is recommended.

The bottom of the tank will usually have a "tunnel" that will slip over the frame, and heavy enough to mount from. Do you have a motorcycle that you want to build this tank for? If so, remove the old tank and look at the shape of the tunnel and the mounts, this will give you an ideal of what is required.

Never weld on a tank that has had gasoline in it! It can be done, but it needs to be filled with inert gas first or there is a very high, and real, explosion risk

There should be several forums concerning butt welding........john

[cfiiman]

Hey thanks guys for all the help...That cleared up both questions for me...I figured the panels needed to butt right up, but just wanted to be sure, sometimes it is really hard for me to get a complex curved panel to butt up to another panel perfectly, I guess I just need more practice...

Thanks again,

Jason

[Boogiemanz1]

Jason, most of us do need more practice....if you are lucky you have the time to do it......................john