Sean
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2023
- Member Number
- 6041
- Messages
- 1,075
Gathering parts for a couple of buggy builds (one for my wife, one for me....most likely very similar if not identical).
Brings me to the topic of fuel cells. In the past, space constraints have always dictated a custom tank and I've always made them from .095" steel with baffles and sumps, usually tall and narrow so they have fuel at pretty extreme angles. No issues with the 3 tanks I've built, all still in service, no leaks/cracks. I went steel at first b/c I didn't have a TIG or a MIG spool gun. I have both now, but have seen/heard of so many folks cracking aluminum tanks that I'm a bit leery. I've read that how you mount an aluminum tank makes a big difference, but I've seen it done a lot of ways and they still seem to be prone to leaking.
This time, there should be room to go with an off the shelf tank (about 12-16 gallons)....and I notice aluminum tanks are now really inexpensive.....but are probably pretty low quality/thin wall.
So the question: Am I better off just buying a plastic tank at this price point? I assume they are far less likely to leak and I'd imagine they are a bit lighter (I'm trying to keep the weight down on these builds). Or, am I overthinking this and is aluminum fine (even these Amazon tanks)? Is mounting really the way to solve the issue of cracks/leaks on an aluminum tank and if so....what method is preferred? And no, I don't really see the point in buying a cheap aluminum tank, cutting the top off, reinforcing/baffling it, then welding it back together. If I were going to do that, I'd just build a custom one out of heavier gauge aluminum to begin with....and I'm trying to avoid all the time consuming tasks that make builds take so long.
Brings me to the topic of fuel cells. In the past, space constraints have always dictated a custom tank and I've always made them from .095" steel with baffles and sumps, usually tall and narrow so they have fuel at pretty extreme angles. No issues with the 3 tanks I've built, all still in service, no leaks/cracks. I went steel at first b/c I didn't have a TIG or a MIG spool gun. I have both now, but have seen/heard of so many folks cracking aluminum tanks that I'm a bit leery. I've read that how you mount an aluminum tank makes a big difference, but I've seen it done a lot of ways and they still seem to be prone to leaking.
This time, there should be room to go with an off the shelf tank (about 12-16 gallons)....and I notice aluminum tanks are now really inexpensive.....but are probably pretty low quality/thin wall.
So the question: Am I better off just buying a plastic tank at this price point? I assume they are far less likely to leak and I'd imagine they are a bit lighter (I'm trying to keep the weight down on these builds). Or, am I overthinking this and is aluminum fine (even these Amazon tanks)? Is mounting really the way to solve the issue of cracks/leaks on an aluminum tank and if so....what method is preferred? And no, I don't really see the point in buying a cheap aluminum tank, cutting the top off, reinforcing/baffling it, then welding it back together. If I were going to do that, I'd just build a custom one out of heavier gauge aluminum to begin with....and I'm trying to avoid all the time consuming tasks that make builds take so long.
