- Adam Administrator
While finishing up the frames, we sent several sheets of .090" thick 3003 aluminum to the laser cutting shop to get the fuel tank panels cut. The fuel tanks are made up of two end caps, a baffle plate with a trap door, a fuel pump doubler plate with permanent mounting bolts, a vent tube with rollover check valve and one large piece that is folded three times to form a box.
We were impressed by how quickly and accurately M&H Metal Specialties cut and bent the fuel tank panels. Here's how the large panels looked when we got them back.
We had a little bit of work to do before welding the tanks. To help prevent fuel starvation at the track, we include a baffle plate with a one way trap door to retain as much fuel as possible right under the pump even when the tank is getting low. We welded aluminum angle to the baffle plates to install the trap door. The baffle plates were bent so that it flared out against the inside of the tank walls to form a good seal.
To make fueling up easier, we welded in large vent tubes at the top of the tank. This allows air to flow out of the tank as you pump in fuel. Without this vent, fueling up would be very slow. A seat was machined inside of each vent tube so that a large ball bearing could be used as a rollover valve. If the car ever ends up on its lid, the ball will drop against the seat and seal the tank.
We TIG welded the tanks together and installed the fuel mount doubler and mounting bolts. Thanks to the bulk of the tank being bent, we only had to weld one long seam on the folded box and four short seams on each end cap. Each tank was then pressure tested for leaks.
We were impressed by how quickly and accurately M&H Metal Specialties cut and bent the fuel tank panels. Here's how the large panels looked when we got them back.
We had a little bit of work to do before welding the tanks. To help prevent fuel starvation at the track, we include a baffle plate with a one way trap door to retain as much fuel as possible right under the pump even when the tank is getting low. We welded aluminum angle to the baffle plates to install the trap door. The baffle plates were bent so that it flared out against the inside of the tank walls to form a good seal.
To make fueling up easier, we welded in large vent tubes at the top of the tank. This allows air to flow out of the tank as you pump in fuel. Without this vent, fueling up would be very slow. A seat was machined inside of each vent tube so that a large ball bearing could be used as a rollover valve. If the car ever ends up on its lid, the ball will drop against the seat and seal the tank.
We TIG welded the tanks together and installed the fuel mount doubler and mounting bolts. Thanks to the bulk of the tank being bent, we only had to weld one long seam on the folded box and four short seams on each end cap. Each tank was then pressure tested for leaks.
