I managed to get hold of a large sheet of 1.5mm aluminium sheet for pretty cheap, and I'm thinking that making my own fuel tank would be a good way to save some money.

Since I intend to use my injected R1 engine's in-tank fuel pump, a custom tank will be required in any case.

My local fabrication workshop have said they will TIG the tank for me, I just need to supply the cut and folded sheets.

Before I can begin my design, I'd like to know what considerations I would need to give to the placement of baffles around the in-tank pump. Will the pump need to sit within its own sump?

to thin,sorry

if you do use it fold a cross in each panel

[Edited on 25/5/09 by jpindy3]

I wouldn't have said 1.5mm is too thin at all, ours is made from it so I hope it's not! As long as you avoid welding mounting lugs directly to it and try to hold it in with some sort of strap arrangement it will be fine.

Have you considered foam filling it. You don't loose much capacity with it and it is very effective. Need some thought if you have a float type sender in it though.

Putting the pump in a small sump is a good idea and i would have thought you'd need a swirl pot somewhere in the system too but then im not am injection man (yet) so can't be more specific!

HTH
Andy

HI

Personally i only use 2mm for making tanks. But 1.5 should be fine. One thing to make sure of though is that there is a good 2 way free flow breather valve on it. The biggest problem that most tank manufacturers DO NOT take into account is just how much movement there is and what happens to the welded seams when the tank is continually being sucked in and blown out due to poor breather systems. We spend an awful lot of time re welding manufactured tanks up where they split along welded seams due to this reason.

And as Andy has said above never bolt the tank down directly to the chassis if it is vulnerable to movement in an accident. Use straps.

Cheers Matt

Thanks for the replies. Has anyone had any issues with the baffles themselves coming loose within the tank due to fatigue of the welds from fuel continually sloshing about?

Hi

Only on the cheap ones where they only weld a vertical baffle to the base only. Those that are welded in two places will be fine.

Cheers Matt

Don't forget to make allowance for the fuel level sender's swinging arm.

Mine was so restrictive that I ended up installing a vertical sender.