Alloy fuel tank project

[chrisc]

Interesting stuff. For the more knowledgeable folks than myself, would this work in a s2 fl coupe? carb obviously but maybe go to injection one day

[Nigel]

Hi Chris,

This would work for either carb or injection.
We are basing the build on a fuel sender without the pickup tube, and it'll have
a 13mm outlet for fuel from the swirl pot.
The carb type sender should fit fine.

Regards
Nigel

[Nigel]

More photos of the tank construction below.
Sorry, they are not necessarily in order. There's 12 from SMD
and one more.

[Nigel]

I collected the finished tank this afternoon and now excited to get it
in the car over the weekend, time permitting.
I can't remember how much fuel is in the car right now, so i'm hoping
i've got enough can space available!

Edit: he didn't drill the mounting holes, just in case. Probably wise.
I have a suitable hole saw so i'll offer it up, and go from there.


And the rest of the pics....

[WestonE]

Awesome job!

I am looking forward to hearing how it fits.

Eric

[mangocrazy]

Lovely piece of fabrication. If I hadn't sent my (OE) tank in for the Renu treatment a few years back, I'd be part of an orderly queue for a copy of that.

[Nigel]

I got the old tank out this afternoon, and despite the previous rigorous cleaning, a huge
amount of fine crud was in the fuel lines and filters, of which there are 3. I'm going to
have to back flush the main line and fit, this time, 2 new filters, one at the rear and another before the pump.

I offered the new tank up, marked where the holes need to be, did some more
measuring, drilled the holes, and up into position it went.
With the tank in position and the top surface contacting the body, the side angles are flush with the body beams.
That's a great result. Now, I just want to cut 4 rubber buffers to space it down by about 6mm. Luckily,
Lancia provided long mounting studs, so there's lots of adjustment available.
The gasket surrounding the fuel sender should crush down nicely, but it will need some extra rubber to make a good seal
at the front of the unit.
Pictures tomorrow.

From a very happy chappie!

[WestonE]

Looking forward to the pictures! particularly how it connects to the filler inlet. You can get closed cell rubber strip on rolls fairly easily to seal the front edge and you could actually use it on the edge mounting points.

Eric

[Nigel]

After being in and out a few times, it's now in.

As mentioned by Eric, I have found some closed-cell foam which I layered to form a dust/rain
seal at the front of the sender. It's not pretty, but the job it will do. I first glue-spotted the large
rubber seal to the boot floor in its factory position. That's important as it locates just in front
of a floor stiffener.

I also packed out the mounting points with 2 bits of 3mm rubber on each. Plenty of thread
exposed beneath each nut.

Although the filler hose lines up well, it just won't go on! I could probably force it with a 'special' tool, however the risk of
deforming the spigot is not worth it. [it's 5-6mm larger than standard]
 I've ordered a length of 51mm extra-flexible hose from CBS along with some hose clips, including
for the outlet and overflow pipes.

The rear view is a little chunky, even with the 'step-up'. Underseal may fix that, but not yet.

[Nigel]

And for now, the look from the rear.....

It appears to be slightly off level, so a bit of fettling is needed!

[WestonE]

Hi Nigel I suspect the old filler connector pipe will have hardened with age making it a pig to fit. I used a new one from CBS on my tank.

I think the look from the rear can be softened by painting the rear strip black. On my tank I painted the lower sections with Dinitrol 4941 for weather and stone protection. On an alloy tank you probably need etch primer first.

Great work.

Eric 

[Nigel]

The new tank is now fully plumbed with a new filler hose and proper clips all round. The
Car Builder hose was a struggle to fit, and I'd recommended not swaging the tank neck next time.
As there's no pressure, it's not really necessary, and would aid fitting the 51mm hose to the 51mm neck,
as there's almost no stretch in the hose.

I've also levelled the tank. I know this car had a rear end collision [the tailgate is not original] and
although everything looks good at the back, it's possible small anomalies exist.

If another tank is built in the future, a small redesign would move the front upper corner forward by around
20mm which will close the gap at the front of the sender, negating the extra foam packing. 
Access to the pipework will still be improved over the factory tank.

And finally, this tank cost £870.00 [SMD is not VAT registered]. Initially I thought it was expensive,
but seeing the hours that went into it, and the materials etc, it seems reasonable.
And i've now got reliably clean fuel and good access to the plumbing.
Once the car is driving again in the next month, I'll fill it and know the capacity. Stand by for that.
 
Eric, yes the original pipe may be a bit harder due to age. Thanks for the etch primer tip. 

[peteracs]

Hi Nigel

Congratulations on getting to the end of the project, not a trivial one.

I agree with Eric on the need to soften up the rear view and black would help a lot I think.

Peter

[Nigel]

Thanks Peter.

I meant to say that SMD said that if they have an order for a 'few' , the cost would drop,
by how much I don't know.

[chrisc]

I had a call today with Hartlepool Radiators who do the Renu process for fuel tanks, and thought it'd be a useful comparison to drop in here. They take the existing tank, split it, shot blast it, fix it as needed, apply a rubberised lining inside and out (or paint exterior if you prefer). That was looking at £434 including shipping each way and VAT. 3 year warranty.

I don't imagine it'll be a work of art like this alloy one but it's a useful alternative. Seeing what sort of state my tank is in before I decide

[WestonE]

Hi Chris

Please be cautious about the tank treatment the IE and VX tanks have welded in swirl pots with small pipes that are easily blocked by a coating treatment. On carb tanks you need to take care not to block the breather pipe.

For my FI Conversion we cut open a NOS tank and stripped the OE baffles and redundant pipes before installing the FI insert. 

I would go with the alloy tank and some black stone chip paint over etch primer which is easy home paint work.

With Nigel pioneering you can do the small extension to the front he described.

Eric   

[mangocrazy]

I had my tank put through the Renu process, as at the time that seemed to be the only viable option. I was sick of changing fuel filters every few months to keep the car running. Since the car has had the Renu'd tank re-fitted I've done precious little mileage in it, mainly because of the trauma it suffered at the hands of an incompetent mechanic, so can't really comment on effectiveness.

If I was doing it again now I would plump for Nigel's alloy tank every time.

[Sandro]

Nice Work Nigel!

Is there a discernable weight difference, noticeable when driving ? )

( curious )

A.   

[Nigel]

Hi Andrew,

Interesting question.
I reckon, without the benefit/hindsight of weighing it before installation, that it's
probably similar to the factory one.
The material is obviously lighter, but much thicker [2mm].
I haven't driven it yet!

Email sent about another topic.
Cheers
N.

[Nigel]

Well, just over a month later I've taxed it again and
took it to fuel up.

I brimmed the filler neck at 43 litres of Esso 99.
I'd already put over 10 litres from cans and used a tiny bit, so the capacity is as factory.

Before the fill, the gauge was indicating, and the low-level lamp was flickering on/off.
Pretty much as it should be I think.
Gauge now reading full.

Happy days and no leaks either!