I was just going to buy a tank but now I'm contemplating building one..... thanks lol

 

It was necessary for me due to the complex shape I needed. It would have been too difficult to communicate my needs to another builder. You'll definitely have a great feeling of accomplishment by building your own.

 

i was looking at the aero precision tank as they said they can do one out of stainless for me but at a price of over 1000 for having it done in stainless I kinda want to try building one....

 

You'll find that the material cost between stainless and aluminum isn't a huge difference. Yes, aluminum is cheaper, but you have to use much thicker sheet. If you're going to make your own you will definitely save money and weight with aluminum.

 

No love for stainless? I was thinking stainless because if I ever get a puncture a field repair on stainless is usually a bit easier than aluminum.

 

I do love stainless. How do you figure it's an easy field repair though? Stainless is even more clinical, you need to back purge.

 

If you use the right rod you can actually stick weld stainless which means I could use my jumper cables to complete a basic repair to get home not pretty but it works ( works even better if i use a ferritic (not sure I spelled that right) stainless.




But I do like the idea of less weight with the aluminum I suppose I could just reinforce key areas and run a thicker material on the bottom...... ideas abound.


Again great job on your set up.

 

I wouldn't want to weld on a fuel tank..

 

You're not going to do a field repair on a fuel tank, it needs to be cleaned and purged first. So I think aluminum is the way to go. Also stainless is even more brittle so you're likely to see cracks from road vibrations after a few years.

Thanks to bryanmartin for posting dimensions, I didn't want to go that deep but it looks good for you so maybe I will.

 

I didn't think I wanted to either, but I'm going by my 79 Bronco as reference. It has the optional larger capacity fuel tank on that truck, and it hangs the exact same amount below the frame that this one does and it looks just fine.

 

Dude, you are a ROCK STAR! Your work is incredible!! I wish I could do 1/10th of what you can do...

 

Wow, thanks. You can do everything I do, I'm self-taught.

 

Aluminum will also stretch and deform something like 3 times more than mild or stainless before it punctures. I've seen some pretty crazy dings and dents in the bottom of aluminum highway tractor tanks that weren't leaking..

​​​​​​​bryanmartin...Glad to hear you drilled a top vent hole in the baffle. I figured you would have, just thought I'd ask. Keep up the great work...I like your tank mount too.

 

Taking a break from the tank install while I get it powder coated. I wanted to anodize it, but apparently nobody will do it. Anywho, I'm going to get started on the last body mod before I send the bed off to the blasters.

I'll probably catch grief for this, but whatever. I've decided to flip the tailgate handle to the inside for two reasons. The main reason is security. I plan on occasionally running a canopy on this truck, and I would like my cargo to be secure. This way I can lock the canopy which will prevent access to the tailgate handle inside. I know the canopy overlaps the tailgate, but nowhere near enough for it to be considered secure. The second reason is, although I know that I could simply drill a hole for a lock cylinder, I figure this is the classiest way to do it, and it won't look like an afterthought.

I did consider the possibility of getting the handle mechanism full of grit/dirt/gravel, etc. when the tailgate is open, but I figure that if I know that I'll be hauling stuff like that I'll use my mat. I have a large heavy rubber mat that I can put down in the bed that is long enough to wrap up the inside of the 'gate, then cover it when the 'gate is open.

Plus, it's too late to change my mind so leave me alone

I got a new tailgate from Dennis Carpenter since my old one was a bit beyond saving (bent, full of Bondo, etc.). This is not the cheap Chinese hope-it-fits stuff, they make a heavy gauge galvanized tailgate using original Ford tooling. Supposed to be better than the original unit.


This is the handle hole that I'm going to fill.


But first, I want to get the back side cut out for the handle mount. From the factory, the handle bolts to these three holes. No need to re-fab this part, I'll just cut it out and flip it around.







Here is the ugly stock handle mounted to the panel I cut out. These handles are well built, but they sure didn't put any effort into the aesthetics did they?


The first thing I wanted to do to the hole to be filled in, is cut out this section of rolled edge so that I could do a clean butt-weld on the patch panel.


I then cut it out the best I could and made a cover plate for it based on a paper template that I made.


Even with cutting the rolled edge, I still have a bit of a downturn that I can't get to without cutting into the inner structure.


I tried to get that last little bit of curved edge up using the stud welder, but those spot welds are close enough to the edge that it's pretty hard to pull up.


And here's the fitment. You can see where I couldn't get the edge pulled up enough on the bottom left. It ended up leaving a gap, but I'll just fill that in with silicon bronze TIG filler rod.


That's enough work for today. I need sleep.

 

Watching your thread makes me feel lazy. Keep up the good work.