Fuel Tank - fatherless child

Wish I'd seen this earlier just finishing up both my tanks for close out, this is my top tip for anyone embarking on the fuel tank journey.

I considered doing it, but thought I was following the letter of the law in terms of plans. Obviously I don't readen the Engish so godden, time to get my eys chekened.

It was an absolute child without a father couple of hours retoping the shop heads with a mirror a Popsicle stick and a torch in my mouth sucking in pure cancer evil fumes when I decided good wasn't good enough, by the end of the process I was ready for some momma's little helpers I tell ya.

If these guys leak there gonna leak even better with some extra 9mm lightning holes in them. Sorry
0.354330709 inches.

Actually top tip so far in the build.

Just 0.354330709 inch holes... not 0.45?

Vansrv7arob said:

... It was an absolute child without a father couple of hours retoping the shop heads with a mirror a Popsicle stick and a torch in my mouth ...

Click to expand...

Gotta love all the variants of the English language! When I, speaking American English all my life, see the word "torch" something like this is what comes to mind:


How or why someone would put one in their mouth is almost too funny to consider.

I missed that note to.

Photos of sealant job are in my signature link, starting @ # 62. Tools # 65. Applied with a mirror. I am now qualified for dental work.

Timely post for my build progress

So I can understand that once you've got the ribs installed that it would be difficult to add the extra sealant to the shop heads and edges of these stiffeners with the flanges on the aft side. But, if you rivet on the stiffeners first, like the plans call for, wouldn't you have ready access for sealing up the shop heads?

I've already turned around one tanks worth of stiffeners..

Make sure you put plenty on

Make sure you put plenty on the shop heads before installing any of the ribs, and good fillets on the back side, with them facing forward adding more later is a job you don't want to do.

In retrospect either way works, facing aft just gives you an easier option to revisit with more, the plans allow installation either way.

The more time you invest as you go along with the tank build the more anxious you get about them leaking generally I found I added more to everywhere than what I originally had thought was plenty.