101FC Fuel Tank Options

[stuee]

As the title suggests I am chasing up some options for replacing or properly repairing my rusted out fuel tank. I don't particularly like the existing design as its a terrible (or should that be good ;)) water trap, and any repairs I get done will most likely rust out again in the future. I imagine any repair would also take a bit of work, as the metal is quite thin in some places and there are 5 or 6 small holes ranging from 0.5-2mm in diameter.

I'm also not particularly fond of the 425 pounds + shipping for the clubs stainless steel option. Would be nice, but at this stage I'm not really wanting to outlay that much. Also I'm not sure if the baffling has improved on those tanks, but I gather its crap in the originals.

One option I've discussed with mates is simply mounting a slightly smaller new tank (either a modern plastic one from a wreckers or a fabricated tank) where the old one used to sit, and cut up the existing tank to simply cover the new tank so it looks original.

Has anyone else got any ideas? I've seen some have mounted additional tanks, while others have gone lpg.

[stuee]

Just adding some ideas as I find them. Rather than resolder the tank its been suggested in the below thread on the 101 forum to sikaflex it in place. This would remove the need for re-soldering the tank in place which would damage any paint, leading to early rust.

http://www.101club.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3382&start=0&hilit=fuel+tank+cradle

Also is the fact that the metal is thin some spots on the tank going to be an issue? It is mounted in quite a solid cradle, and I will also be putting a membrane type coating on the inside as well. Possibly still prone to cracking but its well protected from stones and rocks gouging the tank.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

There are numerous brands of fuel tank sealants and most are aviation rated so cracking is not a great issue. On the other hand Sikkaflex can be a beast to work with and is best used on clean dry surfaces bonding two sheets together, so unless you are planning on dismantling the tank to re bond, or like the look of Sikkaflex rubbed over the seams I'd be going with the sealant on the inside.

You will have to take the tank out to seal it properly.

[stuee]

There are numerous brands of fuel tank sealants and most are aviation rated so cracking is not a great issue. On the other hand Sikkaflex can be a beast to work with and is best used on clean dry surfaces bonding two sheets together, so unless you are planning on dismantling the tank to re bond, or like the look of Sikkaflex rubbed over the seams I'd be going with the sealant on the inside.

You will have to take the tank out to seal it properly.

Sorry, should have worded that better. Currently the tank and carrier are removed and separated. If I were to repair the tank I would get the small holes braised up (by a shop - I dont have the equipment or experience for that) then get a KBS kit to seal the inside of the tank, and probably coat the outside of the tank a polyurethane type paint.

The sikaflex would be used to bond the tank back into the carrier as opposed to silver solder that the factory uses. I was previously concerned about soldering the tank back in as it would damage the paint and make it easy for rust to take hold but I had never thought of sikaflex (have to start thinking outside the box more...).

[Mick_Marsh]

You could get a custom tank fabricated in stainless here.
I've seen a few of the Aussie 101's with custom, larger capacity fuel tanks that appear to be fabricated and installed whilst in service.

[stuee]

You could get a custom tank fabricated in stainless here.
I've seen a few of the Aussie 101's with custom, larger capacity fuel tanks that appear to be fabricated and installed whilst in service.

Any idea of the $$$ involved. Although its a simple fuel tank, I cant see a custom job being cheap :(

I will ask about, I may be surprised.

[101RRS]

For the first 2 years of ownership of my 101 I thought my tank was standard but it is not - it has the correct inlet pipe and the correct fittings on top but was fabricated in Aust and is of much heavier construction than the original. Mine is fully welded with different mounting brackets.

See some pics below - if you do get one built I would consider making it a bit deeper - maybe up to another 2".

[stuee]

Thanks for the pics Garry. That looks like a nice solid tank.

Ringing around just then, a fuel tank repair would cost anywhere from $250 to $400 depending on how much work needs to be done, while a custom aluminium job would be about $800 for a tank of similar size, including a new sender and certification. They could do it in steel but said would not be that much cheaper. I'm still trying to find more companies that will custom make tanks to compare prices.

Either way it doesnt look like it will be cheap. I'm still waiting on hearing back from a friend of my brother who may be able to repair the tank for me.

edit* Just had another mob tell me that custom tanks start from about $2250!!!!

[Mick_Marsh]

Any idea of the $$$ involved. Although its a simple fuel tank, I cant see a custom job being cheap :(

I will ask about, I may be surprised.
It would have to be cheaper than getting the one from UK.

[101 Ron]

For the first 2 years of ownership of my 101 I thought my tank was standard but it is not - it has the correct inlet pipe and the correct fittings on top but was fabricated in Aust and is of much heavier construction than the original. Mine is fully welded with different mounting brackets.

See some pics below - if you do get one built I would consider making it a bit deeper - maybe up to another 2".

Could be a Aussie army modification as my fuel tank is like you describe of being much heavier constrution and professionally made of about the same size.
What is the differences in mounting to a standard tank Garry ?
as I have never looked carefully at a standard tank.


Stuee I would look at getting a steel tank made and as fuel tanks go it is a straight fordward one to fabricate.
As Garry has pointed out it would be a great time to made the tank deeper as the 101 needs to carry every drop of go juice it can

[stuee]

I just got the grinder with wire brush wheel out to clear away some of the rust to see how bad the damage is:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/09/13.jpg

If it were one or two holes I would have considered a Knead-It type product to patch along with a membrane inside the tank but as can be seen the rust was hiding quite a bit.

I am leaning towards a custom tank, either steel or aluminium, but its just a matter of finding someone to make it and certify it for me.

[101 Ron]

I took these tonight in the dark of a black tank and chassis, so i couldnt see where I was pointing the camera.
this one is the drain plug
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/09/14.jpg
the next 2 are looking upwards at the front of the tank looking from near the centre of the vehicle.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/09/15.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/09/16.jpg
and there are these
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/09/17.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/09/18.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/09/19.jpg

[101 Ron]

I just got the grinder with wire brush wheel out to clear away some of the rust to see how bad the damage is:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/09/13.jpg

If it were one or two holes I would have considered a Knead-It type product to patch along with a membrane inside the tank but as can be seen the rust was hiding quite a bit.

I am leaning towards a custom tank, either steel or aluminium, but its just a matter of finding someone to make it and certify it for me.

Take it to a radiator repair shop.
They will solder on new plate over the holes cheap as chips and it is a good lasting repair.

[fc110]

Could be a Aussie army modification as my fuel tank is like you describe of being much heavier constrution and professionally made of about the same size.


Some, if not all, 16AD regt. fuel tanks were replaced under warranty, in Leyland's Regency Park (SA) workshop. One example, enter service 4/5/79, at 1888miles, 31/5/79 "warranty- replace fuel tank". Maybe they were locally made. I got to sit in one of abt 6 that were in the wkshop abt that time, all had their fuel tanks out!

[101RRS]

Could be a Aussie army modification as my fuel tank is like you describe of being much heavier constrution and professionally made of about the same size.
What is the differences in mounting to a standard tank Garry ?
as I have never looked carefully at a standard tank.

Well I didn't realise yours was the same as mine - so logically a Aust army mod. The standard tank is basically tin plate and the mounts are all soldered - importantly the weight of the tank is taken by the bottom of the tank as the tank sits in a bracket at either end - see the pic. I am sure they would dent badly if used as a rock slider where ours would most likely hold up without damage


Some, if not all, 16AD regt. fuel tanks were replaced under warranty, in Leyland's Regency Park (SA) workshop. One example, enter service 4/5/79, at 1888miles, 31/5/79 "warranty- replace fuel tank". Maybe they were locally made. I got to sit in one of abt 6 that were in the wkshop abt that time, all had their fuel tanks out!

Both Ron's 101 and mine are ex 16AD vehicles but I don't believe all were modified. The 101 at Bandiana has an original tank and most other 101s I have sighted still have the original tank in them but a few have the heavier duty tank.

Garry

[Mick_Marsh]

Here's an idea.
101 club • Login (http://www.101club.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=5234)


twin fuel tanks - from a Nissan Cabstar, no more double-skin rot (capacity 160 litres, good for about 600km's)

[stuee]

Just to update this, I chose to go with the repair option via a Natrad shop near me. They will also be reconditioning the radiator while they are at it. I'll post up the photos when I get it back. Costs will be, at maximum, 50% of a the cheapest quote for a new tank and will be ready a lot sooner than getting a custom one made, which should mean I hopefully am able to get the motor started sooner rather than later.

When I have a bit more disposable cash (haha yeh right), I'll look at getting a custom tank made with some decent baffles and a mini surge tank to boot.

[Mick_Marsh]

Get it made in stainless. Let us not how much. There might be a few people interested in acquiring one or two.

[stuee]

Got the tank back from the radiator shop. Happy with the overall repairs and internal coating but would have been even happier if they didn't paint it afterwards

They haven't bothered to clean old flaking paint off or all of the crud so I will strip the whole bottom back down to make sure it gets coated properly as I don't want the thing rusting out again in 6 months time :mad:. Also not sure on the quality of paint and the priming as its already come off quite easily on parts that were bare metal.

Still got another week left of this shut-down at work so cant actually do anything till begining of November. Ill keep updating this thread with the rest of the restoration process for the fuel tank and carrier.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/10/496.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/10/497.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/10/498.jpg

[101 Ron]

It is very , very normal for radiator shops to paint eveything black with a thick QD paint.
Most radiators are painted flat black to help heat radiation from the radiator.
They will spray straight over the top and it makes any soldering/radiator repairs look great on a radiator.......doesnt work well for fuel tanks........
Just use the paint they used as a filler for your top coat.

[stuee]

Ended up cleaning and repainting the bottom of the tank and carrier today. Glad I did as there was still some loose rust scale under the paint in some spots and it only took a few minutes to get all the loose crap off.

Newly painted carrier and repainted tank bottom:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/10/26.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/10/27.jpg

Will leave the paint to set for a week so its nice and hard and then look at sikaflexing the two together. The design is basically a rust trap so I'm being overly cautious.

In the mean time I will prime the bare metal on the bottom of the carrier and spray it with some rust guard black that I have. Will post the finished product when done. In all it seems like a full restoration of the tank and carrier will end up costing in the vicinity of $450 (including all materials and radiator shop labour). This would drag out to $500 if you where buying paint just for this job. Not sure how long it will last, but hopefully with all the attention its getting it will see out at least 5 years!!

[stuee]

Put it together and mounted it all today.

Sikaflex starting to be applied:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/11/859.jpg

Would like to say I used white for the purposes of making it clearer for anyone who attempts this in the future, but no, I just didn't read the label...

Carrier glueing to tank:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/11/860.jpg

Can see I've done my best to seal it all up so water and mud wont easily get in. Also thinking of making a small hole to load up the gap with fish oil or something as a preventative.

Nice clean tank mounted onto chassis. Will get a better picture when the chassis is rolled out into the sunlight:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/11/861.jpg

Should hopefully give me a decent few years of service.