Thread: 16 gallon under seat fuel tanks

unless you are a skilled metalworker, it's probably easier/cheaper to get a new one from a parts supplier 552174 | SWB and LWB front fill fuel tank or off ebay http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_f...All-Categories

also try the various Oz suppliers

Can you make do with a 10 gallon tank ? - they seem to me more widely advertised

I would be sticking with the 16 gal as you would need to make new chassis bracket for a 10 gal tank and you then have a 6 gal empty space. More than that 45 litres (10 gal) will not take you very far, after all a 16 gal tank is only 73 litres.

Have you tried a fuel tank sealant?

After that I'd go with a stainless tank as they are more rupture resistant than an aluminium tank or go for an after market replacement tank.

A 16 gallon tank that I recently sold appeared to have been coated on the outside a wile back with some sort of fibreglass and then a gel coat. Covered all the seams and joins that would normally be weak spots on the original tank. You could still just see the outline of the reinforcing rib (X) on the side but there were no leaks. The only metal visible from the outside was the filler extension tube as the "glass" finished about a centimetre up from where this attached to the top of the tank. Even the area under the sender and outlet was glassed. Appeared to have been coated on the inside too. Looked like a very professional job as there were no runs or big overlaps in the cloth. Maybe you could do something similar.

I used to be in contact with a guy in Brisbane who made LR fuel tanks as a sideline. He made 16 gal series tanks, plus the newer stuff. I also got him to make some custom (chamfered) tanks for JasonK, DaveS(?) and myself - which hold 68L but don't drag the ground as often offroad.

I have lost his contact details, but someone may have them. Tanks from him were ~$120 vs ~$450 from the usual suspects (LR parts places). They were also single skin 1.6 mm (so no rust holes like the double-skin tank). I dragged my first (standard) 16 gal tank from him over rocks for years without puncturing it.

Thanks all for the advice, i have been putting off the sealant option as it seems to be a reasonable size split along a seem, with a couple more looking like they are running out of life, so it seemed like a case of throwing good money after bad.

Thanks Ben for the prices from brisbane, will give me a starting point, though it seems incredibly cheap ($120)

Originally Posted by isuzurover

I used to be in contact with a guy in Brisbane who made LR fuel tanks as a sideline. He made 16 gal series tanks, plus the newer stuff. I also got him to make some custom (chamfered) tanks for JasonK, DaveS(?) and myself - which hold 68L but don't drag the ground as often offroad.

I have lost his contact details, but someone may have them. Tanks from him were ~$120 vs ~$450 from the usual suspects (LR parts places). They were also single skin 1.6 mm (so no rust holes like the double-skin tank). I dragged my first (standard) 16 gal tank from him over rocks for years without puncturing it.

Hi Ben,

Is there any chance you could find the contact details or any details at all for us? I have been looking at what would be required to angle the bottom of the tank to stop it hanging up on everything so having someone who has already done it would be great.

Thanks,

TimJ.

Originally Posted by Ben SIII

Thanks all for the advice, i have been putting off the sealant option as it seems to be a reasonable size split along a seem, with a couple more looking like they are running out of life, so it seemed like a case of throwing good money after bad.
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Are you using ethanol fuel?

There are BIG problems with the water in ethanol fuels rusting out the steel tanks and fuel lines. Apparently (my mechanic tells me) that they have stopped the roll-out of ethanol fuels in Queensland because of this problem.

Originally Posted by Lotz-A-Landies

Are you using ethanol fuel?

There are BIG problems with the water in ethanol fuels rusting out the steel tanks and fuel lines. Apparently (my mechanic tells me) that they have stopped the roll-out of ethanol fuels in Queensland because of this problem.

No I avoid it like the plague, though more for concern of the ethanol on the seals and diaphragm around fuel pumps and the carry on affect. It'd be great if they got rid of that stuff in NSW as wll as its getting hard to find 91 fuel about, specially when it sees to poor from the tank.