85 GMC Sierra Classic 1 Ton Crew Cab

[Mattman2010]

Also having it broke would have taken two sheets of 4x8 with the size of this tank.
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[ryanroo]

Originally Posted by Mattman2010

Yeah the clamps are apparently for making picture frames they seem to wrk tho! And I didn't have it broke because I'm young and dumb and didn't think about that. Apparently I like to make things harder on myself. I planned on welding the bottom inside and out. Know of a good coating to put inside one of these bad boys?
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Young and dumb huh? been there done that, still have 50% of that issue

Picture frames, gas tanks, its all the same thing. i have looked into some coatings. still have not decided for sure what i am going to use. KBS is supposed to be good **** and so is Caswell

Originally Posted by Mattman2010

Also having it broke would have taken two sheets of 4x8 with the size of this tank.
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so! you should just get charged for the area used, at least thats how we do it.

[Mattman2010]

Originally Posted by ryanroo

Young and dumb huh? been there done that, still have 50% of that issue

Picture frames, gas tanks, its all the same thing. i have looked into some coatings. still have not decided for sure what i am going to use. KBS is supposed to be good **** and so is Caswell



so! you should just get charged for the area used, at least thats how we do it.

Hmm that KBS is interesting. I may use that or wait till you do your tank. My tank probably wont be fully done for a while. Should start taking some shape tomorrow tho.

I did not buy the steel from the guy that sheared it for me. It was cheaper for me to drive 30 mins away and buy the steel then take it to him to shear it. He asked me what I paid for the sheet and he said he cant even buy it for that cheap so thats why I only wanted to buy 1 sheet.

[Mattman2010]

Well today I finally was able to start messing with the tank. I got it all tacked up and test fitted it. But now the tip on my welder is warn out so I cant weld it anymore till I go pick up more tips.



Seeing if the baffles fit, still have to cut holes in them.






Also had the front clip on to check for tire clearance and took a pic of it.

[Dieselwrencher]

Looking good Matt! Make sure you get a package of tips and an extra roll of wire for back up.

[Mattman2010]

I have gotten the baffles and the sump put into the tank today. I am working on getting this bottom half all welded up so that I can check the bottom half for leaks.







Need to then start mounting the tank before I go about adding the sending unit, filler and all of the fittings needed for the fuel tank.

[wyattglock]

Looks good! I like what you have done to the truck so far! Can't wait to see how the tank turns out.

[ryanroo]

How do you plan to check for leaks?

Ryan

[Mattman2010]

Originally Posted by wyattglock

Looks good! I like what you have done to the truck so far! Can't wait to see how the tank turns out.

Thanks man!

Originally Posted by ryanroo

How do you plan to check for leaks?

Ryan

We have a big water tank that we are going to push it down in (if we can) and see if any water leaks into the inside.

[ryanroo]

Originally Posted by Mattman2010

Thanks man!



We have a big water tank that we are going to push it down in (if we can) and see if any water leaks into the inside.

No bueno my friend. on a molecular level, water is bigger than fuel. you may not see a leak if you water check but still have a fuel seep. this is a lesson learned the hard way. pressurized with air is the only good way. if you can seal the tank well and put a few, only a few with a square tank, psi in it and submerge it you will be mo betta. another way i like is to weld it all solid and cap it all off while its hot. let it set overnight and if it has a vacuum in the am, you are good.

[Mattman2010]

Originally Posted by ryanroo

No bueno my friend. on a molecular level, water is bigger than fuel. you may not see a leak if you water check but still have a fuel seep. this is a lesson learned the hard way. pressurized with air is the only good way. if you can seal the tank well and put a few, only a few with a square tank, psi in it and submerge it you will be mo betta. another way i like is to weld it all solid and cap it all off while its hot. let it set overnight and if it has a vacuum in the am, you are good.

Well shoot. I didnt want to weld the top on yet without having all my holes for everything in the top drilled yet. Guess I will have to drill all the holes after I weld the top on and try to keep all of the shavings out of the tank.

[Mattman2010]

Ok I guess I understood my dad wrong, he said turn the tank over and trap the air in the tank and push it under water. I guess we will probably try that and if it doesnt work then I will weld the top on.

[ryanroo]

that is better, but youll want some soapy water to spray the seams with. i doubt youll be able to totally submerge that tank. that is a lot of buoyancy.

ryan

[Dieselwrencher]

Originally Posted by ryanroo

that is better, but youll want some soapy water to spray the seams with. i doubt youll be able to totally submerge that tank. that is a lot of buoyancy.

ryan

Something tells me with Matty, there will be a tractor and loader involved at the least.

When I check tanks and stuff, I use a pressure regulater and soapy water like Ryan mentioned. I also learned the hard way on water while testing an oil pan I modified................

[Mattman2010]

Originally Posted by ryanroo

that is better, but youll want some soapy water to spray the seams with. i doubt youll be able to totally submerge that tank. that is a lot of buoyancy.

ryan

That is the plan!

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

Something tells me with Matty, there will be a tractor and loader involved at the least.

When I check tanks and stuff, I use a pressure regulater and soapy water like Ryan mentioned. I also learned the hard way on water while testing an oil pan I modified................

hmmmm.... now you have me thinking. I dont have a tank big enough to test this tank in unless I go up to my uncles and use his cow waterer, but that tank is nasty. I have a couple tarps laying around and the bed of my truck.... And yes I have a tractor so I could use that....

[buckshot305]

Before underground storage tanks for gas stations are set and buried, they are pressurized and a pressure gauge is installed. Simply let it sit overnight and see if the pressure dropped. No change means no leaks. If it's good enough for fuel in the ground, should be good enough for a truck. I would use a decent 0-10psi or similar gauge and pressurize to 10psi. Spray seams with soapy water.

Also, Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel fuel is very nasty on steel, causes it to rust pretty bad over time. Don't know why, but I would think about a spray on coating designed for fuel tanks. I'm sure there's something out there for this application.

Awesome build thread too!

[Mattman2010]

40 gallon of air at 10 psi would probably blow this damn tank up. I plan on getting a coating kit for the inside.

Thanks man!
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[Mattman2010]

I did get the tank all welded up yesterday, but stopped there cause I think this changing weather is starting to make me sick.



Waiting on a bunch of parts to come in for the tank. Pretty sure I have everything figured out but going to wait to put the fittings in the tank after it is installed so that I can make sure I have clearance for everything. I have also decided to put the filler in the bed. I dont haul to much stuff and we bought a 16 foot trailer a couple months ago so i should be good to go with that. Plus me and sheet metal are not friends so there is no way I could move a fuel door to the back and make it look good.

[1985-GMC]

You could move the door, just tack tack... tack it in.
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[Mattman2010]

Yeah the one time I did some body work cutting out pannels I messed it up bad. People may not like the filler in my bed but doest really matter to me. Works for me!
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[ryanroo]

looks alright to me!

[maxxxy]

Originally Posted by 1985-GMC

You could move the door, just tack tack... tack it in.
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Hahaha This comes to mind.

Happy Gilmore - Just Tap it in... - YouTube

[1985-GMC]

LOL that's what I was going for, glad someone got it!

[Dieselwrencher]

Nice work Matt. You can weld in the fuel door, just go slow. Heck, why not just get one of those billet ricer type gas doors? It'll match your no sleeve shirts and flat billed hats..........

[Mattman2010]

Originally Posted by 1985-GMC

LOL that's what I was going for, glad someone got it!

You would...

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

Nice work Matt. You can weld in the fuel door, just go slow. Heck, why not just get one of those billet ricer type gas doors? It'll match your no sleeve shirts and flat billed hats..........

The main reason I dont want to weld in a fuel door is this will not be the bed that I am going to be keeping. This bed is just a bed that I can use to get the truck running, I plan on running it as a dually so I will need to get a dually bed at some point and would hate to do all this work on a bed I dont plan on keeping. So the billet fuel door is tempting.