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I am struggling with picking a Fuel tank, and location for it. My build is IRS miata based. There is space above the diff for a 8 gallon tank about 8" high, or I can fit something in the stock location.

RCI 15 gallon
Jaz street Rod

Both of those do not have baffles or a sump

Jaz 8 gallon 20x15x7.5 with sump could fit on top of the Diff and has a sump to help against starvation, but that puts the tank at deck height and would complicate the vent I suppose, short of running an ugly tube up the roll bar brace.
What about those spun aluminum tanks that could fit well in stock location but would need some extra fittings installed.

I would love to have one made, but California is not the place you want to be paying shop labor rates, and I don't have the ability to weld aluminum myself.

Do an Internet search. I've seen outfits that make custom tanks in aluminum out there.

Cheers,

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Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886

Can't spend 500 bucks on a tank and I have been all over the internet. I may put a call into RCI since they will do custom stuff. But the price can rocket up quickly I am sure. That is why I came asking from the people that have done it.

WARNING not low cost…

I’ve run this set-up hard down to 1/8 of a tank with no hiccups. I sent a crystal clear drawing of what I wanted to Boyd Welding in Florida and they built the tank with a filler neck, sending unit and an Aeromotive Phantom pump/sump unit. The location is same as a Caterham. It has two baffles separating the tank into roughly equal thirds. The sump has 4 check valves 90 degrees apart at the bottom and the return pumps directly back into the sump, in theory, keeping the sump at a higher level than the tank when low on fuel. With some effort it could be replicated by a creative DIY’er.

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Peace, Ron

@doommachine
Yes, I understand. As a suggestion, try reaching out to Perry (@horchoha) or Chuck (@rx7locost) by PM and ask for a link to their own efforts in their build logs. I know Perry has done multiple tanks in steel and I'm pretty sure Chuck did one too.

You could do the basic fab work yourself and just tack weld the pieces in place leaving the final welding to a professional. You can do the bending without a big brake using simple things like angle iron and wood.

Once welded and tested, the inside of the tank is best coated with some materials that can be had at Eastwood or other, similar firms. It is a user do-able process once you know what to buy. I haven't used them as I bought the JAZ tank, which is a poly material that doesn't require treatment.

There's always a solution to these problems.

Cheers,

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Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886

Go to my build diary, here, https://midlana.com/2015/02 and read the 1 February entry. You are building a car - you can also build a gas tank.

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Midlana book: Build this mid-engine Locost!, http://midlana.com/stuff/book/
Kimini book: Designing mid-engine cars using FWD drivetrains
Both available from https://www.lulu.com/

that looks like a fun project, but not sure if it would save me any money and how do you keep the welds from not rusting in the tank. I pondered using 20ga stainless and making my own tank. I think if I had access to a water jet I would do that, but shop rates out here are 150 an hour. just to have the metal cut they would charge me that I imagine. VS an ebay JAZ clone with sender for less than that. The cost of Labor here is pretty high, They charged me 400 dollars to do 6 tubing bends on my roll bar and rear structure.

If the $$$ is the problem, I would look at making the tank from mild steel sheet stock after a good cleaning of the surface. I used plated steel, but ground back all the welded seam areas, and left the seam area un-coated. If using mild steel for your gas tank, it is a good idea to plan on changing the fuel filter on a regular basis. I would cut open 1st the filter change, to see the amount of rust and scale has been collected, which will help on judging the frequency for filter changes. I retro-fitted a gated sump on my tank, and it had no visible rust in the seam areas. I did have some particles on the pick-up socket which I contributed to the gas station tanks. I changed the first filter around 4,000 miles, I'm on my 2nd fuel filter with over 65,000 miles.

It's a stainless tank, so no rust. High labor rates are exactly why I did as much of the work myself. Use a jigsaw and cut it yourself. I know that it sound flippant, but you can do it. Sure, it'll take longer, but there is - should be - no deadline to having the car done. Remember, the journey is the adventure.

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Midlana book: Build this mid-engine Locost!, http://midlana.com/stuff/book/
Kimini book: Designing mid-engine cars using FWD drivetrains
Both available from https://www.lulu.com/

I could be open to making my own Stainless tank. Will see if good options make themselves apparent before I get to that point. Ebay options are ok and could be a stopgap at some point. Aside from needing to run line and the final rear section design somewhat dependent on it, there are many more pressing steps.

JAZ tank with foam sitting above Miata diff. I used all Miata fuel parts, modified fuel pump, roll over vent, sender, etc.. See build page for details.

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My build http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=7370

Which tank is that?

JAZ 8-gal.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/jzp-250-008-nf5?seid=srese2&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Brands+|+J&utm_term=4581252645114315&utm_content=GSAPI+5cc9f06108d3d

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My build http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=7370

Stainless does not mean rustproof. Avoid 4xx series. This is what "cheap" stainless outdoor grills are made from.

An unbaffled tank can be used with a small tank acting as a sump for the pump. The sump tank can be anywhere you have room outside the interior. A return line system would return to the sump tank, helping to keep it full. There are a number of ways to do it. I prefer a poly tank. Return systems are for carbs too, not just efi.

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Miata UBJ: ES-2074R('70s maz pickup)
Ford IFS viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13225&p=134742
Simple Spring select viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11815
LxWxHt
360LA 442E: 134.5x46x15
Lotus7:115x39x7.25
Tiger Avon:114x40x13.3-12.6
Champion/Book:114x42x11
Gibbs/Haynes:122x42x14
VoDou:113x44x14
McSorley 442:122x46x14
Collins 241:127x46x12

They don't even sell that junk. My steel supplier has mill grade and polished stainless. I didn't get polished because it was significantly more expensive. I have so many projects in this build, what is one more