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PreBuilt Fuel Tanks

Guy named Evan Johnson up in the Reding CA area-------will see if I can dig up the link.
 
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Anyone Interested?

From very low response, I figure there isn't a source for finished fuel tanks.

Would builders buy sealed, finished, leak tight tanks? Or is ProSeal just one of those experiences everyone has to try, and then hate it?
 
Pro-seal isn't all that bad!

The people who hate it are generally the type of people who don't like experiencing new things.

Yes, it stinks and is messy. But it's not as bad as some people let on. Remember, the irritated people make the most noise.

It's just one part of the building process.
 
I had Evan make replacement RV4 tanks three years ago due to failed slosh sealer. He definately has the process dialed in, nice workmanship, and no leaks or weeps after 200 hrs in service. It took about 4 months to get the tanks once ordered.
 
Like Mike mentioned above....there is a GREAT source for pre-built tanks. Contact Evan at Evans Aviation Products (www.evansaviationproducts.com). His website is currently down waiting for verification, but can be contacted at (530) 351-1776.

If you are looking for new tanks for a hand drilled Van's (i.e. RV-3 or RV-4), you will have to have the tanks built with extra long skins and then be fitted, trimmed and match drilled to your wings.

I looked into having new tanks built for my RV-4 and due to the extra time and fitting involved, I'm going to have my tanks cleaned out and re-sealed by Weep No More (http://www.weepnomorellc.com).
 
I've been looking at this as well. I was going to contact Evans Aviation Products as already mentioned in CA but the website is down and has been down for days. Not sure if he's still in business.
 
Gotta love VAF

Thanks guys. I've been thinking about doing tanks for hire. Since flying, I kinda miss building. And since tanks scare people, unnecessarily as Mel confirms, I thought I'd see if there is a problem to be solved.
 
The people who hate it are generally the type of people who don't like experiencing new things.

Yes, it stinks and is messy. But it's not as bad as some people let on. Remember, the irritated people make the most noise.

It's just one part of the building process.

I actually ended up enjoying building the tanks and didn't find the process to be anywhere near what the hype had me fearing.

Now the canopy? That's another story.

all in all, I think if you can survive the tedium of deburring wing ribs, you can do anything.
 
tanks

The people who hate it are generally the type of people who don't like experiencing new things.

Yes, it stinks and is messy. But it's not as bad as some people let on. Remember, the irritated people make the most noise.

It's just one part of the building process.

+1
I can't speak to 4 tanks but the 7 tanks I just finished were no biggie.
Yes it was messy. Yes it was tedious but not something to stress about even though I did. In fact, they are still sitting in our living room holding pressure.
I can't say enough about Rick Galati's Tips on fay sealing. It was the way to go. I also went with tank and substructure dies and was very pleased with the fit.
I tried to document my tank build in case someone needed it as reference. Feel free to take a look on my blog.
Of course the usual disclaimer applies.
 
Tank building

Im still here building tanks. Been super busy lately and harder to reach than normal. Give me a call or email if you would like to talk about having tanks built, I am always happy to help if I can. The web page should be back in order in the next few days. I really don't know how Doug keeps this one running so smoothly....mine is simple and still a lot of trouble to manage:confused:

Cheers..
Evan Johnson
530-351-1776
[email protected]
www.evansaviationproducts.com
 
+1
I can't speak to 4 tanks but the 7 tanks I just finished were no biggie.
Yes it was messy. Yes it was tedious but not something to stress about even though I did. In fact, they are still sitting in our living room holding pressure.
I can't say enough about Rick Galati's Tips on fay sealing. It was the way to go. I also went with tank and substructure dies and was very pleased with the fit.
I tried to document my tank build in case someone needed it as reference. Feel free to take a look on my blog.
Of course the usual disclaimer applies.

This was my experience as well. I'm glad I built them.
 
Building fuel tanks is one of those areas where I learned SO MUCH during the process, I was half tempted to do them again just so I could do it the second time using all the knowledge and technique I learned the first time around! I feel like I could do them perfectly the second time, and make a few different decisions along the way as well. If the parts were cheap enough and I had a few extra weeks of down time waiting on the fuselage kit I might think about it, but then I remember the hassle of getting the Z brackets done right and that's the tipping point.

That said -- no possible way I'm doing that again. :) I've got a long list of mental notes for "next time I build an airplane", but I don't think there will ever be a "next time".
 
That said -- no possible way I'm doing that again. :) I've got a long list of mental notes for "next time I build an airplane", but I don't think there will ever be a "next time".

Now, where have I heard that before?

A very similar thing happens in a maternity ward. Ask a brand new Mother when she plans on having her next baby. Then ask her again a month or two later.
I'm betting the two answers will be quite different.
 
Yeah, notice I didn't say, "I'll never do this again." :) Right now I can't imagine taking on another construction project, but you know the old saying -- never say never.
 
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