Fuel Tank assembly sequence

[claycookiemonster]

The last step in the standard build sequence is putting the aft baffle on, and the area most likely to leak is the aft corner: Coincidence? What if only the outer tank rib was in place when the baffle was rivetted on? The tank could be propped up at a 45 degree angle so the sealant would settle towards the outside aft corner, and if you really tried you might be able to add more sealant to that aft corner thru the fuel filler neck. Then (with the baffle in place) you could do the inner tank rib, buck the rib reinforcements and attach angle thru the access plate. Again, you'd be able to prop up the tank with the inner aft corner down to get help from God's "G" in sealing the corner. Finally, you could inspect and re-do the sealant (if necessary) on the inner aft corner thru the access plate.

What am I missing?

Clay "Cookie Monster" Cook
Pro-Seal arriving any day now!

[Brantel]

The tank sealant really does not flow well. It will settle out but does not sag or run very much. If you follow the plans and directions, you will get this:





and this



If you use enough sealant to get the nice roll and the ball at the corner, it should not leak.

The front tank support bracket is not the easiest thing to rivet due to the location and the sandwich of sealant and metal. I would not want to be trying to do this thru the access plate hole.

[az_gila]

An old trick (Bakersfield bunch?) for the drill it yourself RV-6 tanks was to add a small (about 3/4 inch long) piece of 3/4 by 1/16 angle in each of the tank corners. This angle is riveted to the rib, and just provides an extra sealing surface on the baffle side...

Hope this description makes sense..... gil A

[389JM]

I just finished my second (right) tank on Saturday so this is fresh in my mind. Therefore I thought I would respond.

You may know this but the reason the instructions state that the most likely place for a leak is the aft corners is due to the fact that the outer ribs are 'notched' at the aft corners and therefore do not form a tight fit at the corners. This being the case, a 'blob' or good build up of sealant is necessary in the aft corners. Brian's pics illustrate this quite well.

Your proposed build process I'm sure would work but in my opinion it would be a lot more difficult to do than the build process described in the instructions.

This issue is really quite easily handled by 'gooping' an extra amount of sealant in the corners. I'm sure you will find that after you complete the process it is handled quite easily. Not really a big probem at all.

Just to let you know - I was freaking out when I started on my first tank with all sorts of nightmares about leaks. Turns out everything works great if you go slow, use common sense, and follow the instructions.

Just my opinion. Good luck.