Softail Bagger - Page 26 - Harley Forum

unclepsycho · #**251** 10-18-2009, 06:56 PM

Thanks for the reply. in the past, I filled up the tank with water, lit off a match to burn off the fuel, but then I never seemed to get allthe water out. probly cuz I didnt let it dry all the way.

I am gonna re-locate the petcock to the left side and farther back on that peanut tank I got for the 72 Shovel.

hardtimeharley · #**252** 10-19-2009, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unclepsycho

I got a question, How do you clean the tank before you cut and weld on it? I have heard of using dry ice to weld on a tank, but that dont clean it, just removes the oxygen.

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I just retired from working on Ground Support Equip. at a AFB. Our welders had to repair diesel/jet fuel/mogas tanks all the time. They gave them a good rinse out, then stuck a air hose in them when welding. Not wide open, but enough flow that the fumes could never get close to a combustible ratio. Some of these tanks were 50-100 gal., so there was quite a residual fume area.

HarleyCruiser · #**253** 10-19-2009, 12:04 PM

Hardtime I think you hit a real important detail, the size of the tank.
Especially compared to the size of the opening that the expanding burning gasses can exit the tank.
A small tank with a two inch hole is less of a explosive risk than a fifty gallon with the same size hole.
I have heard horror stories. There was one in the news in s Florida twenty years ago about a guy cutting on a fifty five gallon tank that had oil in it.
Pretty much leveled his garage, don’t remember how bad he was hurt, or all the details.
It does happen.

[QUOTE=hardtimeharley;53659I just retired from working on Ground Support Equip. at a AFB. Our welders had to repair diesel/jet fuel/mogas tanks all the time. They gave them a good rinse out, then stuck a air hose in them when welding. Not wide open, but enough flow that the fumes could never get close to a combustible ratio. Some of these tanks were 50-100 gal., so there was quite a residual fume area.[/QUOTE]

HarleyCruiser · #**254** 11-09-2009, 07:20 PM

Well finally got the site glass valley welded in here is a quick look.
Did not have a lot of time to do any grinding or cleaning up but you will get the idea.

Here it is with the dash.

I did do some sandblasting on the tank, still need to finish the gas filler, need a quarter inch thick piece of steel underneath to bolt the filler/cap to the tank.
Also went over some of my old welds, I think this thing might even hold gas.;-)

unclepsycho · #**255** 11-09-2009, 09:41 PM

That site glass is too cool!!! I may attempt something similar on mine.....not exact, but at least borrow the idea. It is a lot better than any gas guage.

I think I saw one with a clear tube on the side once, but not the 'valley' cut in to make it recessed.

keep up the great work.

evoKENevo · #**256** 11-10-2009, 09:23 AM

The sight guage is pretty cool...but, I'da thunk it'd have to be postioned vertically (kinda like Scott described) to work as a fuel level guage...no

HarleyCruiser · #**257** 11-10-2009, 03:32 PM

Thanks guys, well yea it would have been more accurate on the side, but that is not the look that I wanted, and did not want it exposed to be hit, so recessed on the side would have been hard to see while riding.
When full you will not be able to tell how full until about half a tank, and pretty sure that it will be at the bottom of the site glass at about a quarter tank.
(excuse my chicken scratchings)

My gas gauge now is very inaccurate, always reads less than I have so I am used to checking my mileage against the gauge so I feel it will be fine.
I am getting really excited about how it looks, need to get thing in gear, these one/two year projects sure take a lot of time.
I am thinking about a way to light up the site glass, maybe a tube welded on top of the tank running from the dash to the valley, in a pattern then leaded in. you know hidden in plain site.
Also am thinking about some sort of a oil press gauge on the tank.
Not sure what I want, something unique, like an old style gage on top of the tank, below the filler neck.
Not a gauge, but some sort of a lever or site glass or something.
It aint come to me yet, any suggestions.

HarleyCruiser · #**258** 11-10-2009, 06:49 PM

Ok here is what I am thinking, first thought bought how to measure pressure, first thought about a balloon, a rubber one, low pressure small balloon high large.
Pushing against something like a handle then thought about something like a slave cylinder for a hydraulic system, this is pressure activated.
Then thought about a tire gauge, the long type with the square part that pops out.
It would be made like a slave cylinder, main part inch and a quarter OD one inch ID.
Then a one inch piston with a spring inside to measure the pressure.
Have it pop out with pressure, pull in with none.
Have a copper tubing run up to the gauge, and have a valley for the gauge to sit in on the tank.

evoKENevo · #**259** 11-10-2009, 06:55 PM

"Aha"...I get it now

!!!

HarleyCruiser · #**260** 11-11-2009, 05:56 PM

Oil Gauge
Ok got some chicken scratches. The plunger would be half an inch Dia inside the base and the part that sticks out would be 3/8. The plunger would have a step on it so that there could be a spring inside to push it into the base, when there was no pressure and the spring would let the plunger show when the pressure increased.
The base would be about four inches long and the plunger would stick out about two inches with full pressure.
You could change the springs to calibrate the gauge.
The bore of the base would be stepped with a smaller opening than the bore, for a place for the spring to rest on.
You would need one end of the base to come off, either screwed on or bolted.
The base would need a grove for a square 0-ring. That would be the hardest part.
There will be a red LED in the base so that when the plunger is in it will show, when the plunger is out it would be covered. This LED would be hooked to the oil warning light so it would go out anyway.
I do not have a lathe so I am trying to figure out how I can do this with just wood tools and a drill press.
It will be made out of aluminum, then polished, and sit inside a valley in the tank.
It will probably be on the right side, under the filler.
The line going to the gauge would be copper, run in a valley on the side of the tank and down under the tank then hooked to a plastic line that would run to where the oil warning light sensor is screwed into, use a “t”.
At least that is the idea for now, any suggestions.