Fuel Tank

[Adrian Harris]

I think I probably know the answer but does the fuel tank mount directly to the back plate ?

If it does, I'll need to remove all the fasteners I've just added to the two strips down the back

On a related note, having primed and partially built up the fuel tank, I'm proposing to use it to house an enlarged smoker. That way the fluid etc is kept away from the tank and if I spill any when refilling the smoker, it'll just look like a prototypical fuel leak

Could I please have the relative sizes of the two halves of the centre section, as it doesn't look like a 50/50 split and affects where the armour plate lands ?

I've ordered some small hinges, and am currently working out how to secure the two larger roof pieces so that I can get to the interior if I need to. I'm also planning on adding a fan to one side panel of the fuel tank and an aperture to the other, so that a cross flow of air can keep the external temperature of the smoker at a reasonable level and exhaust any stray smoke whilst it is not actually blowing through the exhaust pipe.

Adrian.

[Daniel Scholefield]

Short answer - No. The fuel tank hangs from two brackets that attach to the inner sides of the track horns. As such you should have enough clearance not to worry about the strips and rivets on the back of the tank.

[Adrian Harris]

That's handy, as I've added fasteners to the strips, all the way down

Which leaves the mystery as to why there are eight holes in the back of the fuel tank, which line up with the holes in the strips...

There's also a handy hole in the back panel, through which the electrics and plumbing can pass

Adrian.

[Steve Stuart]

I will be looking at my fuel tank tomorrow and taking a few measurements.
I used some the holes in the tank to bolt it to the rear plate using nuts to provide the stand off to clear the rivets. This means that any other mountings are no longer load bearing.
Also I have a number of sketches that are available for all to have, the only problem is that as time goes on I need to remind myself on what some of it means, they are not up to Rodney's standard!
Steve

[Chris Hall]

I think both Daniel and Steve are right .....

The fuel tank does bolt to the rear plate through the 8 holes, but slightly proud so you do need all those rivets. And there are a couple of straps that fix it inside the rear horns, which makes it rigid.

As for putting things inside .... it's very difficult to get all the bolts in, especially if you're adding the rear armour as well. I'd be interested to see the result !

And I never did work out why there's that big hole in the back .....

Interesting to hear another take on all this ! Good luck, Adrian