The alternative to buying a TIG rig is going to a local community college. Take a class... If you can gas weld, you can learn to TIG. The skills are similar. Or, pay a real pro, there are some guys who are just artistic with that stuff. Me, I have a nice setup & can weld steel just fine, but aluminum is still a bit of trouble. It pays to get a bunch of coupons cut & practice. Can't wait to see how this turns out!
John.
Going to visit a local welding shop, run this by them, see what they might charge, by the inch?, time and material?, and then, as you suggest, call up local tech college. It would be a nice winter project to use someone else's rig to practice, and if I've got any skills, do the welding meself. After all, got 1400 dollars to work with, if the aftermarket tanks are selling for that much. So far got practically nothing in this experiment.
The easy part is done, I think.
Might have to streamline this log, looks like it'll hold, oh, about eight gallons which is way too much even though it'll be carried a bit lower than stock. Don't want another heinrich which looked like, a bus. Notice how the longitudinal lines of the lumber stock aid greatly in taking and matching up opposite symetry. Looking at the optional Lyta tanks found on some old beezers. Very smooth, rounded, maybe a lot easier to hammer out than keeping the ridges.
Last edited by 8ninety8; 09-28-2012 at 07:41 PM. Reason: sp and addition
Back at it after being gone fer awhile. Gonna round this off, maybe mimicikng a little the bulging beezer goldstar tanks mentioned last post.
And after the rounding off of edges.
Next, getting out chain saw to lengthen/deepen knee sockets to give a little more balance to profile. Looks a little smaller, better than the earlier log look-a-like.
Well, this is awesome!
Gonna go get some metal next week. The reason I'm posting this, it actually holds me to doing what I set out to do. Considered just about everything so far, including the welding, thee most difficult, I think. Think of going with .080 thousands for the thickness, which is about five sixty forths of inch thick. Still googling through the surf reading everything I can find on the topic. Been away twice since this started, can't work non-stop on it.
Actually bumped into a blog last week saying aluminum tanks are outlawed? Go figure, they appeared in '85 on my K100? And I think those tanks were not even 80 thousanths in gauge. As I remember, very easy to accidently dent.
A shot of the diff between the sides before rounding off.
Boy, that looks nice.
Amazing job, 898, no matter what happens next!
Congratulations for sticking with this project - you do beautiful work. Saaaay - maybe you could just use a Dremel tool, hollow out the internal wood, coat insides with POR 15, paint outside to match the rest of the tin. . .gas her up, and GO! No need to find a competent welder or spend money on expensive aluminum.
Just a thought.
Walking Eagle
Maybe a picture too far, but here is the almost final trim looking alot like the goldie tank. Makes a little more room under tank, deeper and longer knee sockets.
Haven't got the heavy metal yet, so went to kitchen got baking tray, and tried shaping aluminum. Gauge was only .025 thousanths. Going with .080. Found a welder willing to give me a bid when the shaping is done. Don't hold breath, probably will take a long time, but from what I found out this afternoon, looks like unless I break an arm, it's doable. The first part will be the undertank. If that's done, the rest is mere work.
Out-Standing! I think yer holding back on us; that looks like you've been doing this for a while. But no cookies for you until you replace that tray. Come to think of it, cookie sheets might be cheaper than a sheet of Al.
I've bought some stuff from TM Technologies in the past. They have great on-line tutorials. Here's one on annealing aluminum that should come in handy > http://www.tinmantech.com/html/alumi..._continued.php
"It is what you discover, after you know it all, that counts." _ John Wooden
Lew Morris
1973 R75/5 - original owner
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