With the rudder all finished, it went up in the ceiling with the other finished components to make room on the workbench for the next project.  Fuel tanks are a key part of each build and one that is often dreaded because of the process and mess that it can make.  I’ve read a lot of how-to’s and gotten a lot of advice and feel pretty confident moving into this stage.  I also invested in a few tools that should make the job a little easier, cleaner, and more effective!

First is to prep just like all other steps.  The previous builder of my wing kit started the left fuel tank, getting so far as to seal the ribs and fuel cap flange to the skin.  However, I want to have the upgraded locking caps and wasn’t comfortable with the sealing job that had been done.  So I decided to order replacement parts and start fresh.  I also used the now scrap tank to practice with was helpful.

Each tank has 14 stiffners that are cut from a single stick of aluminum similar to most of the j channels.  Those are cut, shaped, and deburred then match drilled to the skins.  The ribs are also finessed into the skins, especially the pointy part that doesn’t seem to fit well without a little encouragement with the pliers.  I was surprised at how difficult it was to get all the ribs lined up for match drilling.

The fuel cap flange is contoured to match the skin.  I used some of the double sided tape for trailing edges to hold it in place for match drilling.  One thing to note is that the locking cap looks a lot better and fits a lot better than the stock Van’s unit.  Well worth the extra money for me.

The attache zee’s were next, having been match drilled to the tank spar and having nut plates installed.  These will be primed as will the exterior of the tank ribs.  Nothing inside is primed, as the fuel is corrosive to all but the mightiest of paints.

One piece of advice to heed, make sure nothing is in the tanks that doesn’t belong!  I had used my rubber mallet to tap some pieces into alignment.  I found it after enclosing the tank with clecos to match drill.  I looked all over the garage for that thing!