After hearing some horror stories about fuel containing ethanol doing nasty things to composite tanks, but mostly just because I detest working with fiberglass and resin, I was wondering how hard it would be to build the VP-2 forward fuselage deck and integral fuel tank in aluminum?
The options would be to go completely DIY with blind rivets and sealant (as recommended by the late, great Bob Hoover and HBA's own Abe Leket among others) or maybe cut out the aluminum myself and then have it welded by someone else. There is a slight curve to the fuselage side that may complicate things a little bit.
I'd be interested to hear from those with experience making tanks with these techniques whether or not this makes sense and how the methods compare in terms of difficulty, time, weight, etc. I'd also welcome recommendations on which aluminum to use in which thickness and why.
Cheers,
Matthew
The options would be to go completely DIY with blind rivets and sealant (as recommended by the late, great Bob Hoover and HBA's own Abe Leket among others) or maybe cut out the aluminum myself and then have it welded by someone else. There is a slight curve to the fuselage side that may complicate things a little bit.
I'd be interested to hear from those with experience making tanks with these techniques whether or not this makes sense and how the methods compare in terms of difficulty, time, weight, etc. I'd also welcome recommendations on which aluminum to use in which thickness and why.
Cheers,
Matthew
