im looking for some advise with making a fuel tank from fibreglass. my cheap chinese quad (sorry this isnt a trials bike) has developed a split in the tank. this bike has been very well looked after and has thus served me 3000 miles with no faults untill now (tho i realise you get what you pay for). i could just weld the tank up but i like the idea of making one out of fibreglass, the metal one makes noise with vibration (probable cause of the split) how easy is it to recreate a tank. i can use the fuel tap and cap from the exsisting one but i've no idea how to take a sample for the shape. any advise would be most aprecieated. ps unfortunately you can't buy new ones for these.

Welding the existing tank would be much easier or find a second hand tank from something else that will fit.

Making a tank that looks any good from fibreglass will take lots of labour and they are easily damaged.

I would love to have a steel or aluminium tank for each of my bikes that have fibreglass tanks.

sorry i forgot to mention that you cant actually see the tank as its under the plastics like most farm quads so it doesnt have to look good at all. i just thought fiberglass would be an easy option. if i weld it i think i'd have to blow nitrogen into it to prevent rust forming and petrol vapour ignition, has anyone else welded a tank before.

Edited February 19, 200818 yr by benj

How could making a fibreglass tank be as easy as welding up a steel tank?? Welding will take an hour at the most while making a fibreglass tank would probably take 10 to 20 hours.

Yes you need to purge the tank of air before welding it. Nitrogen, Argon or Carbon Dioxide will all work. I've even seen a tank purged with exhaust gas from a car prior to welding (but I don't rcommend it)

Washing out with detergent and then drying before the inert gas purge prevents fuel residue causing problems with the heat.

Edited February 20, 200818 yr by feetupfun