Wings Forum

Hey Guys,
Now that I can tighten the tank in place , I can locate the hole in the windshield....

I rolled some material on my 3 in 1 tool and made a tube custom fit to the fuel flange...

Then , I welded a flat plate on it and cut the excess and made a flange to match it...

At First , I wanted the Fuel Filler unit to be as low as possible ... ( For Vision purposes )

Most Tailwind pictures I have seen , have a rubber hose clamped on the Fill spout....

I didn't want to make mine "two" pieces"... So I ground my filler spout and put duct tape on it to hold it "in place"....

Then , I tried to remove the tank....No Joy.... The filler needed to be raised , in order to clear the tube...

So, I needed to shim the filler tube...and move it higher on the windshield ( Not Much )

Again I taped it in place.... This time I was able to remove the tank without moving the Filler tube...

I tacked it "in place"... a GOOD tack...

I put the tank back in it's place and strapped it... looks good...

I took it out... Put another GOOD tack 180 degrees from the other one... and installed the tank again...

Still good.... I welded it up...

I needed to bang it around a little after finish welding.... but it looks good now.

I'm VERY happy with the way it turned out.
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Here's the pictures...
Gotta Fly...
Mike & "Jaz" in MN
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Hey Guys,
Another thing... I made some temporary blocks to hold the tank center...

This way , when I check "fit"... it keeps going in the same position...

Notice on Fit up check... The straps are tightened like normal...
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Gotta Fly...
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Hey Guys,
Here's how it turned out...

I've used the filler tube to mark the windshield... I'm ready to cut the hole.
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Gotta Fly...
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Hey Guys,
I double checked with the Tailwind guys about the Tank Vent...

Jim C suggests High on the Filler tube.... Good enough for me.

I found some material that was thick enough... Drilled a Hole and Tapped it ( 1/4 - 18 pipe thread )

With the tank in place , I checked the fit for the vent hole.
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Gotta Fly...
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Hey Guys,
I'm mounting my Flush Fuel Cap....

I'm using 8-32 inserts... they worked pretty good...

I'll need a cork gasket... the inserts leave raised bumps , I don't want to grind them.

DJD found the Flush Fuel Cap for me in the ACS catalog... it was only around $35 bucks...
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I like how it looks , and it didn't cost me an Arm and a Leg...
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Gotta Fly...
Mike & "Jaz" in MN
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PS I made a Gasket out of a heavy welding glove...I used the leather from the forearm area...
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Hey Guys,
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Building is an "Art".... Time for a little "Bling"

This design ( Engine Turning ) Helps hide scratches.... But I think it just looks cool...

and "Fairly" easy to do...

I'm using a 2" scuff pad on a 90 degree Die Grinder

First , I wipe it down with Lacquer Thinner , this helps the sharpie marker "stick" good.

I mark every 1.125" , both directions.... This makes the square slightly bigger than my scuff pad...

otherwise I would "rub out" the lines I need...

I usually go from right to left... it doesn't matter , but they need to be the same through out the pattern...

I dip the scuff pad in WD-40 every few swirls... it cleans the pad and slows down it's "wear"
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Here's some pictures...
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Gotta Fly...
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More Pix

Hey Guys,
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If you need to "Bondo" spots on your tank , This design will still work.

I'm sure it would still look nice after painting.
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Gotta Fly...
Mike & "Jaz" the Flying Dog
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PS Doing this stuff on a "Curve" surface is different and harder than a Flat Surface... But not bad....
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Hey Guys,
Here's the Fuel tank "in place"

With the Rubber on the straps , and the Fuel Filler screwed into the Windshield
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Gotta Fly...
Mike & "Jaz" in MN
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