Drop out bottom of tank with bulkheadfor pusher, good idea or bad?

[Blacksdieselhp]

Well, I was thinking of how I want to run my fuel line out of the tank for my pusher pump, and I was thinking maybe 'll drop out of the bottom with a bulkhead. Then I saw where a few guys have done that. Hows it working? Any reason not to do this?

 

[csutton7]

did mine back in '01--no probs yet---chris

 

[lmills]

I remembered seeing where Chris did his a lot time ago. I figured after 5 years if it was still going strong, so I figured I would give it a try. So far it works great.

 

[pwr2tow]

o. k. I'am game, how do you put a bulk head on a plastic tank without it leaking. I have been thinking about putting a plastic marine in-bed auxillary tank and gravity filling to the main tank but have no clue as to how to install a bunge or bulkhead on the bottom side of a plastic tank?



Please help, it would be alot cheaper for me to do this than buy a metal tank.

Thanks.

 

[csutton7]

I used a -10an 90* bulkehead--I cut it down so that it wouldn't stick up into the tank to far--located it pretty much dead center of where the oem sending unit is(easy to reach into tank and tighten stuff)--I predrilled a 1/4" hole, then I went to 1/2" and then to 13/16"---key is to go very slow and in fact I ended up turning the 13/16" bit while in the drill by hand--this way you won't tear up the tank as the plastic like to tear off in big chunks--so take you time and use some elbow grease on the hole---you will need two poly washers--one for inside the tank and one outside the tank--you'll also have to make a sheetmetal washer for outside the tank to go over the poly washer--if you don't use a washer on the outside of the tank you will pull the bulkhead thru the tank when tightening the nut inside--seems I used a washer inside now also, but you can use the washer that comes with the bulkhead or buy one that fits the bulkhead---so from the outside you have your made sheetmetal washer(couldn't find a washer that was thin enuff and perfectly sized to work here), a poly washer and on the inside poly washer--aluminum washer and aluminum nut---I coated the threads and washers with teflon paste and then tightened it down---I also chamfered the inside of the bulkhead--not sure that helps or not, but I did it---on the outside I bought a shutoff valve, so that I could shut the fuel off if I needed to change pumps or drain the tank without getting soaked to bad---

chris

 

[csutton7]

oh yea I used a utility knife to cut away the plastic while using the 13/16" drill bit--it helped---I can't say enuff that you need to go slow on this and don't use a lot of pressure---chris

 

[Buffalo]

If you did not want to drill out the bottom of the tank, the bulkhead fitting that "Spooled-up" uses in his "Fuel Tank Vent Mod" has 1/2" threads on the inside diameter of the fitting. Maybe you could measure the depth of the bottom of the tank to the bottom of the bulkhead fitting and put a tube in.



I'm not sure if you are trying to eliminate the pusher pump from having to suck the fuel up to the top of the tank, or not. If so, this idea wouldn't work. However, if this was not a concern, you would save yourself the possibility of a leaking fitting on the bottom of the tank.



Joe F. (Buffalo)