1950 Liner "Weeble" - Black and gray tanks made
Posted 03-25-2018 at 03:42 PM by Bowmans
I haven't been posting as we made progress so I am going to try and catch up with a few posts. We made big progress in August 2017, finishing off the tanks. The picture below is before fittings and the tops being attached.
We got 3 sheets of black ABS, 4'x8'. Two at 14" thick and one at 1/8". We drew out the template of what we wanted the tanks for be and cut them out of the 1/4" think sheet. We started with the black tank since it was smaller. Both tanks had to be able to fit within the 6" belly pan. Both tanks have a 1/2" drop per foot (best we could do in the space). The bottom most part of the tanks is 6" from the one end so the deepest part is right where the 3" outlet is on the sides.
Template of the black tank cut out:
Then using heat strips (we got two, one 48", one 24"), we bent the tanks with a 1" lip at the top where the top sheet will attach.
Heating the last side to bend:
We bought a plastic welder and a lot of ABS welding rod. The welding wasn't too difficult to figure out after googling the technique. We welded each seam (6 total) up the sides. Then added a 1/8" reinforcing sheet at each weld. Once done, we tested the tanks for leaks. The black tank had a seeping leak on one of the welds which we welded again which took care of it.
Testing for leaks on black tank:
Testing for leaks on gray tank:
Next was to weld on the fittings. The black tank had a vent outlet at one end, the 3" drain and the 3" inlet. The gray tank had the vent outlet, 3" drain and two 1.5" inlets for shower pan and kitchen sink. We used an ABS slurry to attach and welded a bead on the outside.
Welding the vent fitting on the black tank:
Next was attaching the top. We used an ABS slurry on both pieces and clamped to dry. Then we welded a bead around the perimeter.
Putting the slurry around the perimeter of the black tank:
Black tank top being clamped to dry:
Next phase was to make mounts for both tanks in the frame.
We got 3 sheets of black ABS, 4'x8'. Two at 14" thick and one at 1/8". We drew out the template of what we wanted the tanks for be and cut them out of the 1/4" think sheet. We started with the black tank since it was smaller. Both tanks had to be able to fit within the 6" belly pan. Both tanks have a 1/2" drop per foot (best we could do in the space). The bottom most part of the tanks is 6" from the one end so the deepest part is right where the 3" outlet is on the sides.
Template of the black tank cut out:
Then using heat strips (we got two, one 48", one 24"), we bent the tanks with a 1" lip at the top where the top sheet will attach.
Heating the last side to bend:
We bought a plastic welder and a lot of ABS welding rod. The welding wasn't too difficult to figure out after googling the technique. We welded each seam (6 total) up the sides. Then added a 1/8" reinforcing sheet at each weld. Once done, we tested the tanks for leaks. The black tank had a seeping leak on one of the welds which we welded again which took care of it.
Testing for leaks on black tank:
Testing for leaks on gray tank:
Next was to weld on the fittings. The black tank had a vent outlet at one end, the 3" drain and the 3" inlet. The gray tank had the vent outlet, 3" drain and two 1.5" inlets for shower pan and kitchen sink. We used an ABS slurry to attach and welded a bead on the outside.
Welding the vent fitting on the black tank:
Next was attaching the top. We used an ABS slurry on both pieces and clamped to dry. Then we welded a bead around the perimeter.
Putting the slurry around the perimeter of the black tank:
Black tank top being clamped to dry:
Next phase was to make mounts for both tanks in the frame.
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