We just started building one out of plywood and fiberglass for our '65 Caravel. I'll be sure to take pics and post them. Take a look at the West Systems site for examples of similar construction.
Since we'll only be able to fit about 23 gallons of grey tank storage above the axles, I wasn't worried about the size of the black tank. We stayed with the original size. Making one a bit bigger would be very little additional effort.
We bought a cable-actuated Valterra valve (TC372) and plan to make a flange out of fiberglass/epoxy to mate to it -- thus avoiding the need to bond to ABS. Essentially, we're duplicating the size of the 3" Slip Hub, along with the same bolt pattern. We'll bolt to the new flange using a standard Valterra gasket.
That's cool, John! Are you planning the a similar built- up fiberglass flange for the toilet and vent pipe? I suppose on the toilet flange, a steel toilet plate could be incorporated into the mix.
If anyone is curious, you can check out my wood core fiberglass kayak building journal to see some epoxy / fiberglass construction. Plywood is much easier to work with than the cedar strips I usedin the boat.
Nothing nastier than a black tank! We went with a composting toilet. Very easy to use, no black tank, no odor, no chemicals, no drains, empty it a few times A YEAR! For more information for your application, send me a PM.
I've been trying to talk the wife (unsuccessfully so far) into going with a porta potty. Its so hard to look into the toilet area with its pristine sub floor and marmoleum and consider cutting holes. The PO removed and discarded the lower fiberglass section of the bathroom so that left me with finding alternatives. I was happy to see that Airstream put aluminum walls back there and zolatoned them even though the fiberglass went on over it. The great part of a porta potty is being able to empty it into any toilet, even if I have to bring the porta potty home from the RV storage place in the truck. But then, I'm always driven to put the trailer back as much like the original as possible. I went ahead and put toilet plumbing and vent in anyway. If I do buy / build a black tank, I'll cover it with an aluminum cover of some sort. Thanks to everyone, especially 65CV for the ideas and encouragement.
I had a cracked tank on my 72 Safari. Used a plastic welding kit from Harbour Freight to fix it. That worked fine.
Replacement tanks are just not made. You have to get one custom built. You can have one made from steel or stainless steel at any welding shop. The steel tanks have to be coated to prevent rust. They will last 10 years or more. The stainless steel tank will out live you. The metal is thin and does not weigh much more than a plastic tank but they are cheaper than a custom plastic tank.
The other option is to find an in stock plastic tank and work with that. Many of the old AS tanks were curved on one side. That gave a better fit and more volume. All standard tanks will be rectangles, so you might loose a little volume.
The porta potty thing really sucks. We tried it and didn't like it at all.
I had a cracked tank on my 72 Safari. Used a plastic welding kit from Harbour Freight to fix it. That worked fine.
Replacement tanks are just not made. You have to get one custom built. You can have one made from steel or stainless steel at any welding shop. The steel tanks have to be coated to prevent rust. They will last 10 years or more. The stainless steel tank will out live you. The metal is thin and does not weigh much more than a plastic tank but they are cheaper than a custom plastic tank.
The other option is to find an in stock plastic tank and work with that. Many of the old AS tanks were curved on one side. That gave a better fit and more volume. All standard tanks will be rectangles, so you might loose a little volume.
The porta potty thing really sucks. We tried it and didn't like it at all.
Many replacement black water tanks are available made with fiberglass.
This is going to sound really weird, but I have 2 Caravel lower bath units. Our PO cut ours in half, and I wasn't sure if we could repair it, o we bought a spare from another Caravel owner. Since then, our fiberglass skills have improved and we were able to repair the original unit.
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