Kaos Rulz

This is a first for me, and I'm looking for suggestions. Studying my newly acquired blueprints for a 60 sized Bridi Dirty Birdy, I notice that the tank is completely sealed into the tank compartment with no hatches, or pull-through holes in the rear bulkhead.

Now I've had very good luck plumbing both Sullivan and Du-Bro tanks so that they last for years without attention, however; this tank will be sealed up for a million years - give or take , and that concerns me.

I'm unable to make a hatch on the top side due to the canopy covering most of the fuel tank compartment, and I'm hesitant to cut a hatch on the bottom chin block as it adds significant strength to the engine firewall.

I do plan on using one of Minn's suggestions to use copper tubing in place of the supplied brass tubing and route it out through the firewall. All internal fuel lines attached to the copper tubing will be secured with a slice of fuel tubing stretched over the connection - same at the clunk.

This is all I can come up with to permanently seal up this tank and hope for the best. [:-]
I sure would like comments on anything else I might consider. At this juncture, I'll be using a Du-bro, or Sullivan tank, so i don't need a debate on which tank is better than the next.

Thanks folks. I look forward to your comments.

Dsegal

A corollary of Murphy's Law states that: "Any component that is visible and easily accessible will never fail." I think it is madness to seal in a fuel tank and I don't understand why some designers do this. I would make any effort necessary to provide access to the tank. Can you make a new bulkhead to go behind the tank that will have an opening large enough to pass the tank through? In cases like this I sometimes make a new bulkhead from 4 strips of spruce or spruce and plywood to allow a wide space for the tank.

piper_chuck

My Feedback: (12)

The Great Planes F-15 kit also encloses the tank. I agree it seems like a crazy thing to do. When I start building it I'm going to spend some time looking for a way to provide access to it.

perdo

My Feedback: (61)

THe process is really very simple. Just purchase the Sullivan flex tank, Thread your fuel lines through the fire wall, suck all the air out of the tank and pull into place with fuel lines. if you need to remove the tank you can either reverse the process or just cut the tank out and replace. Nearly all pattern plane of the dirty bird era we bulit the same way


Just my $0.02 worth
Don//

Propwash in Pa

Perdo, that is a pretty slick idea.

John 373786