How to Mold a Gas Tank
- 1). Make a pattern for the gas tank on a large piece of construction paper. Draw the lines with a marker, chalk or masking tape.
- 2). Make a buck or form from wood by turning the pattern into three-dimensional pieces. Ask a carpenter to do this for you if you are unfamiliar with woodworking. Lay the pattern pieces on 16-gauge steel. Trace around the patterns and cut them out with a Beverly shear.
- 3). Shape the steel by curling it around a large roll (this can be a paper roll or something similar). Shape the steel further by curling it around the buck and clamping it in place.
- 4). Turn down the front edge of the tank by using a shrinking machine. Form the curled edge still further by putting it through a beading machine, making the edge. Define the shape further with dies that are available at auto supply stores. Smooth out dents with a slap hammer.
- 5). Clamp the sides of the tank together against the buck. Solder the metal together with a TIG welder. Turn down the pieces of steel for the tank's top with a shrinking machine. Shape the center of the tank's top with a mallet and a soft bag.
- 6). Smooth out dents again with an English wheel. Fit and weld the pieces of the fuel tank together.
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