Assembly of a gas fuel tank is not very complicated and requires only a couple extra steps and precautions than for a nitro fuel tank. As with with the plumbing of the tank you will need to install fuel line barbs to make sure the fuel line stays retained. There may be some other clamps or something that could be used, but as per instructions for my Yak-54 the barbs are used. So lets take a look at the tank assembly.
Step 1. Preparation and planning (ever hear the saying "Proper preparation prevents piss poor performance?)- Make sure you are using gasoline resistant materials such as tygon tubing, and nitrile stoppers, then decide if you want to go with a 2 or 3 line fuel system. In my set up I'll be using a 2 line with the Sullivan gas conversion kit, dubro 1/8 barbs, and tygon tubing. I should have used nitrile due to the fact that it seems more flexible and supposedly does not harden as much as tygon over time (now I know for next time). Make sure you buy the same size hose as your barbs also. You will need pliers, solder, flux, soldering tool, file, a ruler, fine sandpaper, moist towel, steel wool, a hobby saw or something to cut with, and a vice comes in handy as always.
Step 2. Measure, cut, prepare for solder - measure the brass piping to correct length and saw it, be gentle to not crimp the pipe. When done cutting you may need to smooth out the cut a bit. I used a file to remove jagged shards. Once smoothed out use some fine grit sandpaper to roughen the edges where soldering, then wipe clean with alcohol. Apply enough flux to cover area you sanded.
Step 3. Solder barbs- Apply heat near the area where the barb is but not directly on the barb, I used a small soldering torch and within a few seconds the area was ready to absorb the solder. All you have to do is touch the solder to the area where the barb meets the pipe and it will suck up the solder. Don't overdo it with the solder, keep it neat, keep it clean, and watch out because extra solder will always drip somewhere and if it drips on you it will feel like lava hitting the skin.. not a good thing. Dab the pipe with the moist towel a moment after soldering (be careful at this point, if the solder has not begun to harden you may move the object you were soldering, so let the solder settle for a moment) to cool it. Rub the area you soldered with a little steel wool, then wipe with alcohol again to clean it, blow out any residual dust or particles in the pipe (remember this is going in your fuel tank and can carry debris to your carburetor).
Step 4. Assemble and secure stopper- For the stopper once again you must know how many lines you will use in your fuel system. As I mentioned I used 2. One pipe needs to be bent to face the top of the tank, this is your vent line. The other pipe is your fuel pickup line, it's the one that goes to your carb, and will be used to fill and empty your tank. In a 3 line setup the 3rd line is set up like the carb line with a clunk and used solely for filling and emptying your tank. Bending the brass tubing is very simple and can be done without any tools, just use your hands and be gentle, bend it slowly so it does not kink. The vent should have a little room between it's self and the top tank wall. The fuel pickup line with the clunk attached should have some space from the end of the tank so it can move around freely inside the tank. I gave my clunk about a 1/4" space from the back of the tank.
Now once you have bent and inserted the pipes where they go you will have to insert the stopper into the tank. I had to trim away some excess plastic in the opening. If you need to do the same make sure you get all the trimmings out of the tank so they don't end up in your fuel line. It's helpful at this point to press the stopper into the tank by pressing it down with a screwdriver in the stopper screw. It should pop right into place and then you can tighten that screw for a leak proof seal. Done.
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