beer keg fuel tank

[BluTrukker]

A couple of years ago I saw a 1940's truck with a beer keg for a gas tank. I was thinking of putting one in the bed behind the cab. I never haul anything anyway, I was thinking of one of the old type of keg with the rounded ends all polished up. I believe they are all aluminum or stainless, so the fuel shouldn't corrode it, and welding a neck and mounts should be relatively easy. Does anyone sell a gas tank like this already, or do I have to search for one? C'mon guys I know some of you have seen more than your share of kegs What do you think? I want to hear any and all ideas or tips.

Rob

[marcsRX]

The only real problem is that they are made of aluminum, alcohol is corrosive to aluminum. Gas has up to 15% alcohol content...

[suprachrgd82]

Originally Posted by marcsRX

The only real problem is that they are made of aluminum, alcohol is corrosive to aluminum. Gas has up to 15% alcohol content...

Wha?!

Beer has ethyl alcohol (5-8%), and we are speaking of beer kegs.

Alcohol (pure) is hydrocarbon-based, and completely compatible with aluminum. Water, namely tap water with high mineral content and chlorine, will cause aluminum to degrade/oxidize. Purified water in ethanol fuel additives will not harm aluminum.

Obviously factors such as fuel throughput and fuel age will have minor bearing on oxidation of the inner surfaces, but nothing that would significantly degrade the aluminum to the point of jeopardizing it's integrity. Don't let it sit long with crusty old gas.

Kegs make excellent fuel tanks. They are small and require some welding to add necessary fittings. It will be costly, and you'll bee stopping frequently for fill-ups. DO inert the tank with dry-ice or wash thoroughly to prevent the accumulation of any flammable vapors while welding and cutting.

I suggest we have a keg-party at Blu's pad to provide him with a few tank candidates......

[Leo70]

with the keg making an excellent tank, and most def with the party idea

[marcsRX]

Originally Posted by suprachrgd82

Wha?!

Beer has ethyl alcohol (5-8%), and we are speaking of beer kegs.

Alcohol (pure) is hydrocarbon-based, and completely compatible with aluminum. Water, namely tap water with high mineral content and chlorine, will cause aluminum to degrade/oxidize. Purified water in ethanol fuel additives will not harm aluminum.

Obviously factors such as fuel throughput and fuel age will have minor bearing on oxidation of the inner surfaces, but nothing that would significantly degrade the aluminum to the point of jeopardizing it's integrity. Don't let it sit long with crusty old gas.

Kegs make excellent fuel tanks. They are small and require some welding to add necessary fittings. It will be costly, and you'll bee stopping frequently for fill-ups. DO inert the tank with dry-ice or wash thoroughly to prevent the accumulation of any flammable vapors while welding and cutting.

I suggest we have a keg-party at Blu's pad to provide him with a few tank candidates......

I'm sorry you are correct, it is not corrosive to aluminum up to its boiling point....

Meth is another story.

[Leo70]

Meth is another story.[/QUOTE]

[marcsRX]

Originally Posted by Leo70

Meth is another story.

Well coming from a turbo 4 bangers perspective, where meth injection is commonly used as a poor mans race fuel, yes, its corrosive.

[mbgmike]

Originally Posted by BluTrukker

A couple of years ago I saw a 1940's truck with a beer keg for a gas tank. I was thinking of putting one in the bed behind the cab. I never haul anything anyway, I was thinking of one of the old type of keg with the rounded ends all polished up. I believe they are all aluminum or stainless, so the fuel shouldn't corrode it, and welding a neck and mounts should be relatively easy. Does anyone sell a gas tank like this already, or do I have to search for one? C'mon guys I know some of you have seen more than your share of kegs What do you think? I want to hear any and all ideas or tips.

Rob

We did a few on VW trikes a while back. Polishing it would be one heck of a job.They are pretty banged up. Plus finding one of the old styles is tough.
Just weld on a bung and some supports like you said. Welding aluminum used to be about $1.00 per inch but not sure now as we don't sublet much anymore

[thesledhead]

I don't know about the real old kegs but anything made in the last 20 years is stainless

[cdowns]

all the ones i've helped drain since the mid60's have been stainless//more than a few never got back to the beer distributer ended up in tbuckets and on the roofs of vans

http://www.ehow.com/how_5527566_conv...-gas-tank.html

[thesledhead]

Originally Posted by cdowns

all the ones i've helped drain since the mid60's have been stainless//more than a few never got back to the beer distributer ended up in tbuckets and on the roofs of vans

http://www.ehow.com/how_5527566_conv...-gas-tank.html

LMAO I hear ya, Have 4 in my shop and one in the kegerator right now waiting for a new home

[nbrfd007]

The only aluminum kegs where Coors and they where ugley. The best looking old school keg was Schlitz and Old Milwaukee, they where highly polished to begain with. They came in 15.5 gallons and a 7.75 gallon sizes.

[coloradosean2009]

kegs are stainless. If you find an aluminum one, sell it for scrap.

[mbgmike]

Originally Posted by coloradosean2009

kegs are stainless. If you find an aluminum one, sell it for scrap.

You can sell S/Stl for scrap to

[special-K]

Won`t the gas get warm sitting in the bed?

Actually,I`d be concerned about heat expansion in an unvented tank.I`d hate to give up the 4 gallons and hauling capacity.

[highperf4x4]

I say git after it and show some pics!!!!!

[Lippyp]

The obvious ready made kag style tank has to be a moon tank

http://www.mooneyesusa.com/fuel-tank...ies-p-549.html

[CG]

I always thought beer keg gas tanks were cool when I was a kid, probably because of this model. Course I still love all the cool stuff outta the 60's.

[special-K]

^ I loved building that as a wipper snapper.I have one in the box now.

I believe kegs used to me aluminum.Haven`t been around them in years.Maybe they changed a long time ago.But,all the keg-shaped kegs like Mike showed were aluminum back in my kegger days.I think i`ll have a beer now...damn ya!!

[mbgmike]

This got my interest since I drink beer. apparently more than just Coors had aluminum kegs. A-B had them, Hamms and some I never heard of. I imagine there were more than you can remember. Stainless steel used to be expensive. We had no problem with them using on VW trikes. They were built over 20 years ago and I heard just a few years ago they are still in use.

As far as aluminum their is no question that they made them.

The tanks we did were vented albeit to the atmos. We just used the race car style gas bungs that had the spring loaded caps that were hinged.. you just smacked the top of it and they popped open. They were vented.

[mbgmike]

Actually its kind of interesting that the only stainless Keg Mfg in the United States is located in Spartanburg S.C. I used to live in Greenville,Sc.
Guess what they also make???

They stamp auto parts to

Beer and auto parts go together