This water tank almost fits my set up - thinking about modifying its shape...

[yonah]

I have some unused space between the front of my Tacoma's bed and the front of my ARB drawers. I'd like to slide this Front Runner water tank in that location to utilize the space:
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https://www.frontrunneroutfitters.c...pright-water-tank-with-two-cut-outs-flat.html
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However, the front corners of my bed (around the rails) are occupied by the base of my Snugtop Rebel. Reducing the width in that location to 50" at its narrowest. I'm considering purchasing the FR Upright Water Tank and using a heat gun and a warm 2" pipe to depress and reform the area of the tank that needs to be clearanced around the camper shell base. Like this (the red represents the rough 1.5" area of the tank that would need to be clearanced).

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I emailed FR and the tech responded back that they have never done this or know of anyone who has - not saying that it wouldn't work for my application. He did note that the material used in the tank's construction is around 1/8" - which I think should be pretty easy to form when heated. I've seen guys do this to other poly tanks with success, but want to get some feedback here to see if you gents think its feasible. It would take some care and attention to detail to ensure a professional result, but I think it's doable. I worked in the plastic extrusion business during my teenage years, so I'm used to working with plastic, though this type of work isn't my forte.
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Has anyone here accomplished a similar task - heat forming a plastic tank? If so, I would like to hear your feedback.
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Thanks,

-Stephen

 

[Lucky j]

Sir you want to be on the safe side, some company specialized in plastic welds to repair automotive parts ans I know for a fact that food container for cosumption should be made of high density polyethilene witch is prety easy to weld for someone who as the right equipment.

Reshaping could work, all depend of what part you want to do and the thickness of the material in that area.

I did repair a kolpin fuel container with a wire welder and an strips of windshield washer container as plastic rods (also hight density poly). It had sratched on the black top when an aluminium bracket snap from my bike.

 

[yonah]

Sir you want to be on the safe side, some company specialized in plastic welds to repair automotive parts ans I know for a fact that food container for cosumption should be made of high density polyethilene witch is prety easy to weld for someone who as the right equipment.

Reshaping could work, all depend of what part you want to do and the thickness of the material in that area.

I did repair a kolpin fuel container with a wire welder and an strips of windshield washer container as plastic rods (also hight density poly). It had sratched on the black top when an aluminium bracket snap from my bike.

My initial thought was to have a professional cut and then weld the tank, however I'm not convinced it's the best course of action. I'm still leaning towards a couple of well placed indentations.
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For anyone interested, I've stumbled upon some information on the net:
http://www.thumpertalk.com/topic/908764-putting-clearance-dents-in-plastic-fuel-tanks/
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I'm going to give this some more thought and continue my research. I think this may be a project that I just have to try.

 

[rayra]

I think indents of the size you've illustrated would be possible with a an HDPE2 tank and a heat gun and the process you've described, but I think the result will get pretty ugly. You'll get material protruding out the front and back face of the tank and potentially fitment issues if you have clearance issues on the tank thickness front to back already.

IF you can find somebody that could heat or ultrasonically weld that plastic for a reasonable fee, you could make the cutouts you want using only flat stock. Or find a comparable HDPE2 cylinder of a diameter that suits your desired cutout and weld that in.

It can be welded, question is cost / value.

http://www.professionalplastics.com/HDPE_WeldingRods

Maybe just find another dimension of plastic tank that fits. Try usplastics.com

Or have a custom one made of stainless or aluminum plate.

 

[yonah]

After some more measuring and eyeballing my bed, it looks like I would have to remove my drawers to install the upright tank and then reinstall the drawers to sandwich the tank at the front of the bed. First off, removing the drawers is a PITA. Second, the biggest issue I see is servicing the tank (especially the outlet valve). The entire drawer system would have to be slid out of the bed to fix a leaky valve or fitting, thus making a simple fix a time consuming, drawn out endeavor. I'm going to put this idea on the back burner for now.
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With that being the case, I snagged a BNIB 13.2 gallon FR tank (https://www.frontrunneroutfitters.com/en/us/water-solutions/front-runner-slanted-water-tank.html) from another forum member and have decided to utilize it on the top of my drawers, situated against the front of the bed. I think it will fit the bill.