Fuel tanks: Stop the madness, I am tired of learning

Fuel tanks are done, Yippee Ki Ya!

This last week has been fun learning how to play with ProSeal. The baffles and support brackets went on without much trouble.

For those of you building a RV9, it is important to note that the baffle doesn't naturally want to sit properly. The top and bottom skins are designed to not sit perpendicular to the back of the baffle.  So when the baffle is dropped in, it has to be forced to align with the internal ribs. Once the baffle was set down on the ribs, I pushed the baffle into alignment and pressed in a  -4 rivet thru the baffle into the ribs. This kept the baffle lined up while I inserted the gazillion silver clecos for the top and bottom row of -3 rivets, and clecos for the rest of -4 rivets for the baffle to ribs, without the brackets.

For the -3 clecos. I pushed in a -3 rivet every 10th hole to line up the skin and baffle before clecoing. Once all the clecos were inserted, I gently squeezed between each -3 rivet location with a Vise Grip welding pliers to squeeze out any excess Proseal.

I started riveting the -3's at the middle of the tank. I found I had to take the countersink (with a countersink stop) and touch up each hole before inserting the rivet; otherwise the heads were not always flush to the skin.

For the baffle to rib to bracket rivets, the pop rivets went in smoothly. I made sure I set the -3 and -4 rivets in one seating so the Proseal didn't have a chance to harden.

The sender, pickup and drain went in as per plans.

I am now in the waiting period when I am ignorant and happy, thinking the tanks are done and won't leak. Here is my leak check setup using the manometer method. I am expecting I can blow in the tubes enough to pressurize them to 27" of water. I am holding my breath hoping they won't leak.