CVR(T) Spartan fuel tank modification.

[teletech]

Not expecting to put many miles on my Spartan, I didn't want to have 85 gallons of diesel slowly going bad. I also didn't want to go the fuel-can route, so I decided what I needed was a more reasonable-size tank.
As a regrettable miss in spares, I didn't get any torsion bars, but I did wind up with a perfectly reasonable spare fuel tank.  Mine was fine as well, so while waiting for spares to get the vehicle running, I did some surgery on the spare to get it a bit under half the original size.  Still larger than it needs to be, but at least it's reasonable.
It's not correct equipment, but I plan to carry a lot of spares so every cubic foot is welcome as well.
I've included pictures of the inside of the tank in case anyone is wondering how the baffles are arranged or needing access.
Note that the pickup tube dips into the space between the middle torsion-box space, so there is 2/3+ cubic foot of fuel that is inaccessible while the vehicle is sitting flat and still and that all things being equal, you will run out of fuel going downhill sooner than uphill.  I'd have to check, but I think the rearmost space between the torsion bar boxes is sealed-off from the rest of the tank and unused.
The interior of the tank and most of the exterior was in great condition, but I did have some significant pitting along the side where it sat against the hull under the squad leader's seat.  I would advise anyone with a Spartan to clean the muck out of the space so it won't trap water and perhaps slide in an insulating sheet just to prevent galvanic action.
Speaking of corrosion, the tank is *well* tinned, making flame cutting and welding hazardous unless proper precautions are observed.
I haven't decided to re-tin the exterior, I think paint will suffice.  I have some aerospace fuel tank sealing compound for the interior seams I plan to use.

 

[teletech]

It was a lot of welding on contaminated metal with slightly uneven seams, so leaks were a concern.  I had a few quarts of slightly dirty acetone, so poured that in and gave things a good slosh.  One pinprick in a corner where I got careless, but nothing else, so that was a relief.  Now onto the sealer to protect from corrosion, and then it's time to clean and paint the exterior.

In retrospect, I would have done well to pressure-wash the tank beforehand.