I need some help...
Imagine you have an aluminum box that you wanted to make into an oil tank.
So I am going to need to drill and tap the box for the oil lines right? How do you go about drilling and tapping aluminum?
I have never attempted this on ANY metal, but in my mind aluminum would be EXTRA easy to screw up.... right?

My next question is would screwing hose adapters (bungs?) into these newly tapped holes be oil tight and able to handle the oil pressure?

Or am I pissing up a rope?

 

You can tap aluminum, but for better results I'd use one of the steel thread inserts (e.g Heli-coil).

 

Dependig on thickness the heli-coil is great but you might need to weld a 1/4 alum collar on the tank then tap it out...

 

Im talking about REALLY basic help.... telling me to weld something is a lot like me telling you to defy gravity without my mind control device..... tsk tsk.

Heli-Coil sounds fine if it were a stripped hole.. I guess... but there isnt even a hole to begin with.

Am I going to be relegated to taking this to a shop and having it done?
Where is the fun in that?

 

Looks like its to the shop for ya......sorry

 

The aluminum box is gonna be too thin to tap for oil lines unless it's at least 1/4" thick. Even that is cutting it too close. You'll need to have something with some thickness welded into the holes in the box so that you can tap it.

 

Unless you are a TIG welder (and this seems not to be the case) just take the tank to a machine shop and tell them what you need. It really won't cost much and you actually seem not to have any other option. Aluminum welding is very tricky. A shop is the way to go. By the way, drilling a hold in aluminum is just like steel drilling, only easier as aluminum is soft. Might just as well have the shop drill the holes too since it will be doing the welding for you.

 

seems I need a welding fer dummies book... after this trip to the shop of course.
MIG, and TIG, and STICK... OH MY!

 

What threads are going to be used on the oil lines?

I would tig weld some collars on the tank and a helicoil would not be needed.

I could make some colars up for you for a modest price and also weld them on.

 

bad cop no donut here
pissing up a rope eh?