I'm up for suggestions here....
I bought a 20x7x3 core, and I've been trying to fab up the tanks for it, but its not going so well. I bought a sheet of 1/8" 6061 and we tried bending it into 3 sided boxes with a brake, and got about 60ish degrees and it would just snap. So then we tried bending it in 2 steps... 45 degrees, releasing it, moving it over a little and bending it again, the problem is that hitting the width dimension is a shot in the dark, so its just wasting aluminum.
I did a little googling, and evidently 7" is an odd dimension, everyone makes prefab tanks in 6.5" or 8" heights, the other thing is that the car isn't conducive to inlet on one side, outlet on the other (its a 2002 civic, same drill as with the RSX or EP3), the inlet and outlet need to face the same way. Options are double pass, or "up and over" like the greddy or rev hard IC for the RSX. Problem with it is the coupe has less room behind the bumper and the inlets need to face right, not left, so using the DC5/EP3 IC won't work since the outlet on top of the tank is offset the wrong way if you flip the IC around.

I did find something interesting though while searching around....a guy who made end tanks by bending aluminum over a piece of exhaust tubing to make a continuous bend. Seemed pretty feasible, except I noticed he used .050 sheet... which seems a bit thin.
Just wondering if I may be able to do something similar with thicker alumium without the use of a hydraulic press? if maybe, how thick might I possibly be able to go?
If not.... might I have any luck heating and bending the sheet on the brake? I'm pretty sure we're over the brake capacity, but I also think the aluminum I have is treated and I may need to anneal it first.
Thanks

 

Based on a chart I have, for 6061 in the "O" or "W" state you will need at least a .16" radius on the bend. 6061-T4 or T6 you will need a bend radius of .22" (others suggest .25" min.). So get yourself a 1/2" diameter bar and bend it over that.

T6 is generally thought of as not very formable. You might be better off using something softer.

 

Something such as??? 2024?

 

I thought 2024 would be better, but looking at this chart is seems like you'd still need a large radius

http://www.engineersedge.com/sheet_metal.htm

 

Use 5052 and are you trying to make round endtanks? There is places that sell 1/8" aluminum bends I believe which you could use

 

click my sig.

 

try using 3003, somewhat easy to work with in .125".. however if you gonna bend it around a piece of tubing you might want to use 11ga{somthing like .093}this would be plenty for one piece end tanks that didnt have many seems