94 Pathy Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 :help: I've been looking all over the place for replacement fuel tanks for not soooo much $$$$$$....Not having too good of luck. I think I poked two tiny pin holes in the tank. I jacked the ass end of the Pathy up so the fuel will move away from the holes and I cleaned and dried the area. Took some JB Weld and put it over the holes. Lots better, but not 100% cured. I'm wanting to get a new tank and clean it and seal it from the inside. Then paint the outside with a POR15, E.R.F., or Rino lining type paint to prevent puncture. Any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLApathy Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 biuld a really strong skid plate, use the one thats there for reference Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earth1 Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 I'd be pretty freaked with holes in my tank. Go grab one at a junkyard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ticker Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 I have an old BMW that's hard to find parts for, when I was looking to replace the leaky tank I was told that its possible to get it lined and sealed for much less then a new tank. I never had it done because I figured out that if I kept it a half tank or less then leakage would not be a problem. (well at least it wouldn't drip) It might be worth checking it out. I was told that radiator repair places can do it. The guy that gave me the advice said it cost him about $120. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC88Pathy Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 I had a leak in the fuel tank of my last car. The only new tank my mechanic could locate turned out to be rusted through when it was pulled out of the warehouse it was in. He opted to drain the tank, steam clean it and then weld the hole shut. Took several days mainly to let the tank completely air out before they welded it shut. He also suggested not to get a junkyard tank as they can get water in them, and water in your gas is very bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earth1 Posted May 6, 2006 Share Posted May 6, 2006 Good to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vsicks Pathy Posted May 6, 2006 Share Posted May 6, 2006 How did you get holes in your tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted May 6, 2006 Share Posted May 6, 2006 He also suggested not to get a junkyard tank as they can get water in them, and water in your gas is very bad. Well, I would hope you would at least drain out a JY tank before installing it -thnkboutit- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zack1978 Posted May 6, 2006 Share Posted May 6, 2006 YOu might want to try this place. Years ago when the tank on my 1977 620 pick up rotted they rebuilt the entire tank to better than new! And they give a lifetime warr on their work. I think they have "gas tank renew" places all over the US as franchises. BUt if there is not one in your area you can send your tank to these guys. HTH, Zack http://www.gas-tank.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagwoodzz Posted May 6, 2006 Share Posted May 6, 2006 Have you taken off the gas tank yet? I pulled the gas tank skid off the '92 today. Every bolthead broke off. They had a lot of rust on em. If you haven't taken it off yet; you might want to try a couple of bolts to see how manageable they are. It could be better to stitch weld the replacement tank back. Hope it works out for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted May 7, 2006 Share Posted May 7, 2006 Have you taken off the gas tank yet? I pulled the gas tank skid off the '92 today. Every bolthead broke off. Same happened to me, I just used some heavy duty self tapping screws and put them in next to the old bolts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted May 7, 2006 Share Posted May 7, 2006 Isn't the trick to weld gas tanks filling them with water ? I'm sure I've heard this is how it is to be done safely and easily... Regardless of the method, yes, pull the tank, drain it and take it to a welder, coater, whatever. That should set you up fine... B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC88Pathy Posted May 8, 2006 Share Posted May 8, 2006 Isn't the trick to weld gas tanks filling them with water ? He opted to drain the tank, steam clean it and then weld the hole shut. I think B needs to read before he posts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedPath88 Posted May 8, 2006 Share Posted May 8, 2006 I think that was what B was replying too/about. I can see the logic behind B's statement... filling it with water would reduce/eliminate the risk of residue fuel fumes igniting during the welding process. Though excessive steam cleaning might be good enough... But when your talking about your life... is it really worth the risk? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC88Pathy Posted May 8, 2006 Share Posted May 8, 2006 I'd assume that the problem with filling it with water though is that its hard to get rid of all of the water once you'r done cleaning. Even a little water in your gas is bad, so you want as little water in the tank as possible. Unless of course you don't mind waiting for days on end for all of the water to evaporate... At least I assume that's why my mechanic did it the way that he did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagwoodzz Posted May 8, 2006 Share Posted May 8, 2006 The mounting flanges on the side of the tank are pretty wide. You should be able to weld a few beads w/out transfering a lot of heat to the tank. (weld with cap off of tank and wet rag or running water on tank near weld.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted May 8, 2006 Share Posted May 8, 2006 Welding on tanks is very risky if done sloppily. With enough care and thought, quite doable and safe. But most shops will just refuse. Keep in mind that gasoline VAPORS are extremely, extremely, flammable - way more so than gasoline liquid. If the entire interior is all rusted up and the pinholes are due to rust through, it is verrrry difficult to save it. Your only hope is to have it internally stripped and coated - or replace it. I used a coating called Cream about 20 years ago on a motorcyle tank - it actually worked quite well. But, it required the tank to be cleaned out with MEK to get it clean enough. Since MEK is no longer commonly available, tese days I would turn it over to a professional to do the job. If holes are due to crushing or punctures, there is hope. The pros clean it out thoroughly (steam clean or boil it out), then fill it with an inert gas (nitrogen is most common, argon is good as well) and keep it purging while welding. In my garage, I cleaned it out with everything I could think of until there was absolutely no gasoline odor. I pulled the sending unit out so there were two large holes. Then I let it sit out in the sun a couple days to assure any vestiges of gasoline evaporated. Since I didn't have any inert gas at the time, I hooked the hose from the exhaust port of my shop vac to the filling neck and continuously pumped huge volumes of air through while I MIG welded. The constant high volume of air flowing through was to assure that if any gasoline vapor did materialize, it was very rapidly diluted and blown away. Took a lot of prep work, but I'm still here! I've been told that filling with water is also an option, but I'd think the tank still needs to be thoroughly cleaned first - or else the remaining air pockets could fill with gasoline vapors. Small booms would still hurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted May 8, 2006 Share Posted May 8, 2006 Oh, and I've had VERY good luck with JB Weld to seal plastic and aluminum gasoline containers. Much better than I expected. I expected the epoxy to be attacked and softened by one or more of the multitude of chemicals and solvents in the gasoline, but it lasted for years and years. I would imagine it would work equally well on steel. Clean around the hole VERY thoroughly (I sanded and then cleaned with brake parts cleaner) and glob the JB on. For extra strength, lay some fiberglass cloth over the JB and glob more on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagwoodzz Posted May 8, 2006 Share Posted May 8, 2006 Welding on tanks is very risky if done sloppily. With enough care and thought, quite doable and safe. But most shops will just refuse. Keep in mind that gasoline VAPORS are extremely, extremely, flammable - way more so than gasoline liquid. My bad! my comment was based on welding a replacement gas tank to the existing mounting bracket. I would never weld on the tank itself. Please be safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94 Pathy Posted May 9, 2006 Author Share Posted May 9, 2006 Thanks for all the input. I've taken the skid plate off and repainted it with my hammered looking paint to match all the exterior trim. The tank is solid and very clean. I think some branches or something poked through the holes in the skid plate. JB weld is working better than not doing anything at all. So, if you drained the tank and let it air dry for a few days, it would still have bad vapors in there for the whole welding purpose? Hmmmmmm! Decisions, decisions! sssh I guess I will let it go for awhile until I figure something out or find another tank. I was wanting to find another tank and have it cleaned and sealed and then paint the outside with that Por15 so it would be darn nere puncture proof. I'll let everyone know once I get things figured out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 I think B needs to read before he posts I think that was what B was replying too/about.I can see the logic behind B's statement... Yes, I read it all you little rascal. Thanks Red, you obviously thought about it... Talking to a few guys at work reinforced my memory. Yes, filling with water was the most common way, and the easiest. Perhaps before commonly available inert gas to purge with, but it's still often done. Getting rid of the water isn't that hard. There are fuel additives you can rinse with and that silly WD-40 stuff... Hmm, wonder what the WD stands for... sssh I've been told that filling with water is also an option, but I'd think the tank still needs to be thoroughly cleaned first - or else the remaining air pockets could fill with gasoline vapors True, but apparently, the trick is to fill the tank and angle it so it is truely full and the filler neck is the highest point.... I'm no welder, but this is what I have heen told. Yes 94 Pathy, gas fumes can linger, and it doesn't take much to have a Hollywood style explosion (a cup of gas in an open 55 gallon barrel and an ignitor) tthat looks like a fireball. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLApathy Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 theyve tought and retought and said and told and made darn good sure that we know at the fire dept that ur better off welding a gas tank with gas in it as opposed to water when we burn a car we fill the gas tank with water, but its been drained for months as they are all jy cars, but when we burn a car we have are in full PPE and have more than one charged hose lines around Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillj Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 There is a liner that you can use that you should be able to get at your local parts store that cost about 20$ for a can thats more than enough to do one tank you still have to drain the tank and prep it with thinner or something like it and it takesa few days to cure but it works good thats what i did and its still holding up and its a very good idea to have your stock or a stronger skid plate over it for protection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillj Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 I forgot to mention mine wasnt pinholes from puncture mine was from thi factory welds or crimps towards the front where cracked but you couldnt see it at first till it got worse i tried jb weld and some epoxy stuff that was supposed to be for gas tanks it worked for a while then started leaking again then i tried the in tank sealer and its been fine ever since good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 One thing to keep in mind when coating with sealer: If the prep job is not really, really good, the stuff won't stick for very long. And then imagine what a bunch of peeled off flakes of sealant floating around the inside of your tank is going to do... So do NOT skip on the prep! Done well, great solution. Done poorly, much worse than the original problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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