Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Gas Tank Repair?

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Posted by Richard Hamilton (Member # 321) on 04-24-2004, 02:12 PM:

Has anyone ever repaired a leaky tank? I have one that I keep patching pinhole size leaks every few weeks. The tank has been discontinued from GM, and I can't locate one from any shops. I have the tank off the car and want to fix it and not have to worry about it any more. Any ideas??

Thanks,
Rick

Posted by Floyd Justin Newton (Member # 1316) on 04-24-2004, 02:27 PM:

Junk IT.

fjn
Local 294 Ret. [Big Grin]

Posted by Erick Akers (Member # 875) on 04-24-2004, 02:57 PM:

Rick,
What kind of car is it?
I have some connections that might be able to help in this situation.

I'm guessing that the tank is rusting out???

I have used the fuel tank coating offered by Eastwood Co. before with some success, but if the rust cancer is too heavy the tank coating won't work.

Have you checked to see if an aftermarket tank is offered?

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 04-24-2004, 03:34 PM:

Check with a wrecking Yard to see if they have a good used one

Posted by Aaron Mehocic (Member # 15) on 04-24-2004, 03:53 PM:

About twenty years ago a local junkyard owner attempted to repair a leaky tank with a mig welder. He did not check for any residual gas still inside and the rest (including himself) is history . . .

Posted by Richard Hamilton (Member # 321) on 04-24-2004, 04:25 PM:

Floyd,
I cant junk it because there isn't a replacement available.

Erick,
It's an 82 Vette and yes it is rusting out. .Probably sat with little or no gas in it for a while. GM, Ecklers, and Mid America have nothing available.

Gordon,
If I buy one from a yard, then I'd think I'm looking at the same problem!

Posted by Rob Butler (Member # 2274) on 04-24-2004, 04:35 PM:

I know someone with a jeep, he offered to give me a ride somewhere once, when he pulled up, I noticed a 5gal pail in the back with a garden hose running from it to a hole in the floor, with everything ducttaped in place, I called another friend instead.

Posted by Will Kutler (Member # 770) on 04-24-2004, 05:08 PM:

Floyd is absolutly correct about a rusting fuel tank!

A major concern would be just how much corrosion has affected the tank. Remember that tanks are designed for crash impact, and excessive corrosion may have effected its safety.

If the corrrosion is not too bad, then yes, the tank can be welded and treated with special sealers inside and out.

In a worst case scenario, you may need to result to a fitted "fuel cell", or you can use the origonal tank as a template and have a new one custom fabricated.

Posted by John Walsh (Member # 168) on 04-24-2004, 05:32 PM:

Agree about junking it; I had the same problem with a motorcycle tank. There almost has to be a replacement tank somewhere, if you are willing to pay for it. Perhaps you can find a tank that fits another car, but is close?

Posted by Richard Hamilton (Member # 321) on 04-24-2004, 07:25 PM:

I haven't checked any Corvette forums yet. It's strange, GM still makes tanks for Vettes up until 1977, then they discontinue them for 1978 thru 1982 and start again for 1984 and up!

The inside of the tank looks fine. It looks black and feels smooth. I was expecting it to be full of rust, but thats not the case. The outside has little "pinholes" in the metal in certain spots.

Erick,
Is that Eastwood coating for the inside or outside of the tank? I heard about a coating for the inside, which sounds like the way to go for this problem. I can't seem to find an aftermarket tank so "junking it" isn't an option.

I'm curious what an insurance company or bodyshop would offer if I got in an accident and the tank was damaged?

Rick

Posted by Dennis Atkinson (Member # 345) on 04-24-2004, 08:48 PM:

There has to be a shop in your area like GasTankRenew.
Try a Google search.

Dennis

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 04-24-2004, 10:25 PM:

quote:

Aaron Mehocic: About twenty years ago a local junkyard owner attempted to repair a leaky tank with a mig welder. He did not check for any residual gas still inside and the rest (including himself) is history . . .

Aren't you supposed to fill a gas tank with soapy water until it's completely full then empty it out before you do ANY major work on it? (Let alone welding it!)

The idea being to wash out any gasoline and purge out any vapors.

Posted by Aaron Mehocic (Member # 15) on 04-24-2004, 10:52 PM:

I'm no expert about what you are or are not supposed to do regarding welding on gas tanks, but this particular person in question had worked all his life in the salvage business and should have known better.

This man's son is not that much more intelligent as I once heard him tell a woman and her six year old son they could "go fuck themselves" since the boy wasn't that great of a T-ball player and he was his coach. [Roll Eyes]

At the time I thought it was hilarious, but aging teaches you what is important and what is just plain asinine.

Posted by Gerard S. Cohen (Member # 994) on 04-24-2004, 11:28 PM:

I've had VW Beetles that had rust in their gas tanks, and found that there were services that would clean and reline them.
Also, with the early models I was advised not to add dry gas (alcohol) to absorb water condensation, since it could disolve the tank's lining.

Checking the Beetle customizers' catalogs, I found there were a number of replacement tanks sold, some of stainless steel of completely different shapes from the factory originals, which were preferred in such modifications as dune buggies or racing cars. Apparently it was not so important to match the original in shape or capacity.

Posted by Will Kutler (Member # 770) on 04-24-2004, 11:44 PM:

Randy

Yes you can use soapy water for detecting leaks of all kinds...from tires, to air lines and gas lines.

The important thing to remember is that the soap you use is NON-PETROLEUM BASED!...especially when working around flamable areas.

NON-PETROLEUM soapy water solution is regularily used in avaition maintenance, and of course the soap solution has a Mil-Spec #, which makes it all that more expensive!

BTW Gerard

Be careful with your bug. Some have been known to have cought fire due to fuel leak problems...but I am not an expert on Bugs. In any case, a guy in my neighborhood had a beautifully restored Bug. He was having some type of leak problem and was taking it to have it serviced. He did not get far...the entire car burst into flames as he neared the end of our residential street. Luckily he was not injured, but the car was a total loss.

Posted by David Favel (Member # 1125) on 04-25-2004, 05:16 AM:

I watched my father scrape an ars rod over a tank, then watched as the front of his shop eventually succombed to the flames.

Have seen a petrol tank wedled. It was filled with water, then welded.

Posted by Pete Wolla (Member # 1581) on 04-25-2004, 10:41 AM:

on my 53 chevy i just kept a bar of soap on the pan between the body and the bumper . if i drove on gravel or it rained when it stopped or i got on pavement i'd just grab the bar and soap the leak. it would hold til the next gravel or rain encounter. oilfield welders would put a hose from a propane tank in the filler hose and turn it on then light the propane then weld it up the propane would keep oxygen away. preventing an explosion .this practice came from hot capping lines if a line was leaking.the welder would light his tourch throw it in the ditch to start the gas on fire then get in and weld the leak. this isn't used anymore. safety is more of a concern these days.
look in a mag called old cars . seems like they had ads for tank sealers

Posted by Paul Mayer (Member # 355) on 04-25-2004, 11:28 AM:

Regarding VW bugs and fuel leaks, the problem wasn't with the gas tank itself, but with the fuel line where it connects to the carburetor. On the side of the carburetor was a press fitting that the fuel line was clamped on to. Eventually these fittings would loosen up and pop out, thus allowing fuel to spray all over a hot engine.

My '68 VW Type 1 got its baptism by fire in this way on July 4th (!) 1980. The whole engine compartment burned but fortunately I was able to get most of the fire out by the time the fire department arrived (my fire took place in front of a gas station which let me use its fire extinguisher!). I was doubly lucky in that I had just finished moving back from Oklahoma in that car--a fire anywhere along I-40 would have been the end of not only the car but probably all my stuff packed in it as well. The car became a rebuild project and was back on the road by 1983. It remained my daily driver until 1995.

Posted by Travis Hubrig (Member # 1745) on 04-25-2004, 05:00 PM:

Yes, fuel tanks can be welded...
it is a GOOD idea to clean it out, soapy water works.

I would be willing to bet money you can find a aftermarket part.
junkyard is not a bad idea except you will be dealing with a used tank.

I think for the money you are best off having your tank welded, I would just have it taken to a professional shop and make sure they have done that type of work before. Than if something blows up, you or your insurance won't have to worry.

Posted by Erick Akers (Member # 875) on 04-26-2004, 09:27 AM:

The eastwood product is an internal tank coating material, and it works pretty good. If however, the tank is in really bad condition, it will not adhere worth a damn.

If this is the case, you may want tro take the advice offered by the other members as to having it welded, but before you do, I highly suggest that the tank be sand blasted inside and out to be sure that all of the rust has been removed.

Also, after the complete repair has been made (blasting and welding) I would suggest having the tank Completely coated with undercoating spray to prevent any future damage.

If you are not in much of a hurry, I have many friends that are Vette collectors, and I might have a chance to locate a decent replacement for ya.

Erick

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 04-26-2004, 10:13 AM:

Hey, just melt down a pile of those Mega belts and dip the tank in that [thumbsup]

,
But really, if you get a tank from a junk yard out in the western states you have a VERY good chance of getting a good tank as cars simply do not rust out here. I would suggest Montana or Idaho junk yards as a good place to look. There are also specialty Vette parts places that can probaly help you. Also coating the inside of the replacement tank when you do find a new one might be worthwhile to prolong the life of the repacment tank. I had to replace the tank on a 55 chevy once but those ae available new off the shelf......

Mark

Posted by Josh Jones (Member # 447) on 04-26-2004, 03:47 PM:

you may also want to try JC Whitney, which may have aftermarket tanks. I'm not much of a car guy, but it may be worth a shot.

www.jcwhitney.com

Josh

Posted by Tom Doyle (Member # 1474) on 04-27-2004, 12:41 AM:

Even if the part is discontinued, GM may still have some in stock at a warehouse. Have you tried calling the parts department of your local dealership?

In any case, I'd recommend picking up a copy of Hemmings Motor News. You can get one at any large magazine/newspaper shop. They call themselves the 'bible' of the old car hobby, and they are a pretty definitive catalog of ads. Just look under Chevrolet, Corvette, parts and you will find a large listing of sellers and dealers in new and used parts. If anyone has started making a reproduction tank for yours, you'll find it in there. You'll also find a long list of ads from junkyards, especially in the southwest, that can pull and ship you a used one.

You can also try posting at:
http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/forums/index.php

I hope this helps. Let us know how you make out. Good luck!

Posted by William Hooper (Member # 71) on 04-27-2004, 02:01 AM:

Moyer's fuel tank repair
http://www.gas-tank.com/

I've gotten great results from them, others have too. They're well thought-of.

Gas tank liner products often either sheet off or turn to goo at some point, even OEM liner products. The sheer joy of replacing or trying to catheterize fuel lines after a tank liner has broken down cannot be expressed in non-profane words alone.