I just finished sandblasting the Auxiliary Fuel Tank on my 71 Camper Special. When I got all the rust off of it I found a small pin hole that had rusted through.

Does anyone have any suggestion on how to fix this? Do I need to find a new tank? My first thought was to fill it with water and then weld it up, but I’m not sure how easy it would be to dry it out afterwards. Would epoxy of some sort work?

When I put the tank back in I will paint it with a rust inhibitor of some sort. I have been coating the frame with POR-15 but I am going to switch to an Eastwood Rust Encapsulator for the rest of the under side of the truck, and the engine compartment. The Auxiliary Tank will become my mane tank. I am not putting the tank back in the cab.

 

i would go with your first thought fill er with and water weld it up try to fix it yourself rather than wasting money you may not have too. since it is already stripped after you get it welded drain most of the water back out then could use almost any heat source to evaporate the rest.

 

There is a tank sealer that you can use to coat the inside of the tank. It canl fill small holes, it's an epoxy coating I think. I would guess where theres one, there more. Try to repair it, the tank may be hard to find a new one.

 

Thanks for the help guys; I may use both options if filling the tank with water wont hurt it then I am defiantly going to weld it up. If I plug all of the openings I could probably put a few pounds of air pressure in it to make sure I get all the leaks. After that if there is a way to line the inside of tank that would be great. How is the sealer applied to the inside of the tank? Is it some sort of polyurethane that is expanded with steam (like sewer pipe lineing)?

Thanks again

Chad

 

I have soldered gas tanks many times. Heat-but no flame. We had a large iron that could be heated with a torch, then do the soldering. I large wattage electric iron may work as well. We lived on a ranch 8 miles off the highway, and the road was covered in big rocks that would puncture the tanks.

You can also hook a hose up to your exhaust, leave the engine running, and flood the inside of the tank with the carbon monoxide mix coming out of your exhaust which isn't flammable, then weld or braze the tank.


As an alternative-I once installed a new outlet in the behind seat tank of my 70 F-100 due to a fuel starvation problem. I removed the tank, used a center punch to poke a hole in the lower left corner (just off the bottom). I then stuck in a piece of metal fuel line and filled the divot left by the center punch with JB Weld. It was just supposed to be temporary (I was on the road), but years later it is still that way, and it's never leaked a drop!

 

And for the in tank sealer-you can get it in gallons. You pour it in,then you just turn the tank over and over in all directions until the entire inside is coated and then let it dry. I have used it when restoreing rusty tanks, it is claimed to encapsulate the rust flakes and so on to keep them from getting in your system.

 

Now that’s not a bad idea “carbon monoxide” I would have never thought of that. I’m not sure I would feel as safe not knowing for sure if he tank was full of carbon monoxide. Would you leave the exhaust tube running into it while you weld? or just fill it up then remove the exhaust tube?

 

How do you know how much to pour in? Do you pour the exes out after you believe the inside to be coverd?

 

Take the fuel gauge sender out, and let the exhaust flow through between it and the filler neck while you weld. It won't take long to saturate the tank and force all the gas fumes out. Of course, it needn't be said to do this in a well ventilated area (outside is best)!!

 

There is a chart on the can, it goes by the gallon capacity of your fuel tank. It's a leinent range, as I recall (for example: a quart of sealer for 15-25 gallon tanks).

 

Some of the tank sealers come in a kit including a pre-treatment/cleaner, rust inhibitor and a sealer. I threw an old piece of chain from my kids swing set with the cleaner to knock any rust flakes loose. Hung the tank upside down by the hole in the bottom right corner and let it drain for a few days.

 

The chain sounds like good advice. With all the cleaning and sealing I will be dong to line the inside of the tank anyway, I could probably just fill it with water when I weld the whole I found. But I am very intrigued about the idea of welding it while it is being used as a muffler.

Thanks

Chad

 

One trick I've heard of for single pinholes is soldering a copper penny over it
The collector car crowd has been using an inside coating to salvage gas tanks since the '70s, it was originally borrowed from aircraft repair and the modern version stands up to alcohol and other additives in gas just great, you just pour it in, cover the whole inside of the tank, then pour out the remainder and let it cure. Your Eastwood catalog ought to have it listed, ISTR all the old car vendors are getting it packaged by Bill Hirsch Auto so maybe you can save a few bucks if you shop around

 

Well I successfully welded all the holes in my tank using 1Fordnatics idea to run the exhaust through the tank while welding. It worked flawlessly as I’m sure you can tell because I am still here and able to post. I painted the outside of the tank with POR-15, and I am now waiting for a “Gas Tank Sealer Kit” from Eastwood to seal the inside of the tank.
<O</O

Thank all of you for your help. I will be in need of much more as the project continues.

 

Hey, REALLY glad it worked for you!!!