The best way to cut or weld on a fuel tank is get someone else to do it

 

Not to swipe this thread, but when the truck is turned on and not running yet, the electric fuel pump is running. This fills up the fuel line and carburetor, but the pump does not stop running. Can this overfill your carburetor? What stops the gas from being forced into the engine, passed the carb, to give you a flooding condition?

 

The float valve in the carb shuts off the flow of fuel when the float bowl is full. It works very much like the float in the tank on a toilet.

Some pumps shut off when the pressure builds up, and some keep pulsing, although usually a little more slowly. If the float valve isn't working, the float bowl will overflow and pour fuel out of the vents. The vent is usually a tube that protrudes into the carb near the top...usually cut off at an angle. Any excess fuel would be easy to see pouring down into the carb.

 

Thank you sir, sorry 53FOPAR.

 

When I worked at the service station in Buffalo, gas tanks had a nasty habit of rusting thru under the hanger straps from all the salt and replacement tanks were expensive or not available. We brazed many tanks. We would wash out the tank with detergent (today I would use Dawn) and water 2 or 3 times until there was no more gas odor, then fill the tank with water and cap it. Turned the water filled tank so the hole was up and brazed it. We'd wave the torch over the hole first just to be sure, but never had one even pop. The idea is to reduce the air volume in the tank as much as possible. After welding we'd drain the tank, rinse with hot water and drain again. After draining out as much water as possible, we'd throw in a can or two of drygas (alcohol) and slosh it around then dump it out before reinstalling it. I definitely wouldn't fear drilling a washed out and water filled tank. I wouldn't weld or drill an empty tank tho, that's when they are dangerous.