Fuel tanks

[maple_leaf_eh]

One fellow told me how he recovered a scaley gas tank by throwing in a handful of sharp edged steel pieces and some chain links. Then he rolled and shook the tank until he was happy the crud had been broken free.

If your gelled fuel has an edge, what about attacking it with a pressure washer? Find the edge and it might come off it slabs. I think you are right about the toxicity. Try to keep the particles from washing into the surface creeks. The good people in Montreal will thank you for not polluting their water supply - much more.

[Paul Dutton]

POR15 is widely used AND recommended over here in the classic car fraternity. I have never used it on my cars but still being advertised in the magazines! We are now in the process of adding 10% Ethanol to our fuel here so we will see in the future! They have done all the tests on classic engines and parts to see compatability levels and all seems ok-ish. There is still a large opposition to it, but as usual our glorious inbred government doesnt really care or listen !

[shaun]

If there is a thick brown tar in the tank be careful , it's the old lead residue from the fuel. It stinks, and highly toxic (lead poisoning ) at best it will give you a stinking head ache . Fresh fuel does not shift it , nor does thinners - the only stuff I found that dissolves it is brake fluid . But remember wear gloves, mask etc . It is really nasty stuff.

[Ben]

The traditional fabrication company that made the tanks suggested the mild steel, they made the tanks 100% accurately to the original, as are the fittings. Mild steel was cheaper and generally easier to work and weld. I spoke to a company about making them in stainless and their comment was that the tooling required and the work was substantially more (due to material work hardening and the post completion process to make the completed tank as hard as steel) to get the 100% accurate appearance. Seeing as nearly all the buyers of the tanks were primarily concerned with the cost, turning round and increasing it dramaitically didn't seem worth while. I'm no steel worker so I can only take their advice.

If someone wants to make themselves a stainless tank I'm happy to supply the fittings.

I can't imagine that anyone here will see their new steel tank dissolve away in front of them even if they're not treated. I've got an original one here that still holds fuel and its sat outside for 70+ years

There are also options of bladders to run inside or instead of the steel tank but again this is an added cost. I use them at work and they are manufactured locally by a company called ATL. The cost of one of their custom tanks would buy you a fairly substantial chunk of a carrier.

Kevin, if you weren't happy with the mild steel tanks you shouldn't have bought two, you could have had stainless ones made yourself!

We are (I think) trying to restore and preserve these vehicles for the future. In my opinion making them as close to the original (safely) as possible is the goal. Yes stainless tanks would be ultimately a better option but a more expensive one. I could have made them in aluminium, after painting you wouldn't have been able to tell either. Where do you draw the line?

Ben

[RichardT10829]

Ben I would just like to say thanks again for all your hard work in producing these things. The tanks are not an easy item to reproduce and to get the end joggles in and radius'd would have been an absolute nightmare !

Galving may be the way pre solder for those that want non rusty jobbies. At the bluebird project they use a two part sealant as used on the airbus A series aircraft this acts as a sealant and to stop dissimilar metal corrosion...you could seal the required parts with this stuff and with paint on you would not know the difference.

The lads nick named the stuff choccy sauce but I don't know it's real name.. I shall have a look next time I am there.

[Lynn Eades]

Ben, If you had been closer, I would have had some from you. They look great to me.
I have an engineering friend who does a bit of marine engineering.
His advise was that stainless work hardens, and cracks. he said he's see a bit of it in boats. He said do your tanks in steel, paint them well, keep them full, and when they go rotten, make some more. I took it as good advice.

[Phil Waterman]

Hi All

Isn't MLU wonderful, a simple statement on making a fuel tank, as resulted in a very interesting and informative discussion of new tank fabrication, old tank sealing, old tank cleaning.

How well you can actually clean a tank is probably the biggest issue in using a sealant.

Now as to cleaning, as Terry mentioned using crushed glass, remember years ago reading how somebody had taken a tank put several pounds of crushed glass into a tank, then strapped the tank into a cement mixer and let the cement mixer sit there and rotate at a low speed and it did a very nice job of cleaning the inside of the tank.

All of this is giving more information to clean and repair one fuel tank from my Pat 12 then fabricate a new tank to match for the other side.

Cheers Phil

[eddy8men]

I can't see any problem using mild steel just remember to keep the tank full when not in use and i'm sure they will out last all of us. incidentally the tanks on my Cromwell are made from a solder dipped plate but they still rusted out at the level of the water/fuel line, if they had been full there wouldn't have been an issue.

[Bob Carriere]

My rank as given up about 8 or 9 cups of heavy (1/4 to 1/2 in.) chunks of stinky almost hardened bubbly crust....... the rest is behind the baffles.

I even hammered wtih a rubber mallet in the outsides and bottom with no success. Pressure washer would not reach all the corners and probably would kick back more on me than it is worth.

I noticed that Lowe's hardware sells MEK for cleaning up in fiberglass jobs so it is available. I have a cement mixer and an old foam mattress..... I need to go break some windows in the neighbourhood. I think that glass from car side window and MEK will do a good job.... maybe include a pint or two of acetone.

will keep you posted as I am off to a cottage for a week but sounds like a nice warm day project to load it up and sit back with a beer and watch things rotate slowly.... and will work outside incase of fumes.....

Bob C