Gas tank from hell

[hiball3985]

Last week I filled the tank on the Ranchero for the first time only to find it leaking. So I got it drained and pulled it out Saturday morning. I'm sure you all know this is the same tank as a wagon and has the depressed area for the spare tire on a wagon. I found someone in the past put a bolt, washers and nut in the drain hole that lets moister drain from the recessed area. Yep, the recess was rusted from standing water over the years. I know finding a good used one would be hard and a new one too expensive for my budget. So we cut the recess out and welded a flat piece across the top, probably gained about 2-3 gallons more capacity. I don't have a bead roller so we just added a few small strips on top. The area in the bed where the recess for the spare is was rusted out too. We cut that out and welded in some flat sheet. My son helped and is a better welder then I am. The whole project only cost about $40. I've got all the new suspension parts so that will be the next project.

[Limey57]

How did you clean the inside of the gas tank first?  The thought of welding one scares me to death!

[Ford Blue blood]

I take my empty tanks to a radiator shop and have them clean them, machine shop that uses the old chemical cleaners for engine etc has cleaned them for me as well.  If all else fails use laquer thinner or acetone (they both evaporate cleanly) to give it a good soaking and rinse.  Then after a couple of days wash it out with a good dish soap (I like Dawn) rinse well, let dry and weld away.

[hiball3985]

That was our first plan, but the only shop here wanted $400 to do it.
We just washed it out with dish soap and water a few times. We filled it with water while using an air powered cut off wheel to remove the top section. With the top off we washed it out again, I was surprised how clean the inside actually was, very little sediment. Then we dried it out and let it set for the remainder of the day while we addressed the bed problem. We then took it to my son's house that night to weld.

[gasman826]

I've checked a couple of radiator shops only to find that gas tanks are not repaired anymore...insurance issues.  All the old shops are gone, I'll have to look farther away. 

Filling with water is an old tried and true method.  Another is leaving an air hose shooting air into the tank.  Anything to disperse the fumes.

[hiball3985]

Filling with water is an old trick, I'm as old . I use to do this and weld them with an acetylene torch back in the day.
Yes, radiator shops are few and far between these days, The little one man shop we have is having a hard time surviving. People don't fix them anymore, all these newer vehicles are just throw-a-ways made from plastic etc.

[Limey57]

What about these gas-tank sealer kits sold by companies like Eastwood?  They're supposed to coat the inside of the tank and seal pinholes but I don't know anyone who's tried it.

[lowrider]

I recall doing the water trick. Remember fixing leaking tanks by filling with water, cleaning the area to be fixed and using my old man's ancient soldering IRON & solder. I actually got pretty decent at it.

[hiball3985]

Limey: I thought about the sealers, I'm sure that would work for pin holes but there was five 1/4" holes and I probably could have made a few more with just my finger.

Lowrider: I remember people doing it that way. My first soldering iron wasn't even electric, you heated in a small gas fired furnace 

[Frankenstein57]

Limey, I sealed my tank ,It sat a long time with old fuel in it. I didn't have pinholes, just wasn't sure I was getting it 100% clean. I used a tank sealer from KBS coatings, that's how I got onto their other products. Another thing that works good to ventilate the tank is a leaf blower. I put one on the tank and set it in the hot sun to dry it out before coating the tank, so far so good.  Mark

[Limey57]

Thanks Mark, mine sounds similar, no obvious holes but it has sat around for a few years now and I want to ensure that any rust particles or residue doesn't get sucked out of the tank and into the carburettor.  I had this problem on my Impala and ended up having two inline filters which still didn't totally cure it.

[Ford Blue blood]

Another thing that works good to ventilate the tank is a leaf blower. I put one on the tank and set it in the hot sun to dry it out before coating the tank, so far so good.  Mark

I used my wife's hair dryer.....not the best idea......that was just one of a list.....dishwasher for carb rebuild.....oven to bake on exhaust manifold coating.....for some reason she thinks all the cool stuff in the house is not for car work?  Go figure...

[Hoosier Hurricane]

The last tank I worked on, after the soap and water rinse, I hooked a flexible pipe to a single cylinder engine in a lawn tractor, and pumped exhaust into the tank while I soldered it.  I'm still here to post this, so it worked.   John

[Zapato]

All i can say John pumping exhaust into a tank and then bringing fire to it you must have balls made of brass.

Zap-

[wv 57s forever]

            didn't know there was a safer way than with already burned oxygen.