Pinholes in bottom of fuel tank

bonewso · Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2007 10:41 pm Post subject: Pinholes in bottom of fuel tank

I got my fuel tank sandblasted today and I have a couple of tiny holes at the bottom of the tank near the outlet. Just wondering what my options are for fixing the holes. I have a welder if that's an option. Maybe a few coats of POR 15. I'm going to seal the inside of the tank with the POR 15 tank sealer stuff like glenn did with his tank from his website. Ideas?

Street Bug 29 · Samba Member Joined: February 13, 2007 Posts: 291

I had the same problem after cleaning mine out and what I did was to solder it,,,,dont use the cheapo solder set ups you will need some heat to flow the stuff,,I also had access to a good hot iron,,,it still holds fuel to this day

Karzapart55 · Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 4:12 am Post subject:

Go to a plumbing supply house and buy Stay-Brite silver bearingsolder. Also buy Stay Brite liquid flux. DO NOT attempt untill ALL traces ofgas are gone. Since its been blasted, i guess its been out of the vehicle for a while.

hmbruce · Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 9:09 am Post subject:

y'all might think im crazy but you can take the tank out, fill it with water, then weld over your holes. i did and im still here Very Happy

. the water fills up the area where the fumes collect so i wont explode like you think it would

jensend · Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 12:27 pm Post subject:

The water fill/weld method works OK. If you're really concerned or very particular about the condition of the tank's insides, do the following:
1) Flush tank with a garden hose.
2) Empty the tank, put in a short length of steel chain and shake thoroughly. This will loosen any rust scale inside the tank.
3) Pour 2 oz. of Lestoil in the tank, fill part way with water and slosh the suds around to wash the inside of the tank and hold the rust particles in solution. Lestoil has a kerosene base.
4) Empty tank and flush thoroughly with clean water.
5) You can either use a liquid tank liner to coat the inside of the tank after welding or you can simply wait until the tank has cooled and air dried and add a pint of denatured alcohol to the tank to mix with any residual water that might still be in the tank.
If you intend to keep the car long term it's worth the extra time/trouble.

Glenn · Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 12:33 pm Post subject:

Have the holes welded close before sealing it.
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Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"

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עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי

Bugs'n'Pugs · Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 12:36 pm Post subject:

jensend · Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 12:41 pm Post subject:

The tank sealer I used was a 4 part system, but that was some years back. Don't know abou the POR 15 tank sealer, but their other products have worked well for me.

Glenn · Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 12:42 pm Post subject:

I used the POR 15 tank sealer and would use it again.

It's good stuff.
_________________
Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"

Member #1009

#BlueSquare

עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי

74stdbaja · Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 8:33 am Post subject:

POR 15 tank sealer "ROCKS!". If you sand blasted, then I'm guessing that you already sniff checked the tank. If not, count your blessings and take a good whiff of the tank. If you can smell any fumes at all, run a whole lot of water & degreaser through it, spray it down with alcohol inside & out, then let it dry (running compressed air through it helps speed the process up). Repeat this process until you can't even smell a HINT of fuel. Even though you plan to seal with POR 15, I strongly recommend that you tape up all the holes, fill er' up with water, dbl check for pinholes (taping them up as you find them), and solder them closed.
Cool

ed stanley · Samba Member Joined: September 28, 2006 Posts: 508

I'm one of those guys that NEVER trusts an empty gas tank for welding. For pinholes, I clean them up really good, and use JB Weld. Then gas tank sealer - the "sloshing compound" that looks like contact cement. With the sending unit out, of course.

DrDarby · Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 9:06 am Post subject:

The tank in my zwitter was full of pin holes. I had a local radiator shop clean it, fix the holes and seal it. It has held up well for almost 20 years now.
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Midwest Autosavers, Inc. Crystal Lake, IL

ed stanley · Samba Member Joined: September 28, 2006 Posts: 508

How did they fix the holes, Doc? Solder?
And what's a "zwitter"?

DrDarby · Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 9:27 am Post subject:

They soldered a few small ones, welded a penny or two to the bad ones and used some kind of clearish slosh to seal the inside.

A Zwittter is an oval dashed split window. "Zwitter" is German slang for hermaphrodite.
_________________
Midwest Autosavers, Inc. Crystal Lake, IL


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