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Regular
Posts: 98
| Has anyone found a source of new gas tanks for our cars? I need one for my 1956 plymouth. Has anyone had any experience with getting a leaking one (due to pin holes ) repaired?
Thanks,
Doug |
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Expert
Posts: 2932
  
Location: Lemoore CA | I don't think you are going to be able to find a new one, they just don't make them for our cars. Your best bet expense wise is to find a good used tank from a junkyard, If that is not possible, you can look in Hemmings, and there are ads for radiator shops that feature gas tank restoration, this is not just for fixing one or two pinholes, this is for tanks that are badly rusted or damaged, basically ones that look like swiss cheese, you send off your tank to the nearest shop, and they will repair it, and then seal it inside, and cover the outside with either powder coating or a rubberized undercoating. If you need more information on this method post message me, and I will dig up one of their ads. |
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Expert
Posts: 3951
Location: Bama | If it is not real bad, a wire wheel and a few tubes of JB Weld. You can take some time with this and it would not be noticeable. I suppose a lot of epoxies will work. But I have used JB Weld myself on a tank riddled with pin holes and it works perfect. I was a skeptic at first about JB Weld but now I am a believer. 
Edited by lawrence 2007-03-27 5:42 PM
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Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146
Location: bishop, ca | Gary Grossich, down-below, here, should have perfectamundo gas tanks, Doug!
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Expert
Posts: 1488
Location: New Castle PA | While the wire wheel suggestion would work, it's dangerous as hell! I'm no expert, but I think the only safe way to work on a gas tank is when it's got dry ice in it. I HAVE used JB Weld, but there are specialty, similar gas tank epoxies that are MADE for gas tanks. They all work fine. Personally, I'd take the tank to a rad shop as suggested. They as set up FOR that. The last time I had a tank sealed it was something like $65, took 2 days, and the tank has performed flawlessly since. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 852
Location: Etters Pa | I had a tank redone a few years back for a customers 60 Desoto by a company similar to the one posed below.. The tank came back with only a very small wrinkle in the one corner that was not in it from the factory.. (They advised us before starting that it was a possibility), if we wanted they could get the tank in show condition and the flaw could be worked out for extra labor. keep in mind this tank had major holes where sections were cut out and replaced..
We chose to leave the wrinkle in, as the car was far from a show piece and the owner was happy as a lark just with the fact that he no longer had to huff fumes.
This was 5 years or so ago, I think the price was around $150, The last I heard from this owner It has never leaked a drop and not a trace of the coating was ever found in glass fuel filter he is running..
I myself would not hesitate to have another tank done in this manner.
http://www.gas-tank.com/
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Expert
Posts: 3951
Location: Bama | 57desoto - 2007-03-27 7:53 PM
While the wire wheel suggestion would work, it's dangerous as hell! I'm no expert, but I think the only safe way to work on a gas tank is when it's got dry ice in it. I HAVE used JB Weld, but there are specialty, similar gas tank epoxies that are MADE for gas tanks. They all work fine. Personally, I'd take the tank to a rad shop as suggested. They as set up FOR that. The last time I had a tank sealed it was something like $65, took 2 days, and the tank has performed flawlessly since.
Excellent point!!  To go to the shops for that cheap, $65..$150. You'll have to unstrap it, unplug it, disconnect it.. You can unstrap it, drain the gas out and let it air out. Strike a match to it. Let it burn then work on it for $25.00 as opposed to someone else's patching. No need to scrap these tanks if no one is repopping them. Neil, who wants to pay High dollar for used stuff?  Neil, your thinking is strange to me. Most times when you find a tank with pinholes it has been sitting for a while. The only way to find the holes is to rinse it with petro. Once the holes are found they have to exposed, entirely and treated and filled...JB Weld is fine.
Edited by lawrence 2007-03-27 11:03 PM
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 6203
Location: Big pimpin' | Ya know fella's, The other day I was lookin' at a 69' b-body (Charger) gas tank and it looks like it would work on 57' 58' plymouth's, if you could reposition the hole in the trunk so the filler neck would hit it right...
Charger's use the side fill only difference is the filler neck is up on top of the quarter panel instead of on the side....This might require a custom made filler neck as the stock 57'-58' plymouth's might be a little different. I don't know if the other makes of cars have the filler neck in the same location, but 68'-70' b-body (Roadrunner) goes in straight through the back behind license plate....Same tanks...
Just a thought as you are custom makin' the used tank anyway....  |
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| lawrence - 2007-03-28 8:55 PM
57desoto - 2007-03-27 7:53 PM
QUOTE]
Excellent point!! To go to the shops for that cheap, $65..$150. You'll have to unstrap it, unplug it, disconnect it.. You can unstrap it, drain the gas out and let it air out. Strike a match to it. Let it burn then work on it ... QUOTE]
I sure hope I just misunderstood your point, Lawrence, just being sarcastic, but it really looks like you mean what you just said...to drain it, air it out, then strike a match to it????? That is a great way to commit suicide. Trust me I have known people who have lost their lives for doing something so idiotic. To anyone who reads this who don't know better, NEVER do that!!! Draining it and airing it out will absolutely not make it safe, the fumes are still in there due to the residue of fuel, and it's the fumes that are explosive. The best, safest way to work on it is to take it to a rad shop and have them at least clean it out, that will remove the fumes for a short period of time, like as in 24 hours. After holding fuel for decades, the steel of the tank will literally absorb the gas fumes will start to creep out again after a day or so.
POR-15 makes an excellent fuel tank sealer, I used it for my holy, pinholed tank after getting the rad shop to clean it out, and it sealed it up great. I also followed the instructions EXACTLY. They tell you to pour it in and swish it all around, after cleaning, then drain the rest of it out...so with the remainder of it I coated the outside with a brush, creating a double seal, being inside and out. If you've never used it you would not believe the hardness and toughness of POR-15. |
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Expert
Posts: 2932
Location: Lemoore CA | Yes, for anyone who is inexperianced and who dosen't know any better, do not light a match to any tank. To work on an old tank it needs to be defummed at the very least, Dawn dishwashing soap works pretty well for this, and the tank should be filled mostly with water if you are going to be welding on it. Really though only people with proper equipment and experiance should do any work on gas tanks as far as welding grinding or any thing else that might ignite fumes is concerned. Why take a chance? probably better to let a profesional do it unless we are talking about one hole. In that case, the epoxy for gas tanks should work just fine. |
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Wise Old Village Idiot
Posts: 3591
Location: Dellslow, West ("By God") Virginia ! | Sigh. I hesitated to come on and voice my many experiences on this , seemingly many opnion subject.
Any kind of water, or worse,,,, soap (?) in a gas tank is looking for as much trouble as putting a flame near it!
Water and soap, will effect the float material, unless it's copper. Many bottles of dry gas must be used. Not counting the filters. It will take forever to get ALL of the water out.
Really, please, I do NOT mean to offend, but, water in a tank for whatever reason is 'urban legend' or 'wife's tale'. I shudder at the thought of potential problems, of what water in a tank, will cause, down the road.
Water and gas do not mix, hence the use of dry gas. The gas fumes will still ignite with the water.
Radiator shops may use water, but, they have a souloution (dry gas forumla, only cheaper) that will evaporate ALL of the collected pockets of water, they use to test for holes after sodering.
OK. If you guys want to fix your own tanks,,,,,? Meaning fix. Weld/braze/cut/patch?
I have repaired (welded) many, many, many, many gas tanks in my life time. I have welded, MIG, torch, with GASOLINE still in the tank!
How?
Big secret.
No. I removed ALL of the oxygen.
I ran a rubber hose from a vehicle's tail pipe into the gas tank's filler neck. The float assembly must be removed for the exhaust presure to excape. Or it will blow your weld away.
The only gas tank I welded on, that had several gallons of gas in it, was one of those F0rds that the tank was part of the trunk floor. Guy was loading rocks and cement blocks into the back of the car, and unknowingly poked a hole in the top of the tank.
I simply removed the float assembly, (gas pickup was seperate from the float assembly) ran a hose from the car's tailpipe into the filler neck, set it on fast idle, took a wire wheel grinder, cleaned to bare metal around the hole, cut out a piece of metal that size, then mig welded the patch over the hole. Ok, the entire back seat, rear carpet, the entire trunk mat was removed also. I was more afaid of catching that stuff on fire, than I was, the gas in the tank!
ALL of the other tanks, I have welded on, were off the vehicle, and had the gas dumped out.
Gas is NOT flammable. It's the FUMES that explode!
I did this not too long ago on a antique car's tank. Welding patches on a show car's tank will work, or a spot of braze over each hole, but, it will look to redneckey.
The top 1/2 of this tank was ALL pin holes. They must have been a million of 'em! The guy had found another late model car that the tank had part of the same shape as his old tank.
Stuck the exhaust hose into the new(er) tank, used a cut off wheel, and cut the top part off. Wiped off the inside. I also had to cut a section out of the middle because it was wider than the older tank.
Put heat dam on each side where I was going to weld, BOTH on the outside and inside, to keep the metal from warping
Ground down both sides, the outside for looks, the inside, incase of slag, or scale flaking off.
Stuck the exhaust in the old tank, cut the entire top off. Talk about old stale, stinkey gas smell!!
The guy had some sorta of cleaning souloution that took the old stale gas stain off the bottom part of the old tank. I wire wheeled the old tank where the now narrowed ,newer, top portion was to be welded. Since the weld was on top of that flat part where the two tank sections were orginally factory welded, once up in the car, one could not see it.
We then took the the tank to a rad shop to check for leaks. In all that weld, I had two pinhole leaks, the rad shop guy sodered.
I like the idea of finding a later modle of vehicle that has a tank close the orginal size FwdLk tank size. Buy that tank brand new, NOS, or aftermarket. (NO GAS FUMES) then one can soder/MIG/braze, the filler neck, and the float assembly mount, in the desiered location for what ever FwdLk vehicle.
I like that idea! NO more welding/ patching of old tanks. Just go buy new and modify the filler neck and float mounts!
Oh BTW, if the newer tank is a little deeper, shorter, or whatever. I have made straps out of the 1" wide banding material strips. Just double the ends by plug welding, for strength. |
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Expert
Posts: 3951
Location: Bama | All I was trying to say is when you take the filler tube out of it then take out the sending unit, rinse it out with all your most flammable liquids. Let it dry for a day(completely). Then I(me) take a flame and "WHA WHOOM" the flammable air/gas out. I don't stick my eye up to it. This is called a controlled burn. This is better than a "WHA WHOOM" to the family jewels when you are hugging it seeing how many holes pop up with the wire brush. Heck just strap a fuel cell in your car. Or like Neil says, buy a different used tank. That is holy and will have to be patched.  |
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Expert
Posts: 2932
Location: Lemoore CA | Rick, it seems that I have heard of the removing the air technique, but I have filled tanks with water to wash them out, and never had any problem with them, also had radiator shops recomend dish soap to me to defume a tank before sending it off for repair. I don't doubt that you couldn't weld a tank with some gas in there as long as there is no air, but I think that unless you really know what you are doing, it would be kind of stupid to try. |
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Regular
Posts: 98
| Just to let you know how this turned out I followed the suggestion of talking to a radiator shop and found one here in Sarasota that is making me a new tank in aluminum for considerably less than I had been quoted by out of state sources. thanks for the suggestions. They got me to a solution.
Doug |
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gas tank source
