<VV> Used Gas Tank

[Tony Underwood]

At 09:23 PM 7/30/2010, rbuckridge at comcast.net wrote:


>What do you consider as "cheap" for a used gas tank?
>
>I see Clark's sells used tanks for $80 but is out of stock at the moment.
>
>Roy in Bayville
>
>
>
>----------------original message---------------
>I also currently find myself in desperate need of a gas tank for my 63' if
>anyone has one cheap.




I have on occasion yanked a gas tank, cleaned it thoroughly, and done 
considerable repairs via welding and brazing when the need dictated 
it because:


A-  another tank was not available locally
B-  the car was in a shop and could not just sit there until a tank 
could be acquired, either new or good-used
C-  budget issues were evident at the time
D-  one such Corvair was a 1960 model and there ARE NO new tanks 
available.  Period.
It's fix/repair or find a good used, or do without.  It's that simple.


And NO it's NOT dangerous to weld on a gas tank out of the vehicle if 
ordinary simple cleanup procedures are followed.   Just wash the tank 
out with soapy hot water.  Twice.  Dish washing detergent like Dawn 
does a great job.   Smell it afterwards and if you smell any trace of 
fuel, repeat previous steps.

Back when, because I was in a BIG hurry (or rather the owner was) and 
could not wait and no good used tank was readily available, I once 
soldered in a sheet of replacement skin on the bottom of a tank that 
had been sitting empty a long time with condensed moisture in it and 
the entire bottom was so thin you could puncture it with a 
screwdriver yet it was still holding (mostly) fuel but stayed wet on 
the bottom.    I cut out the thin sheet metal in the tank 
bottom,  INSURED that I got it all, then hammered out a replacement 
piece to fit (in that instance it was a sheet of salvage metal off 
the side of a rotted out pickup truck bed), propane torch and 
plumber's solder compound paste, made sure it fit well enough that 
all the seams are sweated well, tested out fine first time, no 
leaks.   It lasted until the car was sold years later and left the 
area, still no leaks, tank probably more solid than it was to begin 
with since the patch on the bottom was thicker than what the tank was 
made of to begin with.

Lots of people doing old school stuff fabricate fuel tanks from 
scratch for street rods and customs.   It's not beyond the pale for 
an enterprising individual with some means and a bit of ingenuity to 
repair a tank and do it right with a minimum of hassle IF they know 
what they're doing and aren't afraid to give it a shot.

It pays to know what you're doing...   ( as if *I* actually do ;)  )

Of course if the tank in question is indeed a basket case (like the 
one we replaced in the '62 ragtop) with rust shot through and 
through, replacement may be the only option.




tony..