<VV> GAS TANK REPAIR under certain conditions

[N2VZD at aol.com]

i repair small holes in the tank by soldering a penny over the hole. dry  
the tank , clean  the area and the penny with medium sandpaper (make sure  it 
stays dry!)  , then get a heavy soldering iron on it while adding solder  
until it flows smooth. sometimes i used solder paste on the area and the 
penny  to help. then hold it with a small screwdriver until it cools.
i used a pointed body pick hammer to poke a drain hole in tanks to drain  
them , then soldered a penny over the hole after it drained. sometimes you 
want  to enlarge a small pin hole to drain it ,then  clean that area. it  
makes a better repair.  this worked well in our shop for many years. the  thing 
you want to be careful of ,is draining it to something  with a funnel  close 
to the hole , not into an open pan...and no flames or heaters on nearby  
while doing it! in the shop , we have a tank with a pump on it that reverses . 
 at home , i siphon as much as i can , then drain the rest .
i do not like welding or flame repairs , even if all the precautions are  
there , like full of water , etc. this is safer , and works well with the 
tank  still in the car (as long as you can see the hole) .
a medium size solder gun with the large tip will do the job just fine. this 
 is NOT the way i would repair a rusty tank , or a lot of holes. I have 
never  seen this repair fail us in many years . just use common sense when 
draining and  refilling the tank. recheck your work after refilling.
regards, Tim Colson