VCCA Home Forums GENERAL DISCUSSION What did you do with your vehicle today? The eternal seeping gas tank

I tried once again (and failed) to get an operable fuel tank in my 35 truck. I’ve got a good specimen, I just keep finding a new pinhole I didn’t know about until after I put gas in it. This time I didn’t see any from any other spot, so I think if this last one is patched I am good. While I’ve grown to love the 20 gallon boat tank (with steel cage around it) in the back of the truck, I’d love to be rid of that thing and finally have a full bed to use even more. I hate throwing wood, bales, or buckets in the back an worrying about it. That, and I have a snazzy new sending unit that can tell me what kind of fuel I have left without the use of a piece of yard stick.

If this isn’t the last leak I’m going to abort and move on to another tank. The original is starting to look pretty good, but I’d have to get that fuel cap off that somehow married itself to the tank in the last five years or so. And then tumble it with pea gravel tied to a tractor tire. And then clean it out. And check it for leaks. The one I’ve been working on is looking better by the minute

When I looked at the tank in my 38 it looked usable I then used a camera on a stick to find 6 or 7 holes in the bottom. I had a new 1 made without attempting to fix the original.
If you succeed now My guess is in 6 months you will have another series of leaks, cut your losses and get a new 1 without leaks.
Tony

I strongly agree with Tony. Trying to salvage gas tanks is a very non-productive and frustrating activity. This is especially true if the leakage is due to rust through.

Cleaning a tank with abrasives such as rocks and sand will help you find the next leaks. Plus it takes a lot of work to get all that material out of the tank, especially if you do not physically open it up by splitting a seam or cutting an acess hole.

I make this statement based on my experience. The gas tank in my ‘37 coupe is not leaking and has no physical damage. However, I continue to get a very fine rust colored powder in the filter at the outlet. I have to change the filter about very 1000 miles. I have removed the tank and had it chemically cleaned twice. I have more cost in those cleanings than the purchase and shipping of a new tank. So I know what I will do the next time I have fuel delivery problems due to sediment.

I had the tank for my 38 restored at a gas tank specialist. They blasted it inside and out, coated the inside with a white finish and the outside is shiny black. Two years later I replaced the sender and the tank was spotless.