VCCA Home Forums GENERAL DISCUSSION What did you do with your vehicle today? Thought I was smart

After several false starts I decided to braise the crack in my original 35 truck fuel tank. I tumbled it with rocks in it and then braised the crack no problem. I put it in and it didn’t leak! I got all full of myself and put half a tank of fuel in it and headed off to feed cows. I walked by it at one point and smelled gas but the bottom of the tank was dry. After I parked it for the night I crawled all over it and found my blunder. The crack was between the fill hole and outer edge. When I braised it I melted the soldered seam where the side meets the top of the tank. As I bumped through pasture gates fuel sloshed and weeped down the passengers side of the tank. Not a lot, but enough to know I couldn’t fill it any higher than that. Now I have a tank to fix that has had fuel in it. Good times.

If it is only "soft solder" (lead/tin) you dont need to have a fire near the tank, heat the soldering iron a safe distance upwind of the tank then take the hot iron to the tank. I have even used an electric soldering iron as there is no sparks in a properly maintained iron. Using a fire near fuel often ends in sadness.
Tony