Fuel tanks

[RichardT10829]

Ben I would just like to say thanks again for all your hard work in producing these things. The tanks are not an easy item to reproduce and to get the end joggles in and radius'd would have been an absolute nightmare !

Galving may be the way pre solder for those that want non rusty jobbies. At the bluebird project they use a two part sealant as used on the airbus A series aircraft this acts as a sealant and to stop dissimilar metal corrosion...you could seal the required parts with this stuff and with paint on you would not know the difference.

The lads nick named the stuff choccy sauce but I don't know it's real name.. I shall have a look next time I am there.

[Lynn Eades]

Ben, If you had been closer, I would have had some from you. They look great to me.
I have an engineering friend who does a bit of marine engineering.
His advise was that stainless work hardens, and cracks. he said he's see a bit of it in boats. He said do your tanks in steel, paint them well, keep them full, and when they go rotten, make some more. I took it as good advice.

[Phil Waterman]

Hi All

Isn't MLU wonderful, a simple statement on making a fuel tank, as resulted in a very interesting and informative discussion of new tank fabrication, old tank sealing, old tank cleaning.

How well you can actually clean a tank is probably the biggest issue in using a sealant.

Now as to cleaning, as Terry mentioned using crushed glass, remember years ago reading how somebody had taken a tank put several pounds of crushed glass into a tank, then strapped the tank into a cement mixer and let the cement mixer sit there and rotate at a low speed and it did a very nice job of cleaning the inside of the tank.

All of this is giving more information to clean and repair one fuel tank from my Pat 12 then fabricate a new tank to match for the other side.

Cheers Phil

[eddy8men]

I can't see any problem using mild steel just remember to keep the tank full when not in use and i'm sure they will out last all of us. incidentally the tanks on my Cromwell are made from a solder dipped plate but they still rusted out at the level of the water/fuel line, if they had been full there wouldn't have been an issue.

[eddy8men]

I forgot to add that if you are worried about ethanol in the fuel (which I am) then use super unleaded as it's ethanol free.

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Rick

I see your location says Manchester, I assume Manchester England where non-ethanol containing gas is still and option, you are lucky.

Don't want to hi-jack the point of this thread on Fuel Tanks, but in the US for a strange combination of environmental, renewable energy, and out right political manipulation, the powers that be have decreed that all US gas shall contain ethanol right now the argument is over should it be limited to E10 or 10% ethanol or as the producers of the ethanol want it should be kicked up to 15%.

Only way you can get non-ethanol fuel reliably in the US now is Aviation or Marine fuel locations.

The issue of protecting fuel tanks and fuel systems on antique vehicles from changing fuels though is in keeping with this thread. Keeping the fuel tank full is the best option if you drive the vehicle enough to use all the fuel in the tank every 30-60 days. Because the adding of ethanol has come the problem that the fuel goes flat very quickly several companies now are selling fuel additives such as Sta-Bil which help protect the fuel system of older vehicles and power tools using small gas engines.

I have a very simple test for how stale gas gets and which fuel additives work, run it in my standby generator and see how many watts the generator can produce. Use to keep all of the tanks on my trucks full during the winter so that I would have 50+ gallons of fuel,we would use in the generator when we have extended power outages, . Then they change the fuel, and suddenly fuel that has been sitting around for more than 60 days the generator will only put out 75-90% of what it will on fresh fuel. Also the trucks run like crap until you use up what has sat in the tanks over the winter. Using it up is not a problem because MPG drop like a stone when the fuel is stale.

Guess the bottom line is if we are going to drive old vehicles we have to pay attention to changes in fuels.

Looking at your pictures I've got a question did you patch those tanks or make new tanks?

Cheers Phil

[kevin powles]

Originally Posted by eddy8men

I forgot to add that if you are worried about ethanol in the fuel (which I am) then use super unleaded as it's ethanol free.

Rick, 'Super Unleaded' I hope there is a petrol station on the way to the arena!!.

kev.

[Jim Burrill]

I used MEK in the Navy as a solvent and my safety training said it would detsroy eye tissue in a heartbeat!

I also used it to make fiberglass auto accessories back in the hey-day of custom vans.

The smell is potent and it's flamible. But having it splash in your eye... immediate eye flush and straight to the emergancy room.

Goggles, Faceshields!

Oh, Zeus! Just be freaking carefull with MEK!!!!!

[eddy8men]

phil
we patched the tanks, both are leak free but we'll only use the left hand tank as I don't intend to drive to berlin and back so won't be needing the other one.
yes kev i'm afraid it's super or nothing, no point spoiling the ship for a ha'porth of tar

[Bob Carriere]

My rank as given up about 8 or 9 cups of heavy (1/4 to 1/2 in.) chunks of stinky almost hardened bubbly crust....... the rest is behind the baffles.

I even hammered wtih a rubber mallet in the outsides and bottom with no success. Pressure washer would not reach all the corners and probably would kick back more on me than it is worth.

I noticed that Lowe's hardware sells MEK for cleaning up in fiberglass jobs so it is available. I have a cement mixer and an old foam mattress..... I need to go break some windows in the neighbourhood. I think that glass from car side window and MEK will do a good job.... maybe include a pint or two of acetone.

will keep you posted as I am off to a cottage for a week but sounds like a nice warm day project to load it up and sit back with a beer and watch things rotate slowly.... and will work outside incase of fumes.....

Bob C