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About LinkBacksOne of my alum. gas tanks has a slight leak at the outlet fitting. Can it be welded safely?
Welding Alum Gas Tanks
One of my alum. gas tanks has a slight leak at the outlet fitting. Can it be welded safely?
If its removed, wash it out with Alumaprep from your local paint store or aluminum brightener (acid) from your local truck parts house untill gas vapor is gone. DO NOT get this stuff on polished parts! Purge the tank with CO2 and tig. This system has worked for us many times for many types of fuel tanks. However, this is only my 2 cents. be careful.
I am a welder and have done this before. Above post is 100%
Don't know if you already welded your tanks. I welded some tanks. We made some 6" donuts that went around the fill neck same guage material bent them to the shape of the tank and welded them on. Stronger than new.
Yep, just as 13Al said.
Had the mounting brackets welded on mine a few years ago. I just removed it, drained it, washed it out with water (several times), let it sit in the yard in the sun a couple days to dry/air out, and took it to the welder. Left any other prep to him.
My cracking had caused no leakage, but I was searching for a bad leak,a nd found it while the tank was out (filler hose connection, 25 years old and hard as concrete, even double-clamped was not conforming any more).
"As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."
H.L. Mencken
OBAMA: Some people deserve this.
The rest of us are being dragged along kicking and screaming.
My buddies used to throw a match in empty motorcycle tanks (poof) fumes are gone.Then they would work on them....
YOU LIE!!!!!!!!!!!
Originally Posted by Ultra26 # 1
I want to caution about that match in the tank deal. Don't bet your life on it.
I had a metanol drum....been empty for years. Now the dump would not take it unless the top was cut off the drum. Man....I did not want to do that. But there was no other way at the time to get rid of it. I soap and water washed the thing....several times. Finally..I used a die grinder to start a small slot....LOL.
Real quick I could feel heat (rather invisible flame alcohol has).....I let it burn.
The flame slowly went out...surely it had burned any residual.
Well...it didn't. It went off again big time. Shot clear out of the shop and into the street.
So...be careful.
Yea, the "match in teh tank" is a very good way to turn the tank inside out, in about .12 secconds.
"As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."
H.L. Mencken
OBAMA: Some people deserve this.
The rest of us are being dragged along kicking and screaming.
I am welding my fuel pick-ups in that I made. I pulled one tank yesterday and cut the hole for my new pick-up plates. I went to NAPA today and got the aluminum brightenr stuff (phosphirc acid), same as aluma-prep. I washed out the tank like ten times with this stuff. I am going to let it air out till next weekend. I am also going to back purge it with pure argon when I weld it.
T.J.
we use an explosion meter to check enclosed vessels before working with them,
your local welding supply should have one, maybe you could take your tank by there
and have it checked prior to welding on it.
Years ago our neighbor was a high risk welder..my dads car got a hole in the bottom of the tank & gas was slowly pissing out.. He took it over to the neighbors house & he told my dad to me to take it down to the gas station and fill it up till it wouldn't take anymore and hurry back..He had the welder ready..As I got out of the car, he slid under it and began to weld the hole shut..The only fire was what little bit landed on the ground..As long as there's no air in the tank it won't ignite..So he said.....
I've heard this story from some other welders I know. Never had the balls to try it.Years ago our neighbor was a high risk welder..my dads car got a hole in the bottom of the tank & gas was slowly pissing out.. He took it over to the neighbors house & he told my dad to me to take it down to the gas station and fill it up till it wouldn't take anymore and hurry back..He had the welder ready..As I got out of the car, he slid under it and began to weld the hole shut..The only fire was what little bit landed on the ground..As long as there's no air in the tank it won't ignite..So he said.....
Gasoline doesn't burn! Gasoline "vapors" burn voraciously, and if contained, explosively.
That would take some big gonads to try that, though.
HJ
***FOR SALE*** 1978 19' Full Stringer Hawaiian Molokai Jet Boat w/ Berkeley 12JC-AB and Chevy 440 Tall Deck ***FOR SALE***
......A friend brought a motorcycle tank over to the shop to have a pinhole
at the gas cap fixed. Rinsed the tank out with water,knowing full well this is not the remedy but......... filled the tank up to about 1/2 inch from the top
and waved the torch over the openingIt instantantly emptied half the water in the tank on to the ceiling and did about four 360's on the bench.
Filled 'er back up........ good to go. This was 40 years ago....learned alot since then
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