fuel tank, resto or not..

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tinkerer
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Location: Co. Armagh, Northern Ireland

fuel tank, resto or not..

Post by tinkerer »

Hi all,
I'm not sure if this is the correct place to put this, but I'll go for it anyway..
I am in a bit of a quandary about my fuel tank.. It is in a bit of a poor state, (please see the photos), but still holding fuel.. It has been plated on the bottom and brazed heavily to seal it.
The question is, what should I do with it? I could leave as is, but I'm not sure how long it would last, plus as it is very rusty inside, it would play havoc with everything downstream..
I could possibly de-rust and seal it with a tank sealant, but getting the tank completely dry inside would be nigh on impossible as the old bottom skin seems to still be in there...
Third option would be to cut the old metal out, replace with new, then seal it up with tank sealer...

Any thoughts?

Thanks..
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heinkeljb
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Re: fuel tank, resto or not..

Post by heinkeljb »

Best option is number 3! Cut out the rubbish parts and weld in new metal. If you think your welding is not 100%, the run some braze over the cleaned up up weld joint as this will “flow” better and seal any pin holes. Fill tank with sharp sand and water and agitate - try strapping it to a cement mixer! Wash clean. To remove rust 100% after that, fill tank with citric acid solution (water plus citric acid powder - ask the wife)! Leave for several days, then rinse throughly with water. Dry in airing cupboard for several days and then coat inside with modern ethanol resistant fuel sealant. Paint outside and you are good to go!

Just my way of dealing with the issue. Others might have variations....

John
Haflinger 703AP LWB 1973 - (Once owned by Lady Sutherland & Sons.) Now called "Lurch" !

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tinkerer
Posts: 33
Joined: Sun Feb 07, 2016 10:39 pm
Location: Co. Armagh, Northern Ireland

Re: fuel tank, resto or not..

Post by tinkerer »

Hi John,
I guess you are correct.. It would be the proper job to cut the rubbish out and start with new metal again.. I suppose with all of that brazing already there, it would be a tad difficult to get rid of it prior to welding as the weld wouldn't like it.. As you say, the rust can be removed by whatever means and a sealant used to seal the tank up again..
There was fuel sitting in it for years without moving, as the rust in there was something else.. I took the level sender out and it was a ball of rust, but I have hopefully found a replacement..
Thanks..
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peter_m
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Re: fuel tank, resto or not..

Post by peter_m »

Has anyone made a tank out of carbon fibre. It would be easy to do, could match the original and wouldn't corrode..Would it be legal?
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heinkeljb
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Re: fuel tank, resto or not..

Post by heinkeljb »

I doubt carbon fibre would be legal without some sort of certification. I know you can get cars with plastic tanks but they come from big manufactures.

Having said that, It is unlikely that there will be any inspection of Haflinger if what I read earlier this month comes to pass - MOT exemption extended to 40 year old vehicles come May next year! The one MOT tester I spoke to said they haven’t been told anything about that so maybe it is still smoke?

John
Haflinger 703AP LWB 1973 - (Once owned by Lady Sutherland & Sons.) Now called "Lurch" !

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Czechsix
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Re: fuel tank, resto or not..

Post by Czechsix »

I'd vote for cleaning it of the rust and paint, then you'll be able to assess things better. Blast the outside, do the sand/gravel/citric acid or phosphoric acid. See where you're at, if it's repairable do the welds and brazing, have a radiator shop coat the inside of the tank.

Jim L. repaired mine via brazing some new panels in, I've gone in and done a few seams and points that started to weep, it's holding up well so far. I didn't recoat the inside, but what I do (since I've had bad issues with tank sealants in the past) is to keep the tank as full as possible while it's not being used. That and I carry two spare fuel filters that have a large capacity element.
Swiss 1963 700AP, Weber 32ICS carb, electric fuel pump, Black Diamond XTR 25x8x12 tires, Pertronix, civilian ignition and regulator system conversion, extra fuel filters, 4 point belts, NATO 3 color camouflage, Cobra CB radio, battery cut off switch
tinkerer
Posts: 33
Joined: Sun Feb 07, 2016 10:39 pm
Location: Co. Armagh, Northern Ireland

Re: fuel tank, resto or not..

Post by tinkerer »

Yep, from the responses, I think I will strip it and expose the gremlins inside... At least, I'll know what it good metal and what is not.. Replace the old metal for good and weld up...
I previously used a tank sealer from a well known UK vehicle restoration supplies company on a bike tank and I have to say it was very impressed.. It was ethanol proof and I had the bike for around 3 years after I done the repair and no problems.. I had a small smear on my hand and it wouldn't go for weeks, so it's good stuff!!.. I know they do kits for car tanks too and they include the cleaners, de-rusting agents and sealer solutions..
Hopefully, that will do the trick..

Thanks for all of the replies..
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pureredcordial
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Re: fuel tank, resto or not..

Post by pureredcordial »

I used a fuel tank resoration kit. I think I bought the sample pack plus a can of the fuel tank restorer and that was enought to do both inside and out
http://www.kbs-coatings.com.au/product/ ... mpler-kit/

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tinkerer
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Re: fuel tank, resto or not..

Post by tinkerer »

Looks the ticket as well..

This is the one that I used several years ago on a Ducati bike I had. The Tank was really bad when I bought it and I thought at the time that a new tank would have been required.. The first thing I done when I opened the tank was to throw some run oil in to try to neutralise the rust..

Anyway, this is the product that I used then. It is a POR15 product, sold by Frost Restorations in the UK.. I do not represent this or any other company, and this is only my own experiences. Other sealer systems are available that would possibly work as well as this one..

https://www.frost.co.uk/por15-small-fue ... r-kit.html

There are some videos and downloadable instructions too.. It is worth reading them.. One thing though, If there are any ports or internal pipework inside the tank, make sure that they don't get blocked by this stuff or you would be in trouble.. It is as hard as nails and very very hard to move once cured..

I have attached a couple of photos of the inside of the tank before, and after.. The before isn't terribly good as I had it half filled with oil, but there is a glimpse of the steel on the inside of the tack and some of the rust.. The second is a similar shot after sealing.. As I mentioned previously, I had the bike for around 2 years after sealing and no issues..
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IMAG1564.jpg
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Julian B
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Re: fuel tank, resto or not..

Post by Julian B »

POR15 worked well for me when I needed to reseal / preserve / clean my Haf tank.
Julian B
W Sussex, UK

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