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Snow Camo

Steel gas tank repair.

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Hi all, 

     I wanted to pass along my permanent fix for a leaking gas tank. My tank had a crack and I also notice a few surface rust areas that needed attention. 

 

 I used Harris Safety-Siv 56 and a map gas torch to fill the wholes I noted in my gas tank. Looks meh, but that is due to me only focusing of fixing the holes and not asetics. 

 

This is a permanent fix that a kindergartener can do with provision of course. 

 

Just remove the paint and light rust if you can. The paint at the very least has to be burnt off. The brazing/ solder rods have an orange Flux that removes any contamination that would cause an issue with penitration of the rod. 

 

Flush the tank with water or cleaner and🙂 skip the tank sealants. However a tank coating would help prevent future rust from coming back internally. 

 

I use these items for work,  so price is of no concern. However last I checked a pack cost approx $90usd. And that was 2021. 

 

I took a few pictures for reference. One showing the flame from my ace/oxy torch set 🔥 🍻 

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Is that a 200SX tank ?  I can't remember if they were steel or plastic  ---- if they were steel , then  I think I still have a 200SX tank that I had professionally coated by a shop , not the tan colored Cream job  , I find that Cream stuff is that that great  ,  the tank I am think of is done in the red coating  , then I self-ethic primed and painted the outside , that tank might be a 250 Fourtrax tank 

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Yes sir this is the original 86-88 steel tank. I am thinking of coating the inside with something. I am not set on what that will be just yet.

 

The first time I filled the tank with Sunco 110 I came back to a garage of fumes the next day lol. I emptied the remaining fuel and looked at the tank and figured the leak had to be at the seams. That prompted me to search for a new tank. Since I could only find new plastic tanks I gave up on it for a while. I just could not bring myself to purchasing a plastic tank to sit on top of an air-cooled engine. 

 

Months went by and yesterday I got the notion to look into gas tank repair. Watching you tube I found alot of fails using jb weld and the counterparts. Then I found a few using soft solder rolls like plumbers do and thought About my brazing rods I use for work. It was a no brainer. I got a bit happy and forgot to take before poctures lol.  

 

After I cleaned the tank I saw it had a crack in a curved shape of the tank. I am  willing to bet most of the 200sx tanks crack in that same spot.  

 

I do plan to coat the tank at some point. Do you have any recommendations? 

 

That said if anyone needs a steel tank repaired I would be happy to repair it for $30 plus shipping or local pick-up. If you need it smoothed out the price would be approximately $60 plus shiping as that sort of turns into body work like the old days when they used lead filler and a torch. It is a bit more labor.

Edited by Snow Camo
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Plastic tanks on air cooled engines isnt an issue as long as its jetted right and you dont plan on driving stop and go through town or something lol. All 400ex are air cooled and have a plastic tank and i have never had a problem. And i have seen alot of them jetted crazy lean and not have any problem either. You braze for work? I do too! HVAC-R?

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I am sure it is not an issue, but I just would not feel comfy with one installed. 

 

 

Yep I am an HVACR tech. Been one for the past 12 years. Now ah days I stray away from the refrigeration work. Those crazy hours are for the young guys 😆. I do it all besides cen chillers and big boilers. 

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33 minutes ago, Snow Camo said:

I am sure it is not an issue, but I just would not feel comfy with one installed. 

 

 

Yep I am an HVACR tech. Been one for the past 12 years. Now ah days I stray away from the refrigeration work. Those crazy hours are for the young guys 😆. I do it all besides cen chillers and big boilers. 

I do residential hvac installs. Mostly retro fitting but sometimes new construction build outs aswell. Havent been doing it for 12 years tho. I did appliance repair since i was a kid working for my family business. Transitioned to hvac 2 years ago. When covid finished off the appliance repair business already on its death bed. (Throw away world)

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Rock on man! I do resi and appliances on the side for friends and family. I may pickup a few strays here and there. I started in resi and moved to commercial to gain more knowledge of the trade via different equipment.

 

Ya throw it away has been the way for sometime now. That spans over to vehicles and all consumer goods. Seems like the market is made to keep the little guys out with the $ spread between used and new- repair and buy new leaning towards the ladder. No one really knows how to fix things anymore or even wants to. Just as easy to buy new.

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9 hours ago, Snow Camo said:

Yes sir this is the original 86-88 steel tank. I am thinking of coating the inside with something. I am not set on what that will be just yet.

 

The first time I filled the tank with Sunco 110 I came back to a garage of fumes the next day lol. I emptied the remaining fuel and looked at the tank and figured the leak had to be at the seams. That prompted me to search for a new tank. Since I could only find new plastic tanks I gave up on it for a while. I just could not bring myself to purchasing a plastic tank to sit on top of an air-cooled engine. 

 

Months went by and yesterday I got the notion to look into gas tank repair. Watching you tube I found alot of fails using jb weld and the counterparts. Then I found a few using soft solder rolls like plumbers do and thought About my brazing rods I use for work. It was a no brainer. I got a bit happy and forgot to take before poctures lol.  

 

After I cleaned the tank I saw it had a crack in a curved shape of the tank. I am  willing to bet most of the 200sx tanks crack in that same spot.  

 

I do plan to coat the tank at some point. Do you have any recommendations? 

 

That said if anyone needs a steel tank repaired I would be happy to repair it for $30 plus shipping or local pick-up. If you need it smoothed out the price would be approximately $60 plus shiping as that sort of turns into body work like the old days when they used lead filler and a torch. It is a bit more labor.

If you post a pic of your 200SX tank , I can see if  I still have a match for it , as I have a couple of tank that I forgot what they fit -----   

 

 

On the tank coating , I have used the  tan / yellowish colored stuff called  " Cream "  a few times now , even did my Bronco tank with 4 kits ( 3 bottles each kit )  one time , it worked for the most  , one time it did lift up off the 300  tank , that might have been my fault from improper prep work ----  I don't remember the name of the red colored stuff , it is  very thin as compared to Creme ,  but works great , I have some tanks over 10 years old that were coated with  red stuff by the radiator shop and still are in service 

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Id go with fishes idea....but your set on finishing yours, snd If you haven't made a choice on a coating / sealer for inside..... (Just tossing in here) ..... What are y'alls thoughts on por15.... NOW I'm blind on this because strange as it is, I've never had a thin skinned tank to repaire..... Most I've delt with were big thic skinned fuel tanks.... Fixing those had to be done right .... Rules and regs BS.....

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If you want to descale it first in a concrete mixer?

, use a pound of BBs and 2 gallons of cleaning vinegar. Use aluminum tape on the filler and petcock holes. Wrap and tape up the tank in bubble wrap. Put in cardboard box and put box in a little concrete mixer. Wedge additional cardboard pieces in the tub so box doesn’t bang around. Let it spin for three hours, then check the condition.

 

if the interior looks brushed clean, then flush and rinse with a high pH wash—spa high pH chemical mixed strong with water. This prevents flash rusting.

 

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12 hours ago, _Wilson_™ said:

Id go with fishes idea....but your set on finishing yours, snd If you haven't made a choice on a coating / sealer for inside..... (Just tossing in here) ..... What are y'alls thoughts on por15.... NOW I'm blind on this because strange as it is, I've never had a thin skinned tank to repaire..... Most I've delt with were big thic skinned fuel tanks.... Fixing those had to be done right .... Rules and regs BS.....

Not much with this project is set in stone yet. I am open to other ideas. I have used por15 to cure rust on an 72 skylark I had before this. It worked great for 7 years. The rust did eventually start forming through the paint before I sold it. I saw a few coatings in my search. I saw one named redkote maybe that's what fish was talking about. 

10 hours ago, Goober said:

If you want to descale it first in a concrete mixer?

, use a pound of BBs and 2 gallons of cleaning vinegar. Use aluminum tape on the filler and petcock holes. Wrap and tape up the tank in bubble wrap. Put in cardboard box and put box in a little concrete mixer. Wedge additional cardboard pieces in the tub so box doesn’t bang around. Let it spin for three hours, then check the condition.

 

if the interior looks brushed clean, then flush and rinse with a high pH wash—spa high pH chemical mixed strong with water. This prevents flash rusting.

 

That's a great idea. I'll put this on the list when I get a mixer to redo my fence post. I did fill the tank with water to test for leaks and none were found. I did see a little surface rust in there, so I will get to it.

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Lasted 7 years ? Well like i said above I've never used any type before, but I'm thinking 7 years ain't too bad...would rhe time the repair last also depend on how bad the rusted area is to start with before it's treated with por ? I thought that por stuff was a type of chemical acting formula .....that converts rust, and coats and protects the metal thats not rusted as well..... but i take it it's on,y used directly on the rust spots, and not the intire inside of the tank ? 

 

Good morning! By the way ..... 

Edited by _Wilson_™

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Top of the day to ya!😁

 

Yep it is suposed to convert/ cure the rust into a paintable surface, which it did. I painted over it with a rustoleum enamel. This was done inside the car, so I was suprised to see the rust penitrate the paint. I did sand the rust down to metal and left the pitting. Maybe I should of sprayed a primer before the enamel. Idk I am not much of a paint/ bodywork guy.

 

 

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Wish i had an answer.... I'm just going by that very old commercail i saw on tv many moons ago..... Might as well say what / why i became so intrested in por.... I had a 76 2wd camper specail chevy which made it a single rear wheel ton or what some called a fleet side .... Well not to go too far off the rails we all (just about) know how bad the years 72- (i think)? 80 model chevy and gmc trucks rust issue was over the rear wheels because the design of the fender helped keep dirt and crud where it could not easily be washed out.... So thens when por got my attention..... But i didn't keep the truck long.. So never had any body work done.... More then likely IF ? I had kept it shed have been fitted with a Steel flat bed.... Possibly a dump like our 80 model which yeah... Has rust on the upper front fenders.... Lol! And i really like the looks of those square body Chevys .... Really i like any  of the old school trucks ford dodge chevy jeep international etc....

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I also had a 84 LWB c10. Loved it, but always wished I had space to lean back some. Ended up selling it and had a ridiculous bidding war haaa! Spent more money on it then any other vehicle. My next oldie will get a 6.2 Lt engine. No more carbs for me. 

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Redkote is one.  Cream (sp) is another.

 

Phosphoric acid will convert rust if you get the scaly stuff off.

 

i have a leaky 185S tank and a couple of 300 tanks leaking at the seams.  What kinda rods are those?

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1 hour ago, _Wilson_™ said:

Are you talking about the 6.2 ? 376 CID prechamer v-8 diesel GM came out with ?

That would be cool, but I am speaking of the gas engine found in gm trucks, suv, and sports cars. This one.

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25 minutes ago, jeepwm69 said:

Redkote is one.  Cream (sp) is another.

 

Phosphoric acid will convert rust if you get the scaly stuff off.

 

i have a leaky 185S tank and a couple of 300 tanks leaking at the seams.  What kinda rods are those?

 

Here  is the link to the manufacture site. 

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Por15 comes in at least  three colors that I know of ;  red , black and silver ---the " Radiator Shoppe "  that does my tanks when needed  uses red colored sealer , I would bet it is POR15 red that they use , that red they use is great stuff

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I may still have the bottle at the house. I'll check later. I do believe it was red. I goobered it on pretty good. Idk. I'm no bodywork pro. I tried repainting the hood of that car and that gave me a new appreciation for bodywork shops... 

 

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Well I was wrong. It is a rust converter made by Eastwood. Getting old sucks lol. 

 

The liquid is red though. Atleast I got that right. Haaa

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