[Spridgets] Repairing old fuel tank

[GUY DAY]

One of my early car 'tutors' worked at Rolls Royce as an apprentice and 
had a flat mate who died following an explosion whilst repair welding a 
fuel tank that was brim filled with water.  Not a course of action he or 
I chose to follow.

A course I went on run by what was ICI (now AstraZeneca) had a metal 
model petrol tanker with a hole around 1inch square cut out of the side. 
It had a splash of petrol poured in, swirled round and then drained out. 
A lit taper was placed in the hole, the toy blew off the table onto the 
floor.  This was repeated around five times with sufficient explosive 
force to blow the tanker onto the floor (without a fuel refil!).  It 
'popped' a further twice.  Never ignore the ability of petrol fumes to 
seep into old metal and blow.

I have also heard of using gravel or small nuts & bolts swirled round in 
a tank part filled with water but that means getting the old tank out of 
the car and hiring a gorilla to do the swirling.  Whilst out, you clean 
it up, (the tank, not the gorilla) realize the the bottom is paper thin 
so you coat it with fibre glass resin and make an awful mess.  The 
reality is that it is the top of the tank that rusts through because of 
internal condensation over the years.  But you now have doubts firmly 
implanted in your mind that the tank will fail at any time in the near 
future and ensure you look under the back of the car every time you go 
near and find the spots of oil from the pumpkin and then those from the 
rear of the gearbox.  For those reasons above this wasn't mentioned in 
my first post but you thought it was just a hiccup in the fuel tank..

If you are going to get a NEW tank with no drain hole why not take it to 
your local machine shop and have a large brass nut and bolt braised in 
at the low point.   Don't forget it needs doing before use!   If you are 
cutting a drainer from your old tank just remember the toy tanker and 
that your grinder produces an awful lot of sparks....

Stay well

Guy R Day

------ Original Message ------
From: "Bruce Hamper" <brucehamper at gmail.com>
To: "David Lieb" <72spridget at gmail.com>
Cc: "GUY DAY" <grday at btinternet.com>; "Spridget list" 
<spridgets at autox.team.net>
Sent: Sunday, 6 Jun, 21 At 23:40
Subject: Re: [Spridgets] Repairing old fuel tank

Thanks!  I'll keep you posted on progress.  I'm tempted to try heating 
the tank in the BBQ.  If I remember correctly, that is what Frank C. 
would do.
Bruce


On Sun, Jun 6, 2021 at 5:48 AM David Lieb <72spridget at gmail.com 
<mailto:72spridget at gmail.com> > wrote:

I would add that you want that filter to be before the fuel pump.

On Sun, Jun 6, 2021, 02:50 GUY DAY via Spridgets 
<spridgets at autox.team.net <mailto:spridgets at autox.team.net> > wrote:

Bruce,
The only way I have heard of is to pull the filter off by whatever means 
possible and then use an in-line filter in the engine bay where it is 
easier to reach.
  I have also thought that a good reversed flow of kerosene or a fairly 
high pressure air line may do the trick but I've never tried that.
Best of luck,

Guy R Day


------ Original Message ------
From: "Bruce Hamper via Spridgets" <spridgets at autox.team.net 
<mailto:spridgets at autox.team.net> >
To: "Spridget list" <spridgets at autox.team.net 
<mailto:spridgets at autox.team.net> >
Sent: Sunday, 6 Jun, 21 At 00:36
Subject: [Spridgets] Repairing old fuel tank

Has anyone had success cleaning the take-up tube on original Bugeye fuel 
tanks?  Mine is completely plugged.  I've looked at the 'sock' covering 
the pickup tube, visible through the sender unit hole.  It appears to 
have a latex coating on it.  Needless to say, the pump cannot draw gas 
up through the tube.  Any hope of repairing it?  I can't figure out how 
to reach the filter.
Bugeye in St. Louis
Bruce
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