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Ok I decided to go and do-over the entire truck of rust and dirt etc, In the process of doing that I had to remove my fuel tank. because everything is so seized up i managed to damage the inlet of my tank. It appears the lip is gone, which means the filler won't seal properly.
Because there are no reproduction fuel tanks anywhere, and because of the huge expense of shipping used tanks (upwards $1000), I am have a hard time finding one. I got one free from the scrapper lying around, the inlet portion is fine, however it has holes drilled in it to remove gas.
Could someone point in the right direction on performing these repairs? I have heard of plastic welding, looking for something strong that won't leak. I have alllll winter to do this.
Thanks
Last edited by Blackbird307; Dec 23, 2020 at 04:10 PM.
Use some 80 grit or so to rough up around the filler, pop the new grommet in, and epoxy it to the tank for now.
It's what I would do first.
Second - JBWeld makes a fuel-safe epoxy; maybe clean up the hole in the tank, use that to plug it (consider, if it's in a flat area, epoxying around it, putting a safe bolt through it, and then epoxying inside and out around the bolt - so a layer of epoxy forms kind of a washer either side of the metal washers, and epoxy seals that whole assembly.)
For a fuel tank, I'd find someone who does plastic welding routinely; I'm a bit paranoid that way.
I can't see how bad the inlet is. Mine was not in good shape. I put a new seal and no problems. It seals on the inside of the tank with a decent sized lip.
Would have to see where the holes in the other tank are. Could epoxy it. I put a fuel cell fitting in the bottom of mine.
Is this going to be a beater or are you restoring it? You can always get a fuel cell or if you really want capacity, see if you can score a plastic tank out of a Ramcharger. I've got one I was going to use and it holds around 40 gallons. Mount it in the bed and use a fill tube and an add on electric pump.
I'd recommend, if you end up looking for a new gas tank, to pick up a 91-96 tank and the 91-93 fuel pump assembly with the rollover valve; those are still being made and still available (those pump assemblies that is.)
JB weld is not good for sealing gasoline! I used it to seal a float bowl and it will only last for a short period(repaired it more than once).. A nut and bolt with a rubber washer(something that gas will not deteriorate) would work. There may be different epoxies that are suited for gasoline but don't use JB weld. They say(according to their website) it can be used for gasoline but i would have to disagree. The epoxy didn't fail but it's adhesion did!
JB weld is not good for sealing gasoline! I used it to seal a float bowl and it will only last for a short period(repaired it more than once).. A nut and bolt with a rubber washer(something that gas will not deteriorate) would work. There may be different epoxies that are suited for gasoline but don't use JB weld. They say(according to their website) it can be used for gasoline but i would have to disagree. The epoxy didn't fail but it's adhesion did!
The OTHER JBWeld products ... not so much, as you said. Also, notice I DID mention sanding to give a "tooth"; if you didn't properly prep the bowl, the epoxy would pop right back off.
because of the huge expense of shipping used tanks (upwards $1000),
Are you sure about this?
About a year or two ago, I purchased a tank from an individual. He pulled the pump assembly out and washed the insides with soap and water. Boxed it up and mailed it.
I was a little concerned at first, but in reality, the tank is plastic with no baffles. Has a large hole where the pump goes, so reaching in is not a problem.
Very easy to remove all gas.........
The OTHER JBWeld products ... not so much, as you said. Also, notice I DID mention sanding to give a "tooth"; if you didn't properly prep the bowl, the epoxy would pop right back off.
RwP
Ralph, about 10 years ago, I blew the rear end in my corvette. Where the spider gears came apart, it knocked a hole in the case. Its aluminum. I had it welded, but it always seeped oil. I pulled it apart, cleaned it up, and coated the inside of the casing with JB Weld. Again, that was 10 years ago, and its held fine. BTW its not peeling.... Since then, I have had it apart, freshening up clutch packs, and all was well with the patch.
Fuel tank repar - 1988 dakota
