eternaloptimist
Posted a lot
Too many projects, not enough time or space...
Posts: 2,578
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Nov 15, 2020 18:17:48 GMT
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I’m making slow progress with the Standard 10 I should never have bought. Removed the fuel tank a while ago; where the tank and the spare wheel tray meet there’s a joint made with what looks like hemp and bitumen. Anyhow, I have a hole in the tank about 40mm x 10mm that will need welding. Anyone know a trustworthy place to get it fixed that won’t cost me an arm and a leg? I’ve already spent far more on it than the car is worth.
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XC70, VW split screen crew cab, Standard Ten
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Nov 16, 2020 15:48:29 GMT
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Are you talking about tank welding or the tank surround?
If its the tank how about one of the chemical ‘tank within a tank’ epoxy resin mixes you pour into the tank and let harden
Welding tanks involves extensive cleaning and gets expensive
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Nov 16, 2020 17:40:01 GMT
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I'm sure someone will tell me it's dangerous but I've welded them before by washing out with hot soapy water then filling the tank to within a few mm of the repair with water and welding it (with the repair at the highest point to so displace virtually all the air).
My welding being as it is I then do as mentioned above to make sure.
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eternaloptimist
Posted a lot
Too many projects, not enough time or space...
Posts: 2,578
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Nov 16, 2020 20:29:36 GMT
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Are you talking about tank welding or the tank surround? If its the tank how about one of the chemical ‘tank within a tank’ epoxy resin mixes you pour into the tank and let harden Welding tanks involves extensive cleaning and gets expensive It’s the tank, I didn’t make that clear. The hole is 40mm x 10mm or so. It’s going to need welding. |
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XC70, VW split screen crew cab, Standard Ten
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eternaloptimist
Posted a lot
Too many projects, not enough time or space...
Posts: 2,578
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Nov 16, 2020 20:31:42 GMT
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I'm sure someone will tell me it's dangerous but I've welded them before by washing out with hot soapy water then filling the tank to within a few mm of the repair with water and welding it (with the repair at the highest point to so displace virtually all the air). My welding being as it is I then do as mentioned above to make sure. My welding’s not really up to this. Thin metal and compound curves. |
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XC70, VW split screen crew cab, Standard Ten
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So if you were to epoxy a patch over the hole, could you then use a tank sealer?
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eternaloptimist
Posted a lot
Too many projects, not enough time or space...
Posts: 2,578
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Nov 17, 2020 14:35:07 GMT
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So if you were to epoxy a patch over the hole, could you then use a tank sealer? Not really. The hole is on a curved area which mates up to a flange on the body. If it’s not the right shape, the tank might not leak, but water will get too the car. It’s an utter pain. |
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XC70, VW split screen crew cab, Standard Ten
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Nov 17, 2020 14:48:39 GMT
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Got any pics? Donor tank from another source, and just seal up the original tank aperture?
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Nov 17, 2020 14:55:38 GMT
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depending on the curvature could you remove any additional rust etc, weld a plate over the hole and then use a tank sealant?
I recently refurbed my tank and used the kit from Rust.co.uk as I have had problems with the POR15 in the past.
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1966 Ford Cortina GT
2018 Ford Fiesta ST
Full time engineer, part time waffler on Youtube - see Jim_Builds
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Nov 17, 2020 15:07:59 GMT
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If you find anywhere that can pressure test and repair a tank let me know i have a few i would like to get sorted.
I'm Berkshire as well
I heard alot of radiator places will do this, but i haven't had a chance to research places myself yet
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Last Edit: Nov 17, 2020 15:08:12 GMT by caprijake
1973 MK1 2600 Capri - Located in Texas
1976 3.0S Capri - X-Pack long term Project
1978 2.0S Capri
1984 Transit County MK2 4x4 LWB 2.5DI
1985 2.8i Special Capri (v8 5.0L)
1986 2.8i Special Capri
1987 280 Turbo Technics Capri
1993 1.8TD P100 - Beater, parts collector
2008 BMW 320i Touring - Daily
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Nov 17, 2020 18:13:38 GMT
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I’m making slow progress with the Standard 10 I should never have bought. Removed the fuel tank a while ago; where the tank and the spare wheel tray meet there’s a joint made with what looks like hemp and bitumen. Anyhow, I have a hole in the tank about 40mm x 10mm that will need welding. Anyone know a trustworthy place to get it fixed that won’t cost me an arm and a leg? I’ve already spent far more on it than the car is worth. When did it last have fuel in it? Can you put up a pic and overall dimensions of the whole tank? |
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eternaloptimist
Posted a lot
Too many projects, not enough time or space...
Posts: 2,578
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Nov 17, 2020 20:52:27 GMT
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Now with pics. This is the underside of the tank. The clean bit forms the top of the spare wheel well. The rough bit (which is actually pretty good) is exposed.  The tank drops in this hole in the boot  And this is the bottom half of the spare wheel well seen from the top.....  ....and looking down into it. Doesn’t help that it’s painted black.  And here’s the hole in the tank.....  ....and this is what’s caused it. What looks like hemp and Boss White which has gone rock hard.  |
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XC70, VW split screen crew cab, Standard Ten
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eternaloptimist
Posted a lot
Too many projects, not enough time or space...
Posts: 2,578
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Nov 17, 2020 20:55:03 GMT
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Got any pics? Donor tank from another source, and just seal up the original tank aperture? Now with pics. Easier to get the existing tank repaired than to bodge up the spare wheel well. |
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XC70, VW split screen crew cab, Standard Ten
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eternaloptimist
Posted a lot
Too many projects, not enough time or space...
Posts: 2,578
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Nov 17, 2020 20:57:05 GMT
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depending on the curvature could you remove any additional rust etc, weld a plate over the hole and then use a tank sealant? I recently refurbed my tank and used the kit from Rust.co.uk as I have had problems with the POR15 in the past. That’s exactly the plan - I’m looking for someone who can recommend me somewhere localish to repair the tank. I don’t trust my welding and the shape of the patch has to be right or it won’t seal on the bottom of the spare wheel well. |
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XC70, VW split screen crew cab, Standard Ten
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eternaloptimist
Posted a lot
Too many projects, not enough time or space...
Posts: 2,578
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Nov 17, 2020 20:57:47 GMT
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If you find anywhere that can pressure test and repair a tank let me know i have a few i would like to get sorted. I'm Berkshire as well I heard alot of radiator places will do this, but i haven't had a chance to research places myself yet Same here, that’s why I’m asking about. |
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XC70, VW split screen crew cab, Standard Ten
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eternaloptimist
Posted a lot
Too many projects, not enough time or space...
Posts: 2,578
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Nov 17, 2020 20:58:51 GMT
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I’m making slow progress with the Standard 10 I should never have bought. Removed the fuel tank a while ago; where the tank and the spare wheel tray meet there’s a joint made with what looks like hemp and bitumen. Anyhow, I have a hole in the tank about 40mm x 10mm that will need welding. Anyone know a trustworthy place to get it fixed that won’t cost me an arm and a leg? I’ve already spent far more on it than the car is worth. When did it last have fuel in it? Can you put up a pic and overall dimensions of the whole tank? I’ve never put fuel in it. It’s a genuine 55k mile car which was last on the road in the very early 90’s. |
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XC70, VW split screen crew cab, Standard Ten
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Nov 17, 2020 21:48:47 GMT
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When did it last have fuel in it? Can you put up a pic and overall dimensions of the whole tank? I’ve never put fuel in it. It’s a genuine 55k mile car which was last on the road in the very early 90’s. Was it completely empty when you got it? I've never charged for welding anything before but I have very recently welded and pressure tested a fuel tank so in theory, I probably could do it. I was reasonably happy doing mine as it hadn't had fuel in it for decades. I'd want to be able to get it in my cleaning tank though, hence wanting to know the size. And I'd quite like to see what needs repairing before thinking any more about it. Basically, it's a long shot, but there is a small chance I may be able to help. Edit, just seen you have added more replies, wrote this before I noticed. I'll have a look at them. |
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Last Edit: Nov 17, 2020 21:49:40 GMT by VW
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Nov 17, 2020 21:53:25 GMT
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Couple more questions.
What's the white stuff?
Are you sure the rest of that rusty area following the curve of the wheel well is solid? Or do you think maybe other holes may appear when properly cleaned up?
How long/wide is the tank?
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Last Edit: Nov 17, 2020 21:54:27 GMT by VW
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Couple more questions. What's the white stuff? Are you sure the rest of that rusty area following the curve of the wheel well is solid? Or do you think maybe other holes may appear when properly cleaned up? How long/wide is the tank? Yeah, you know it’s going to be worse than it first appears, they always are🙁 Is there an owner club thats any good? Second hand tank from another enthusiast? |
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Nov 18, 2020 15:57:13 GMT
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A quick test of the rest of the tank is patch the hole using chewing gum and duct tape, get some small stones (preferably sharp, locally sourced and organic) roughly quarter fill the tank with white vinegar.
Seal any other holes with duct tape before vigorously shaking for 5 mins in 1 angle. stop, get your breath back
rotate the tank and go again till you've given most of the tank surfaces a good kicking.
The vinegar helps remove corrosion but the stones will act like media blasting. I know vinegar won't remove the rust like stronger acid but if there is a risk of further holes you don't want to give yourself chemical burns.
reassess the tank and go from there.
I did this with my cortina tank (I didn't film the stones bit as I looked massively out of shape!) but the stones did create a few pin holes which meant I had some thin steel which would have been an issue further down the road.
Pinholes were repaired using plumbers solder as it doesn't heat the offending area as much as MIG welding and you can reduce chances of your tank exploding (not that fuel is an issue in your case)
As for the patch I'd assume 5mm or so periphery around the hole for bad steel, you could attempt a patch and tack it if you feel confident then drop a few more tacks on then solder the rest but use a little more heat application so you can get liquid solder into the gaps.
Solder can be filed simply but I didn't go wild with it as it'll be as bad as thin steel.
Sorry if it sounds like I'm telling you how to suck eggs but I've done this on 2 tanks before and it seems to have done the trick. The first tank failed because something went wrong with the POR15.
EDIT: where are you in the world?
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Last Edit: Nov 18, 2020 15:59:33 GMT by jim
1966 Ford Cortina GT
2018 Ford Fiesta ST
Full time engineer, part time waffler on Youtube - see Jim_Builds
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