Welding a used gas tank

[bigkarz]

dish soap works the radiator shop showed me

[rjardy]

Originally Posted by bigkarz

dish soap works the radiator shop showed me

Perfect! Thank you. The tank is a stamped one. I'm thinking it is probably galvanized. I have had good luck with muruatic acid to remove the galvanizing, any other tips on removing it? I know what happens when you weld it. (Ask the 20 year old me about that) so ill do my diligence in removing it.

Rob

[T_Raven]

I used the pump out of a 98 Camaro tank in my 67 GMC. I just needed a quick, cheap way to get the truck running so I put the Camaro pump in the stock, in cab GMC tank.

I filled the Camaro tank with water and cut the ring out



I filled the GMC tank with water and welded it in. It works fine until I get around to putting a tank under the bed.



A lot of people are really concerned about welding on a gas tank. It can't explode if water is displacing any fuel vapor. If there's a cheap option to just buy the tank you need, then that's not a bad idea, but I wouldn't be afraid to weld on a used tank.

[raustinss]

Originally Posted by T_Raven

I used the pump out of a 98 Camaro tank in my 67 GMC. I just needed a quick, cheap way to get the truck running so I put the Camaro pump in the stock, in cab GMC tank.

I filled the Camaro tank with water and cut the ring out



I filled the GMC tank with water and welded it in. It works fine until I get around to putting a tank under the bed.



A lot of people are really concerned about welding on a gas tank. It can't explode if water is displacing any fuel vapor. If there's a cheap option to just buy the tank you need, then that's not a bad idea, but I wouldn't be afraid to weld on a used tank.

As someone who is a fabricator I must say you are retarded !
-there is still air space in the tanks
-Water and electricity don't mix
-Metal fume fever is not cool
-Just because you have done it and it's worked ok doesn't mean it always will, why do you think that professional shops are leary about welding them. Not only that just because you have a "good" looking weld (which look terrible and just a bunch of tacks) on the tank I must ask
-Was the tank pressure tested after welding ?
-Did you use a mirror to inspect the other side of the welds to ensure proper penitration ?
-Was the tank "regalvinized "?
-If the tank wasn't pressure tested were the welds tested with liquid dye pen.?
Mag particle ?
-If it was pressure tested to what pressure and what was your process for finding potential leaks?
So please go ahead and fill my mind with your profound knowledge as you are now a professional gas tank welder and are teaching others how to endanger their own and possibly others lives

[Vega$69]

Right Stuff sells a new tank for $120

Not worth the risk. You'll spend more on Argon, Dry Ice and/or all the other misc. and still may blow your ass up.

[GregWeld]

Like most things --- the fact that people don't understand or know how to do something - doesn't make the practice inherently dangerous... People that are willing to learn, and listen, can be quite successful.

Simply understanding the process is critical. Cleaning the gas out of the tank is not overly complicated. Smelling the tank for fumes is not rocket science... and making sure you have an inert gas (of choice) so that fumes are not able to ignite is not hard or expensive either.

The naysayers probably have never welded something like this - and there's nothing wrong with saying "I don't want to do this". Many shops don't or won't work on this stuff because they either A) can't make money doing it or B) their insurance won't cover it.

Like most things - there's the right way and the "I think I know what I'm doing.... the wrong way".

Just FYI -- Antifreeze is flammable and when heated in a tank will also ignite with explosive results.... and there's millions of radiators worked on.

[Build-It-Break-it]

I'll say this much, when tanker trucks that previously had diesel, gas, lng or cng get cracks, leaks or damaged they're getting repaired period. They're not buying a new tanker ,they're fixing the damage. It can be done.

I worked at a place that repaired lng/cng tankers. Look up how explosive those are.

[MeanMike]

Originally Posted by raustinss

As someone who is a fabricator I must say you are retarded !
-there is still air space in the tanks
-Water and electricity don't mix
-Metal fume fever is not cool
-Just because you have done it and it's worked ok doesn't mean it always will, why do you think that professional shops are leary about welding them. Not only that just because you have a "good" looking weld (which look terrible and just a bunch of tacks) on the tank I must ask
-Was the tank pressure tested after welding ?
-Did you use a mirror to inspect the other side of the welds to ensure proper penitration ?
-Was the tank "regalvinized "?
-If the tank wasn't pressure tested were the welds tested with liquid dye pen.?
Mag particle ?
-If it was pressure tested to what pressure and what was your process for finding potential leaks?
So please go ahead and fill my mind with your profound knowledge as you are now a professional gas tank welder and are teaching others how to endanger their own and possibly others lives

If he is retarded, then there are a lot of successful retarded hot rodders and fabricators out there. Most mustangs get sumps welded in when they start getting faster than the stock style pump will support. Lots of low budget guys do it themselves. They don't buy new tanks and they don't tig weld them. They mig weld used tanks just like this guy did. And unlike his, they are welding where fuel leaks are more likely (under the level of fuel) Most all of them work fine. They don't re-galvanize them and they don't MPI them. Tig welds can look good and suck too, so don't get all judgemental about looks. And nobody pressure tests them because it's not a pressure vessel. Pressure testing a fuel tank would actually be quite dangerous.

Water and electricity are fine the way he is using it. Minimal air/fuel mix in the tank is the goal and water does it just as well as CO2 and Argon, it's just harder to work with.

Don't be a fabricator snob. This is hot rodding, there are many ways to do things if your smart about it. If your not, the tank explodes and natural selection does it's job.

[Che70velle]

I've had two tanks welded on, and both times the shop filled them both with water, and welded away. I did the clean out work, as Greg talked about, myself, before I took it to them.
I wasn't confident in my welding skills at the time, so I used a local shop.

[raustinss]

First I am definitely not a fabricator snob I mentioned that so some people know that I do have knowledge.
Second yes there are lots of people who do weld used tanks with success, that by no means that he should be telling someone else who doesn't quite know what to do or how to do it, ways to weld and possibly hurt himself
Third there were previous suggestions on much safer ways to do this eg. Try local shops, purge with argon,
Fourth clearly you aren't thinking correctly either a fuel tank IS a pressure vessel. Iill let you figure out that one
Fifth anyone who has welded anything galvanized will know how it can "pop" and "spit" unless you use a galvanizing wire which quite often is expensive and not easy to find.
I absolutely welcome hot rodding and everything which comes with it, I do have a problem with things when there is a solid 50/50 chance of someone getting hurt over a couple hundred dollars and some questionable advice