It was time to repair the fuel tank leak. Removing the bolts yielded two broken bolts. This in turn caused me to take the brackets off, resulting in two more broken bolts. Rust is not kind! I was able to drill one broken bolt out, and the other I just drilled a new hole.
I found two pinhole leaks along the seam. I cleaned up the area and JB Welded the pinholes, then I did an entire tank coating on the inside with a Caswell Gas Tank Sealer Kit. Prepping for the sealing was time consuming. Wash the tank clean with Dawn dishwashing detergent, then Acetone and nails to loosen rust, then Acetone again. Once the tank was ready, I mixed the two part epoxy and poured it in the tank, and rolled it around in there for about 1/2 an hour for a good coating before dumping the remains in a bucket. I though the bucket was going to melt from the heat generated by the large amount of mixed epoxy.
The tank has a nice smooth glossy coating inside. you can still see the rust, but it is below a really thick coating of epoxy. I paid particular attention to coating the seams of the tank where the leaks were.
After the tank coating, I put Por-15 over the entire tank and parts to stop any future rust. I also did the tank brackets, and the reserve tank cover.
The tank is now back in place and new fuel lines attached. I put about 3/4 of a tank of fuel in today, and no leaks.
Next project, pull the carburetor and rebuild.
Reserve Tank
Tank before reinstalling
Tank Brackets and the reserve tank cover
Another shot of the tank. I should have gotten a before photo!
