Gas Tank

ecdez · Post by **ecdez** » Tue Sep 07, 2004 8:52 am

Believe it or not, a few years ago, I probably would have

.

raygreenwood · Post by **raygreenwood** » Wed Sep 08, 2004 2:06 pm

Mannnn! are you serious? They cut the metal above the tank? That car is a death trap then. The front end of the 411/412 is a stressed body zone. It was one of the worlds first crumple zone cars. The as pressed, integrity of that metal, is the ONLY strength the front end has!

Ray

ecdez · Post by **ecdez** » Wed Sep 08, 2004 2:46 pm

Glad I got a little wiser as I aged. Well worth the hours to pull the front end.

DeathBus · Post by **DeathBus** » Wed Sep 08, 2004 3:58 pm

raygreenwood wrote:Mannnn! are you serious? They cut the metal above the tank? That car is a death trap then. The front end of the 411/412 is a stressed body zone. It was one of the worlds first crumple zone cars. The as pressed, integrity of that metal, is the ONLY strength the front end has! Ray

Yep thats why I have been looking for another 412. Want to find the same exact car but in original white.
I have thought about taking the car down for a resto, yanking the tank and having the metal welded back on. There are no stress cracks as of yet, but I check it every month for the inevitable.

ecdez · Post by **ecdez** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 8:02 am

Cleaned the tank out this weekend with the muratic acid and I must say, I'm pretty impressed. The sides on the inside are completely clean and the bottom looks a lot better. I am going to treat it again next weekend to get some more off the bottom. I kind of figured this and that's why I bought extra acid.

That horrible smell the tank used to have is almost gone and I am very happy about that.

Unfortunately, I found this while cleaning the tank. I dont remember it being there the first time I washed it out with water, so maybe it was real thin and the acid finished it off. I'm glad to find it now though. I've got some stuff I used on my 914 tank that seems to work real good (3 years old and still no problem). It's a two part mixture that you squeeze together and it's kind of like play-doh. Just flatten it out and press it on. It dries rock hard. Once it is all cleaned up, I'll go ahead and patch the hole.

vwbill · Post by **vwbill** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 9:55 am

Have you seen that Por-15 gas tank kits? Maybe they have a good inside paint epoxy that hardens like their other paints! You can take a hammer to that kinda stuff!

Great Pics again! Thanks! I guess the inside is the part that need the work. Can you get inside the sender hole or does it have a access door? I need to look at your other pics I guess again!
Be nice if you could have someone roll some brass in there to smooth it out! Looking and smellin better means betttter! Bill

67 T1 · Post by **67 T1** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 10:10 am

Ouch ! That's something I didn't think about, but guess I should have.

Was the hole purely an 'inside' action, or was there something that may have gouged it from the outside? The ruff edges indicate a rust through to me, but would just like to know for sure.

ecdez · Post by **ecdez** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 10:33 am

It went straignt from the car, to being washed out in the grass, to some sawhorses and back to being washed out in the grass. From what I can tell, it is a rust hole. It's funny though because the metal around the hole feels solid and is not thin.

DeathBus · Post by **DeathBus** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 10:41 am

Weld it or find another tank. Patching it will be just that, a patch. It will eventually fail and you will have a real problem while driving or have to just yank the tank again.

Just my 2 cents.

raygreenwood · Post by **raygreenwood** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 5:41 pm

This sound stupid....but if you can grind that hole out to a standard size, you can put a bolt with a seal in it...just a thought. I'm trying to visulaize...is that hole in the very bottom? If so...its usually from a bubble of water. Have you ever sen water in gas? It makes beads of water. Ray

vwbill · Post by **vwbill** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 6:55 pm

That's a great Idea! Then you have a drain spot where the water is so you can drain it off! What about one of those replacement oil drain plugs?
I thought there was some other rust issues once you cleaned it other then the hole that was visible! Do you just pour a quart of paint in it and tape the holes and shake and drain? Is there a way to plate it someway with a battery and some solution like those plating kits in Witney? LOL!
Could you use a bunch of nickles or something? Makes you think maybe we all should put in a hole to tap off any trapped water! Bill

p.s. Hey, put a glass valve filter or a tap valve outta brass from the hardware store for plumbing, then you could siphon off the gas/water with a turn of the handle....lol... have to get a locking kind..! Like a motorcycle tank...

DeathBus · Post by **DeathBus** » Tue Sep 14, 2004 4:36 am

The problem with all of these solutions is the fact that the metal around the rusted hole is probably very thin, putting alot of pressure in that area IE with a bolt, patch or what ever might cause a crack. find someone who can weld, and weld it, you will never have to worry about it after that, permanent fix.

ecdez · Post by **ecdez** » Tue Sep 14, 2004 4:52 am

The hole is near the top of the tank.

I can weld, but I'm not that precise. The hole would probably end up twice as big. There's a guy that lives close to me who's into busses and he does a lot of custom fabrication and welding. He's good too. I contacted him yesterday and I think he is going to help me out.

One step closer to driving it again.

vwbill · Post by **vwbill** » Tue Sep 14, 2004 9:05 pm

Yup, I would go with the welding! You wont have to have that in your mind worrying about the patch cracking on a ruff road or from moisture forming again. It gets there easy! I swear here you could farm mushrooms in my car after a day of rain if I dont vent it!! I wonder if putting in a trap where the drain plug is would help some how?
You are doing it the right way and will be happy when you are cruizing knowing what is right! bill

p.s. and you are helping us out with the knowledge!

raygreenwood · Post by **raygreenwood** » Tue Sep 14, 2004 11:24 pm

Also, bear this in mind....please. Much as I like everything to be as original as possible, this is one of those parts that can stop you from ever driving again...if you cannot get it servicable or find a better one. The brake master cylinder and clutch slave are similar items. Only a real inquisitive type 4 afficianado...would look under your dash and bitch that you replaced your zillion dollar, unobtanium type 4 mater cylinder with a custom bracket and a type 3 cylinder...especially if the car looks great from any public angle...and drive like nobodies business. The gas tank is the same. Type of item. If I had to go out and buy a 12 gallon spun aluminum unit and fab in the coret hose connector in the end...jst to drive cause I had no other options...I would not hesitate for a second. And on a type 4...there is room for a pretty big sausage under there. heck...short of one of you guys asking to see the gas tank in my car....the only other people who would notice that I might change a part like that...are those that I run over....who happen to look up in that last second...

Ray

Shoptalkforums.com

Gas Tank

The smell is gone.........LOl!

water spot....

Welding! That's the best why to go.