Gas tank repair starting

[Lou Earle]

Well

I want to make my phantom kinda a budget car SOOOO here comes the elcheapo - no not 215plus shipping for gas tank- No no no Just about 30 bucks of fiberglass and screws and some grinding and sanding and olfuelline router.

I realized that all the holes are in top of tan from outside rust mostly. So sanded wire brushed and poked everywhere with Icepick. about 30 to 50 holes -widened most of them with small Phillips screwdriver. beat the tar- literally - out of the tank with rubber hammer and wood hammer- I am thinking this might actually be better initially then the bucket of bolts deal.

Anyway found the fuel line clogged up with varnish_sticky anyway. Well olfuelline tools to the rescue- otherwise know as old speedo cable and a coathanger and drill. It worked great fro a start- water flows out now like a horse doing it on flat rock.

Will have it boiled out at the radiator shop Monday and go from there.

Does anyone know how th remove the unit surrounding the fuel line?

I would like to get it off and replace it with the spring for screen door I have used on 4 or 6 cars

Lou

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Olfuelinerouterkit - u 2 can have one- for what price- nothing that is if your other will surrender to you a coathanger- Mine seem to breed in the closet do yours?!!

screen door spring as filter- has workde for 12 years now

notice the magnets holding the spring to the tank floor the also attract any rust. Clean then aboyut ever 25 years

Also wil a later year say 54 or 52 sending unit work on a p 15? or anyone got a used one?

[Lou Earle]

Well cleaned tank with water gas kerosene etc. Found that if you put water in tank until full IT will run out the holes- amazing- No actually I did find out that if you fill tank with water and then attach piece of copper tubing to air nozzle on compressor and get it into the corners etc and give it a blast of air the water turbulence will knock off a bunch or of built up crud rust etc.

I then used 2 gallons gas let it sit agitated it and that loosened up the tars.

Flushed it out. Dried it by putting a hair dryer on low and inserting it in the intake pipe - worked well .

I sanded wire brushed with drill etc fro aobut2 hours. Then this am I put fiberglass resin hardener and mat and cloth to the top. Now dry I think Plugged every hole we will see. I believe this will work for the top but I would be skeptical fro such a massive fiberglassing to work on bottom. I can understand how one tiny missed place or soft place on bottom could eventually cause a problem but not on the top.

Now do I do a second coat? Or just Sand and paint?. All suggestions welcome

Anybody knowhwere i Can get a sending unit?

Lou

Before

After And No I did not use the mig on it!!! A little slow maybe but not an idiot yet!

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[JerseyHarold]

A second layer of fiberglass cloth would be a good idea. Adds strength to the weakened metal.

[bob westphal]

The '50 and up sending units have only one wire. The P15 uses two wires. I bought my sending unit from Roberts for around $60 bucks including shipping. Works great! I've repaired a few tanks with fiberglass and they're still in use with no leaks. Good luck and buy some extra fuel filters!@

Bob

[Harold M]

Lou, My tank looked just like yours, I took a saber saw,greased the blade and sawed the top out of the tank.Inside I found a ceramic filter this is the only way to remove it. I then sand blasted the inside and treated it with POR15 tank sealer; Had the top welded back in by a welding shop, poured in the rest of the sealer and ran it around the weld and painted the outside. Looks great!

[Normspeed]

I haven't tried this but I've read that you can blast that internal filter off the gas pickup with compressed air applied to the tank fuel line fitting.

Lou, My tank looked just like yours, I took a saber saw,greased the blade and sawed the top out of the tank.Inside I found a ceramic filter this is the only way to remove it. I then sand blasted the inside and treated it with POR15 tank sealer; Had the top welded back in by a welding shop, poured in the rest of the sealer and ran it around the weld and painted the outside. Looks great!

[Lou Earle]

Nope- have done that Actually that ended up cleaning out the line along withthe coathanger/drill set up so it is free and I do not need to remove the filter

Lou