How would you fix this gas tank

[twomanytoys]

Weld it...its just steel. Nothing will be more permanent than more steel. Just do it carefully dont blow yourself up!

[ps2fixer]

Welding thin steel with steel is a real challenge unless you're really good with welding. It's a lot like automotive body work. Besides that, the higher heat can warp your work. My dad just got that while replacing a quarter panel on his car, he was going too fast and let too much heat build up. It turned out pretty well though, if you didn't know he replaced it, you wouldn't notice it.

[Johnlocke4]

Soldering is quick, easy and permanent

[kevin]

I would say have it tig welded I've done numerous ones like that and no leaks. Mig welding you're going to be spending alot of time chasing/filling blown holes

[barnett468]

Holiday project.
Trying to clean up the gas tank on my 85 250es and noticed a build up in the bottom corners with signs of it leaking on the engine.
I was planning on using KBS coating sealer kit which as I understand will seal up small pin holes, but after cleaning up the corners
here is what it looks like. it might leak a drop after a week or so, its very slow.
Anyone have experience with the sealer kit? or what would you do to fix this?

Thanks

I know this thread is over a month old, but in case you read it again, maybe some of this will be useful. I also can not see the photo you posted because I have been blocked from seeing photos for some unknown reason, therefore, I can't see what you are dealing with, so I will make a best guess.

Sealer is not a guaranteed fix, and the success of the sealer depends some on the prep of the tank, and any sealer will have a far better chance of lasting a long time if the rust is removed first. There are a few fairly simply ways to remove the rust which I have previously posted on other threads, and others have posted some about it as well. Unfortunately, I don't have the links to any of the threads that any of this info was posted on at the moment, but you may find it if you use the sites search feature. Also, in general, the best tank sealers I am aware of are the ones that are catalyzed, meaning they are 2 parts and one of those is a hardener. One issue with catalyzed sealers is, if they fail, they are much harder to remove if you want to reline the tank again.

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[ps2fixer]

@barnett468

Here's a link to the photo via 3rd party.
https://i.gyazo.com/03ac13488f3c8161...de1644f756.jpg

[barnett468]

hey ps2fixer, how the heck are ya. hope things are going well for you, and thanks for the photo link. at least when i can actually see what a problem is, any suggestion i might have might sound less ridiculous...or maybe not, lol.

to the op, in your particular case, i would definitely remove the rust first. i would then braze it as ps2fixer suggested or solder it as ponderinjunkman suggested, i would use some type of torch instead of a soldering gun if you solder it. my guess is that it would be difficult to mig or tig due to the size of the holes and the size of the thin metal that encircles the holes. brazing it will also not be easy but an experienced welder should be able to do it, and soldering may be the easiest for an inexperienced welder.

after the rust is removed and before welding, i would carefully dent in the area that i was going to weld. this way, there is enough weld to grind down flush with the original tank surface. i would then simply put bondo or spot putty over any irregularities, then smooth that out so the repair won't be seen.


below are 2 videos showing how to solder it with a torch that may be of some help.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L1HEfQZ-0g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbAklODvvZA
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