Gas tank repair

[CSAW]

Patrick

If you go to an automotive parts house they have gas tank repair kits. They range from small epoxy types to larger patches. While this may not be as good as a welded type repair it can be done right in the buggy without draining the tank completely and they do work and they are SAFE.

By the way a friend just gave me an old VW that she wrecked. It has a new engine, rebuilt transaxle and new front end./w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif I just bought a fiberglass dune buggy body (brand unknown) but I think I am going to go the sand rail route instead. Have other projects I need to finish first./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Egon]

Patrick:

Still trying to make loud bangs even after all these years.

Maybe a coating of the truck box sprayin liner could be sprayed on the tank for exterior protection.

Egon

 

[RoyJackson]

Is there something to brazing that is a lot different?


HEAT! The brazing rod requires more heat (then solders) to flow properly. Heat can warp sheet metal (also burn holes and melt). The more heat you apply, the more likely to damage the sheet metal.
You can reduce this possiiblity by using a smaller Ø filler rod, preheating the area to be brazed and keeping the filler rod just inside the flame of the torch (keeps it closer to the melting temperature). I'd definitely clean the area around using a wirebrushfirst (hopefully, you've purged the tank by this time).

By the way, if you braze galvanized metals...you'll see a greenish flame. That's the zinc burning off. Try not to breath it...you can get zinc poisoning. This isn't too severe but is uncomfortable (lungs will feel stuffy...breathing may be a bit labored). Drinking milk will alleviate the symptoms.

Of course, both solders and brazes are fillers. They do not fuse metals together.

My biggest problem (when I was doing this kind of work) was ending up with pin holes in the solder or brazed areas. Then you've got to clean the area again...go through the whole drill and hope you didn't create another pin hole when you repaired the first. That's why cleanliness of the area to be brazed is so important. If you end up with a bad joint, it's most likely due to a contaminant (once you get the joining techniques down pat, that is...)

 

[patrickg]

CSAW, Thanks for the tip B_U_T the buggy is dismantled, the tank is removed, and I have bought the kit for cleaning, etching, and plastic coating the inside of the tank. I hope the coating lasts a loooooooong time. If it works for me like some of the restoration folks report then I got it covered (with plastic). Still got to braze, solder, weld, JB Weld or clog the crack with smegma.

The damage was caused by contact with the "fixed" end of the steering damper shock absorber thingy. Its flexing, banging, and rubbing made a dent with a crack in it. It is too close quarters to get to it with the tank in the buggy. It may be possible but I have large and only moderately trained hands.

I will bang it a good lick with a large hammer to recess the damaged area away from further contact and then seal the crack.

What year bug did you inherit? Ideally, in my opinion, for a beach buggy (street legal fiberglass body) or a rail made from VW components, I like the "old" front axles and IRS rear end. If you got the $ then go for a super diff with high ratio gears to handle larger tires. I am not so much interested in top speed as I am in control in rough terrain. Unfortunately I have a swing axle with standard gears in this buggy and I don't like the complication of changing to IRS. Would be better to just cut an IRS pan to fit the short body and start again. I have the front axle with two adjustments on the torsion. I removed the anti-sway bar to give better independent action to the front wheels. And I have a new rag top with a lot of clear plastic in back for visibility. Getting anxious to try a run down the sandy river bed of the South Canadian River. In dry times you can go for miles and miles. In our state, OK, the river beds are public access even though the banks are on private land. Unfortunately some Bozos abuse the land adjoining the river and some owners get real hostile. Can't blame them, I would be too if jerks made a mess.

Good luck with the buggy project. What part of the world are you in?

Patrick

 

[patrickg]

Egon, way to go. That is a good idea. That would be better than undercoating from a spray can. Wouldn't have to have it sprayed. With it out and accessible I could use a DIY kit on it.

"Still trying to make loud bangs even after all these years."

Hey, trust me, there is nothing I like much better than a good loud bang.

Patrick

 

[patrickg]

Roy, More heat huh? Maybe that is why brazing is done with oxy-acetylene or MAPP instead of a 15 watt soldering pencil. Just kidding.....

Thanks for galvanized warning. I have arc welded a lot of galvanized and luckily I have good lung capacity so I hold my breath while getting in close to use the bottom of my bifocals. A lot of the vapors get inside my welding helmet. I had a welder living on the boat next hatch (like next door for houses) to me who warned me big time when I first started welding. The milk trick I learned from the owner operator of a non-ferous metal foundry where I did some prototyping. With luck I won't need it but it is good to know.

I'm hoping that my experience with soldering will help. In this case, I'm filling a hairline crack which will be at the bottom of a depression (concavity produced by my hammer). I plan to clean the area around the crack and unless someone tells me it is a bad idea and explains why I will partially fill the depression with fill rod (crack at bottom of pool). Ill use a teaspoon or so of fill and use plenty of flux. Hopefully that will preclude any leaks. I will pressure test it with air pressure inside the tank via the gas line connection and use soap solultion like with natural gas or propane to check for leaks all over the entire tank. I might cause another leak with the heavy duty cleaning and etching regimen and have to seal it/them as well. A little heat distortion isn't a problem. Hopefully it won't get way ugly and make mounting it to the same bolt holes a big problem.

Patrick

 

[tgello]

make sure you do your repair before you put the sealer in or it will burn it off...tgello

 

[CSAW]

Patrick

The bug is a 73 model. It has the IRS but it has the ball joint front end. The people just put an adjustable front end in it that can be adjusted up and down. Is that the same thing you are refering to in yours? It has all new tie rod ends and ball joints in it./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Good if I decide to use it.

You are correct about the "old" front axles being better. They are king pins and stronger. If I find one I will probably use it.

The engine is a 1600 dual port. It is a "turn key" brand new engine, carb, distributor and all. It had 1200 miles on it when the brakes went out and she went through a yard and took the side of the body out. It did not hurt any of the running gear or chassis (pan).

The transaxel was rebuilt 6 months prior to the new engine.

I cut the fenders out and play with it in the woods now. It seems real fast when flying between trees with no brakes./w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

I live in Florida near the beach, sounds like a good place to ride, wrong. Speed limit on beach is 10 mph, They WILL give you a ticket for 11 mph. Can't blame them lots of kids and targets, I mean pedestrians. However, the scenery is nice. Off roaders around here must play in the woods. There is a national forest park 40 or so miles from here where off road vehicles are used. I used to ride dirt bikes there.

I'm surprised at how many fiberglass dune buggies there are in inland states such as yours. I thought they were only a beach thing.

I believe I saw adapters in a VW magazine or on the net to change over to IRS without having to remove torsion tube.

I just helped a friend change his old rail over to IRS. We cut the whole thing off and welded the new one on, it wasn't that big of a deal. It would probably be much more work on a buggy with a floor pan.

Try this <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.blindchickenracing.com/How_to/IRSconversion/IRSconversion.htm>http://www.blindchickenracing.com/How_to/IRSconversion/IRSconversion.htm</A>
Good Luck!

 

[patrickg]

CSAW, You lucky dog, a good engine, tranny, and IRS rearend. Yeah, I got the kingpin front axle assy, reworked for ease of adjustment to raise/lower front ride height OR to tension torsion stacks against each other to hold wheels a little better where you want them. Yup, I would love to have IRS but don't want the complication of changing to IRS. I have such wide tires on the rear that unless you go airborn you dont get the VW rear end "tuck and roll."

Well, "inland state" huh? We have navigable waters that will get you from the Gulf of Mexico to up by Tulsa. How else do you think the Vikings got here (see Runestone State Park, Oklahoma) also see "America BC" by Barry Fell PhD, or "In Plain Sight" by Gloria Farley. Oklahoma claims to have the most miles of shoreline of any of the lower 48.

We have real dunes in western Oklahoma and a state off-road park there complete with razor backs to get the uninitiated killed. Lots of rail jobs and bodied buggies run the river beds. The fastest I have ever run my buggy is about 85 on-road and about 60-65 on the beach in Baja. Have made 90 mile trips (over 90% literally on the beach) in Baja. Some places you can see far enough ahead to really get on it for a while. The hazzards are things like dead beached grey whales, cliffs that meet the water at high tide so you have to sort of time the waves and sprint through between them, boring mundane thintgs like that. My buggy is street legal. When I lived in San Diego I used it as my commuter car to work (3 mi one way on surface streets) except if it was going to rain much (I had no top or toneu).

I have a rag top now since OK gets rain in excess of San Diego's 13 inches a year (33-35 on average.)

Thanks for the URL. I have tooooo many projects ahead of anything but getting the buggy going on the road to allow me to do more stuff to it for quite a while.

Patrick

 

[Frank_Mulligan]

I used rubberized undercoating on the gas tank of my old RoadRunner. I know the hole in your tank must be rather large, but if you ever find a pinhole leak in your tank, use chewing gum as a quick, temporary fix.