Gas in the bilge

[macojoe]

I hope I never have to get mine out!! Its nall of 6 feet long and hold 115 gal!!

Good Job, now clean it out and set the new one in, its time to fish!!

[willy]

Holy Crap Kev:confused::confused:
Do you think it broke apart while getting jostled out or was it like that before. I cannot believe that hole did not let gas go all over the bildge

[whale]

Originally Posted by willy

Holy Crap Kev:confused::confused:
Do you think it broke apart while getting jostled out or was it like that before. I cannot believe that hole did not let gas go all over the bildge

Willy....in the first picture of the hole, it shows it as it was before we stuck the crowbar in the hole and beat up on the tank. It was big enough for my pinky finger to fit in. The reason the tank did not just empty out was that there was foam covering the hole so that it would only seep out slowly into the foam. The foam at that end of the tank and below was gas soaked but at the forward end of the tank and along the sides it was dry. There were a couple of other spots that had some signs of corrosion (all on that end) but had not broken through yet.

Based on the the quotes I have so far for $700+ for a custom aluminum tank I am thinking a plastic tank that is a bit smaller doesn't sound so bad!

[bradford]

My old tank had two fist sized holes in it as well as a bunch of smaller ones. I couldn't believe it.

[Geekie1]

Hi Whale,

I spent alot of time looking for a ready made plastic belly tank and didn't find any of them to be satisfactory. What I found was that the angle of the V20 deep V hull was about 22 degrees and all of the available ready made plastic belly tanks had a bottom angle of about 13 - 15 degrees. The ready made plastic belly tanks were Todd or Moeller. The angle of the tanks belly made it that the largest ready made tank that would fit below the floor was 29 gallons. All of the larger belly tanks would have the top of the tank above the floor. How I checked that was by getting the exact dimensions and angles of available replacement tanks and the exact dimensions and angles of the tank well in my V and did an installation simulation on my computer.

Schools suggestion about tank sealer is I think a good one. I called Por 15 about their sealer and found out that their sealer was ethanol proof. They guaranteed that if the tank was prepared properly internally (cleaning & etching) the sealer would permanently adhere to the inside of the tank and the tank would not be affected by ethanol. Por 15's website has full instructions as to how you clean, etch, and seal fuel tanks. The sealer is a tried and true process and has been used in antique car restoration for years. Where do you buy a new exact replacement gas tank for a 1910 Franklin?? Another company that puts out a similar product is KBS Coatings. The cost to fix holes in the aluminum tank and to clean, etch and seal it with sealer would be about $150.

Just my $.02

Geek

http://www.kbs-coatings.com/index.aspx?AFID=7
http://www.stoprust.net/Fuel-System-p-1-c-8.html

[msbhammer]

Bradford has the plan down. ;)

[Sean]

Good luck Whale, sounds like a fun project you got on your hands :P