Gas tank- Lusso

[John Vardanian]

[quote="JAV"]Rubber bumpers?

I presume there was "supposed" to be some between the 4 mount points and the chassis (judging by the witness marks on the flanges)? If so, that would make sense as I found none when I removed my tank.

I'm guessing the spacers should be about 5-6mm thick and about the same durometer as tire rubber?[/quote]

Yes. They are about a silver dollar size and about 5-6 mm in thickness. There will be two for each flange (total of 8). They are your average softness as used for this purpose. McMaster Carr sells this in solid or hollow cylindrical tubes of varying ID/OD and hardness. I made my rear suspension bushings from their stock of this kind.

john

[JAV]

Thanks John,

Tom,

thanks for taking the time as well. I do appreciate it. Given your recommendation, I'm sure he's the bee's knees's.

If you care, that's not the type of shop I like to patronize so have no fear, he won't have to return my call.

[oldfart3]

If the holes causing he leaks aren't too big, you could solder them yourself. I resoldered the filler neck on mine, and it stopped all the leaks.

Eastwood sells a leading kit that includes "tinning butter", which allows the lead to "wet" and stick to the steel of the tank. A propane torch is sufficient heat to do the work.

I'd recommend having the tank gently abrasive blasted, and high pressure wash the exterior and interior with a good detergent mix before any repair and/or painting.

John Tarr

[JAV]

John,

we think alike. I've decided to try and remove the fiberglass first. I think any repair strategy (by anyone) will depend on what is found underneath this patch. If the tank wasn't severly abraded for the fiberglassing, and the leak (s ??) appear to be solder joint related, that's likey how I will proceed.

I think the first step is to really evaluate what I have, then make an informed decision on how to best address what I find. I've also decided that I'd really like to keep the original tank and finish it in paint like John Vardanians. The undercoating could always be added later if I wanted to be completely "correct".

[afwrench]

John!! make an informed decision , careful evaluation !!!! Come on these are old Ferraris we are talking about. Get yourself an old 55 gal. drum and make a tank like those guys make barbaque grills . When the judges ask, tell them that everyone knows that Ferrari used whatever was at hand. Mike

[Rudy van Daalen Wetters]

Preferably a Castol Oil Drum. Such panache...

Rudy van Daalen Wetters
1963 GTE s/n 4001
1966 330 GT s/n 8705

[oldfart3]

It would actually be more correct to use a Shell oil drum.
John Tarr

[Rudy van Daalen Wetters]

Yes, right, John. Shell it must be. Besides, it's a Dutch owned company.

Rudy van Daalen Wetters
1963 GTE s/n 4001
1966 330 GT s/n 8705

[Jimmyr]

Just got in on the end of this topic and recall that the "Hot Rod" guys use a company in Illinois that completely electro tin plates your tank both inside and out that seals all leaks. Many of the small drips can be traced to the rivets. Jim

[JAV]

Well-

3 days of working on the tank and I only have 3 of the 6 sides stripped. I have some experience working with fiberglass and I've never seen anything this hard and well bonded to steel. I had to resort to heating about 3 square inches at time and using a sharp chisel to cut the softened mess off the steel. Even then it's extremely difficult and slow.

The good news is the tank looks to be in very good shape underneath with no grinding marks. It appears to have been well sand blasted and perhaps thats why the bond is so tenacious. Given that the tank appears to have been very sound and that it must have been removed for this thorough of a prep, I can't understand why they chose to do this, instead of just doing a solder repair?

[JAV]

Update to an old post. The tank is finally done. This has to be the worst job I've done so far due to the fiberglass encapsulation. I took some pics of burning and chiseling it off but I can't seem to find them. Not fun and between the stripping and leak repairs, it's been a long stretch. At least we were able to save the tank and I'm happy about that.







Also done- my new ethanol safe fuel lines. They have a little less patina than the old one on the left. The plating bill is starting to add up.

[John Vardanian]

It's beautiful, John. What is the finish on the flex line fittings?

john

[JAV]

Nickel