This tank has been bone dry for 2 years that I know of... highly unlikely there are still fumes left... plus thats $130 I can spend on something else. I have a whole lot more time than money.

Thats all thats wrong with the tank so I see no need to waste the money on a new one. I'll fill it with water before I weld it just to be sure. I'll let you know if it works... or if you dont hear from me again then you'll know it didnt work. lol

I'll step back (wayyy back!) and throw a few matches into it before I start... if it dont go boom then I'll know its safe.

If it does go boom... well... thats good entertainment no matter who you are!

 

That is what I would do too. What harm is it? Good luck.

 

once you fill the tank with water it clears any residual gasoline fumes out of it. The water displaces the fumes and forces them out. empty it back out and it is perfectly safe to weld/braze on. (I went to school for this)

 

Good to hear chop, thanks.

I think I'll try the match test anyway though just to be sure. I wont be able to get to it this weekend (its gonna rain and I dont have a garage), but I'll try it next weekend.

 

if its been dry for 2 years anything flammable is lllooonnng gone and turned to varnish. Good luck and post up pics of the result!

 

Well the weld didnt work. Even on the lowest setting my welder was burning holes in the tank, so unfortunatly, I'll have to buy a new one. It will be a couple weeks before I can get the money though.

I found this one for $99.95...

http://www.ss396.com/mm5/merchant.mv...ct_Code=XT-78X

 

I am not a welder at all, currently reading about it though and going to learn on my car here soon enough. But, would brazing have worked?

 

If I could go back and do it again I think I would have just J.B. welded it. I made a mess out if it... welder wasnt working right, it would spit and sputter and not get a good arc. It would do fine on the weld I put down, but not on the bare tank. I wonder if it had something to do with it being galanized? or maybe its the wire... that spool is probably 4 to 6 years old. Does welding wire go bad?

 

As embarrassed as I am to put these on here.... here is the ****-poor welding job I done and the welder I used. I'm no pro by no means but I have welded off and on for years with this very welder with excellent results... I dont know what happend. Any welders out there that can tell me what I done wrong?

 

The galvanizing causes pretty toxic fumes, but shouldn't affect the weld quality. The problem wasn't bad wire, as flux core wire wouldn't go bad that far into the wire. Might be bad for a couple inches, but after that it's not exposed to elements.
More than likely it's just the darn thin material that gas tanks are made of. Best brazed or gas welded, as suggested. A TIG might also work extremely well. JB weld wouldn't stand up to the weight of gas pump nozzles hanging on the neck over time, so best not to use that.