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MG TD TF 1500 - Fuel tank liner peeling!

This one may stump the band...As posted before, I'm in the fifth year of restoring (using the term loosely) my '50 TD. A year or so ago I was dealing with the fuel tank. The inside of the tank had some surface rust and a pinhole or two on the bottom edge. So, I sealed it with a tank-liner liquid that forms a sealing layer inside the tank.

I've used this stuff on old motorcycles and never had a problem. However, today I happened to peek inside the fuel tank only to see a large piece of the liner peeling away from the wall of the tank.

I have not had any fuel in the tank for a year or so and wonder if leaving the tank dry caused the liner to peel. The question now is, what should I do? I could try to remove the liner completely and start over, but not sure what to use to get it out of there. Or, I could just leave it as is. Any pieces of the liner that break away will be too large I think to clog the fuel system.

I think I still have a problem with a small fuel leak somewhere on the bottom of the tank. I really wish there was some sort of flexible fuel bag that I could rig inside the tank (some airplanes have these in the wings). By the time this is over, I may have to bite the bullet and just buy a new tank.
Robert

Robert - You didn't say if you cleaned and etched the inside of the tank before appling the slushing compound. If you didn't, then that may well be the cause of the sealer not adhering to the interior of the tank. The large sheets of sealer coming loose will definitely plug the outlet screen of the tank if you don't get it out. I would suggest finding some place that can dip strip your tank in a caustic soluion to completely clean out any of the failed sealer and all of the rust that is in the tank. At that point, you need to braze any pinholes closed and tehn etch the interior of hte tank and reapply the slushing compound. When I did the tank in our TD, there were several holes discovered after having the tank dip stripped. After brazing them shut, I dropped a small light inside the tank, turned out the lights in our basement and was able to locate three or four other holes, all too small to see in the light. I had to use a center punch to mark the holes in the dark so I could get those brazed shut. God luck - Dave
David DuBois

Robert - You didn't say if you cleaned and etched the inside of the tank before appling the slushing compound. If you didn't, then that may well be the cause of the sealer not adhering to the interior of the tank. The large sheets of sealer coming loose will definitely plug the outlet screen of the tank if you don't get it out. I would suggest finding some place that can dip strip your tank in a caustic soluion to completely clean out any of the failed sealer and all of the rust that is in the tank. At that point, you need to braze any pinholes closed and tehn etch the interior of hte tank and reapply the slushing compound. When I did the tank in our TD, there were several holes discovered after having the tank dip stripped. After brazing them shut, I dropped a small light inside the tank, turned out the lights in our basement and was able to locate three or four other holes, all too small to see in the light. I had to use a center punch to mark the holes in the dark so I could get those brazed shut. Good luck - Dave
David DuBois

Please excuse the double posting of my answer, I must have fat fingered something. Dave
David DuBois

I have used that stuff on motorcycles. If I remember correctly, acetone will dissolve it. You could check at a motorcycle store. When I did my old Harley, I used a small sandblaster to clean most of the loose stuff from the bottom of the tank before I acid etched it. You can also shake it around with handful of sharp gravel, nuts and bolts etc.
Regards, Richard.
R Payne

When I had my tank done there were pin holes under the area where the tank strap rubbers were. You could not even see them with a light in the tank, but the "Tank Man" put the tank under pressure and wholla spray was coming out from about 5 places. Needless to say He brazed them up. Well worth the cost I think ($500 including painting exterior to match car).
Greg & Grimm
G.J. Cenzer

Thanks for your replies...Yes, I did do the cleaning and etching process before applying the tank liner. Glad to hear I'm not the only one who has had to deal with an old, rusty, leaky tank.

I'll pull the tank back off the car and open up the back for a closer look at the problem.

....remember back 'in the day' when you'd see VW Dune Buggy's with a gas tank made out of an old beer keg?....hmmmmm?
robert

Robert - you could try to take your tank to Econo-strip over near Douglasville. This is run by some of the same people that ran Unpaint in downtown Atlanta. They can strip the tank again for you. All other suggestions above about brazing are great ideas, then you can reapply the sealer..Are you a member of the SEMGT Register here in Atlanta?
Jeff

Hello Robert
On the first TD I restored , I purchased a tank sealer/slosh from one of our largest suppliers. Cleaned , etched the tank and sloshed with their sealer. When it was time to start the engine (one year later) I couldn’t get gas to come out of the fuel pump. I knew that every thing worked before but had just sat for some time. Turns out the sealer had come undone from the tank and fouled the fuel lines. When I removed the standing gas from the tank and un did the fuel line at the bottom of the gas tank at the filter the sealer came out like caramel candy. Seems the slosh/ sealer was not alcohol resistant. Some of the gas stations used a mix of gas and alcohol. I spent many hours removing and cleaning the whole system again. Later re etched, re sloshed with a product from Bill Hirsch that was aviation grade sealer and have not had a problem since. Hope this helps John
John Hambleton

This thread was discussed between 31/07/2006 and 01/08/2006

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