Wassell question ?

[Poverty]

Wasn't sure if I should post this in the "how to " section or the "fab" section .. Hope this is the right spot ??

I picked up a super barn fresh wassell on the cheap ( hay and rat shit included!!) and had a few questions pertaining to it .. first of It has some funky DIY fisco job done to it .. after chipping the bondo out of the front channel and cutting out the sheet metal whoever abraised in ( this thing has more brass in it than steel) I come to the sad sight that the original channel is still intact but with about 6 torch holes cut into it (assuming its for the gas to fill the empty void ?) I would be embarrassed to say I did that kind of work on something but whatever you always have to fix someones mistake right ?

So anyways to my question ..since it seems it would bee more work and effort to save the original channel .. I planned to go ahead and redo the fisco mount with properly cut and welded sheet metal and wanted to know .. do I cut the original channel out on the outside of the seam or is there another way Im not seeing .. Not trying to screw my tank up anymore than it is highlighted in pic below

 

[cros36]

cut the channel out and redo it.

 

[Poverty]

so I cut it rigt along the seam correct ? to the outside of the channel

 

[cros36]

that, or grind down the seams till it pops off.

do you have access to a tig?

 

[Poverty]

If I absolutely need a tig I can go to a friend a few hours away .. I do have a gas mig on hand

 

[cros36]

its not necessary if you can dial it in for that thickness of material.

 

[Poverty]

yeah it will do sheet metal fine .. Ill cut the the channel out today and see if I have an sections of scrap laying around that will fit

 

[cros36]

pressure test it after your done. that is good procedure even when getting knew tanks.

 

[Poverty]

Ok I got the channel out but I dont have any steel laying around thats big enough so hopefully Ill get the time to grab some tmrw

Heres a pic Hope I did this right..

also I bought a filler neck from coyote-gear to move it fwrd and was kinda wondering what was the best way to remove the OE one.. just attack it with a cut off wheel ?

And last .. should I attempt to clean up the inside while I can access it ? or not worrie about it and do the electrolysis thing with a battery to remove the rust when its all back together ?

 

[Gordon]

You got a blaster of some type? Like a sand blaster or soda blaster, 'cause that will definitely clean the innards much better than short of an acid dip. Once cleaned, you gotta put some PB Blaster on the cleaned up metal so it don't rust. PB is easy to remove once you got the tank back together. And as was suggested earlier, low pressurize the tank to check leaks, and I do mean low, 15PSI max. When all sealed up, then a coat of Red Coat ( My favorite) or some other sealer to 'line' the tank to prevent future rust. BTW, acetone is great for cleaning out any and all oil residue from the inside, just be aware that acetone is EXTREAMLY explosive!!! NO SMOKIN' when rinseing, or even in the same area as the acetone. Good luck, nice job cutting open that tank.

 

[visimpact]

I would clean the rust and get it to bare metal. Since you will be welding on it I would not put anything on the bare metal. Weld up your old filler hole and anything else while you have access to both sides. It makes it easier. I've built quite a few and fixed as many that leaked. When you pressure test u shouldn't go to high. 6 psi is fine. I once was pressure testing a tank I built and slipped on the regulator and added about 15 or so psi and the whole tank raised up off the bench(it was a flat bottom tank) it held the pressure but it screwed the tank up. I normally never go over about 6 psi. I also seal any homebuilt tank with a good sealer.

 

[Poverty]

I have a rigged soda blaster but I dont think it will do the job it kinda sucks honestly .. I havent tried to run sand thru it though .. might work

when I get to the pressure testing stage do I fill it with soapy water ? and look for bubbles ? whats the procedure for that ?

and it looks like im not going to get off work in time to grab some steel
what gauge do you guys recommend ? like 16 ?

 

[Gordon]

What I do is either use a bucket big enough to submerse the tank, or on really large objects, I use a spray bottle filled with a soap and water solution and spray it on, look for bubbles. As visimpact stated, you don't need a whole lot of pressure, the 15 PSI I stated is a bit much, you could possibly deform the tank with too much air. The point was to have some air pressure to locate any leaks.
Yea, 16 or even 18, use whatever you can form easily enough. The 16 would probably be better for the tunnel.

 

[cros36]

when i test for leaks i put some masking tape on the fill hole, masking take on one if the petcock holes and use a air blower attachment with a rubber tip in the other petcock hole. then i use a spray bottle with soapy water and spray over the seams and welded spots. if the air pressure is too much it will just blow the masking tape off before anything else bad can happen.