Old fuel tank disposal
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 183
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From: Belmont NC
St. Jude Donor '15
Old fuel tank disposal
I've just replaced the fuel system including the tank. The old original tank had some pinholes. I doubt it's worth keeping for a possible future owner, but how can I neutralize the gas/fumes? (soap and water?) On another thread it was suggested that I cut it up because most folks won't take a gas tank to dispose of.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 5,820
Likes: 414
From: Pittsburgh suburbs Pa.
I've just replaced the fuel system including the tank. The old original tank had some pinholes. I doubt it's worth keeping for a possible future owner, but how can I neutralize the gas/fumes? (soap and water?) On another thread it was suggested that I cut it up because most folks won't take a gas tank to dispose of.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 183
Likes: 0
From: Belmont NC
St. Jude Donor '15
I'll clean it out tomorrow and hold on to it for a bit. I just don't want something laying around with an explosion hazard. I also didn't want to put something into it that might make it useless for someone that has a need and can repair. I am not that talented. Thanks for the info,...soapy water it is, several times.....
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,084
Likes: 14
From: Airdrie Alberta
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 5,339
Likes: 546
From: Central Texas
You are correct that the scrap recyclers won't take gas tanks unless they are cut in half to assure their employees that there is no chance of explosion. But as you know cutting it could cause sparks and explosion so it needs to be flushed. When I ran my business I welded many gas tanks and flushed them first with hot soapy water several time then dropped an air line in them for about 15 minutes with all access areas open . When flushing the tank make sure the tank is full of soapy water and sloshed around to be sure that all areas are clean.
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Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 40,435
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From: Redondo Beach, California
I've bought two factory duplicate tanks from them.
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The grocery stores around here sell solid carbon dioxide..dry ice. If you want to cut a gas tank up, etc, you have the option of dropping solid carbon dioxide in it to fill the tank up with carbon dioxide gas. The gasoline fumes will not explode or burn.
Close escape. My 68 had long had the gas tank removed. I wanted to remove the gas lines to replace them with stainless steel. I thought the gas lines were dry. Lying on my back with a dremel cutoff disk, I sliced into a gas line...cutting into the steel line, the cutoff disk threw out a shower of sparks as it cut through the metal...all of a sudden, the sparks stopped and the dremel cutoff disk wetted...I stopped and pulled it out of the slot in the gas line I'd cut...gasoline flowed out! The wetting of the cutoff disk was gasoline...just amazing that I didn't get a flame!!! This all happened pretty much above my face.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 183
Likes: 0
From: Belmont NC
St. Jude Donor '15
You're lucky. Not only from a in your face event but that the car itself didn't catch. I recently has a medium size trash can fire at the corner of my garage (outside) and the little extinguisher I had lasted 5 seconds. It was a complete waste of 5 seconds. The garden hose was handy. I had a wake up call and now have two medium sized extinguishers in the garage.