Technical Do Those Epoxy Gas Tank Repair Kits Work?

Well, test #1 with the Seal-All.

 

There used to be a gas tank sealer called thextonite. It was a putty stick that would plug small holes by just pressing it into the hole. I found out from an old mechanic/farmer that bar soap did the same thing. Gasoline wouldn't disolve the thextonite or soap, but it was soft and wouldn't last long in rough under the car service. I would clean and sand like you did then stop the leak with a small piece of bar soap. After the leak was stopped, resand around the area and smear on a good gob/patch of JB Weld over the whole area and let it cure. Gasoline will disolve uncured JB Weld so you need the soap to stop the gasoline flow so the JB Weld can cure and stick good to the area around the hole. It is a very good temporary repair that will last much longer than you think. I did an emergency fix like this for a friend and he said it was still holding 8 years later.

 

Time will tell. It looks good so far. It will be interesting when gas goes back in in the morning.

 

Back in the day of real copper pennies, we would tin the tank and a penny and solder the penny over the hole

 

Put 3 gallons in this morning and no leaks so far. Knock on wood.

 

we found a gas tank for a 59 Dodge but it had been pierced at the junkyard, other very nice, to 1/4" holes, this a while back. We did JB weld with small filler pieces and then used the white sealer. It held up no leaks over ten years. If I had a welder at the time I would have just welded it shut. but either you use what you go to get yourself driving sooner.
I know the sealer was a white one, not the red one, the white stick on like a coating of epoxy. The red one is like a bag that eventually lets go or with the right gas melts.

 

I just saw you used Seals all, that worked for a few years, but keep an eye on it as its not a flexible agent so vibration can break it loose.

 

I bought two. lol
I had the tank steamed/cleaned at a shop here in Edmonton last week and also blew out the fuel line numerous times. The tank actually didn't look that bad inside. There was a bunch of crud from the filler tube, but that was cleaned as well. Now that the leak is fixed (knock on wood) I'm hoping no further issues. The car was bought at a farm auction and had purple gas (dyed gas here in Canada that farmers get on a tax reduced rate) in a new tank since 2011. I can get a new tank, but I'm going to see how long this holds up.

 

Filled the tank yesterday and drove around a bit. Everything’s holding so far. Now I need some cl***ic rock 8-tracks!

 

I poked a pretty big hole in the bottom of the tank on my Buick last year. To repair until I got another tank, I hammered around the hole reasonably flat and cleaned the entire area. Then I made a sheet metal patch larger than the hole by about 3/4" in all directions. I applied JB weld liberally in the overlap area and fastened the patch onto the tank with self-tapping sheet metal screws. After screwing it on, I liberally coated the screws and the entire seam area with JB weld and let it set up for a few days.

It hasn't leaked a drop since. I still plan to replace the tank, but you know what they say. "Nothing is more permanent than a temporary solution."

I would get the fuel below the level of the hole, jam a dab of JB in there and start looking for a replacement tank. If mine were rusty, I would have probably just replaced it.

 

I have used this a time or 2, tank eventually leaked but another treatment stopped the leak, have tried to repair a couple of tanks found its much better to buy a new one if you can find one. Lots of suppliers out there you might be supprised.