SoCal Jet Boats

Tech Talk => Gelcoat / Paint / Fireberglass Repair => Topic started by: hotrod56cars on June 10, 2007, 12:19:49 PM

Title: fiberglass question
Post by: hotrod56cars on June 10, 2007, 12:19:49 PM
How do you make a fiberglass gas tank? I rmember about 15 years ago I tried to repair an old Honda 3 wheeler gas tank with fiberglass but eventually the gas ate through the fiberglass and it leaked agian. I've seen a lot of boats with fiberglass gas tanks so I know there is a way to do it, but how?
Title: Re: fiberglass question
Post by: beerjet on June 10, 2007, 02:43:59 PM
Aparently there is something that goes into gas nowadays that eats these older glass tanks up . Thats why there are alot of older tanks leaking .

-beerjet-
Title: Re: fiberglass question
Post by: sandaddict on June 10, 2007, 03:56:30 PM
You should be able to buy tank sealer at pep boys or somewhere similar to that. it comes in a plastic bottle full of white shit. pour it in the tank slosh it all arround let it dry and there you go. i used it in a couple of tanks i made for sandrails. if you have metal tanks it prevents rust. should work in anything though and it also seals up any pinholes. just my .02 ;D
Title: Re: fiberglass question
Post by: hotrod56cars on June 10, 2007, 09:00:28 PM
You should be able to buy tank sealer at pep boys or somewhere similar to that. it comes in a plastic bottle full of white shit. pour it in the tank slosh it all arround let it dry and there you go. i used it in a couple of tanks i made for sandrails. if you have metal tanks it prevents rust. should work in anything though and it also seals up any pinholes. just my .02 ;D

That milky crap is awesome isn't it?! I've used that on a lot of tanks. Actually, I think that's what I used to seal up those three wheeler tanks!   ;D

I'm more interested in if there was any special "treatment" that was done when they were new.
Title: Re: fiberglass question
Post by: old rigger on June 11, 2007, 08:54:24 AM
A glass tank is made just like a boat, in a mold (or on a mold in this case), except on a tank, the nice shiney, hard surface is on the inside, not the outside. I had a 65 Howard flatty, sold it a few years ago, and it still had the original glass tanks in it with no problems. In fact when i was rigging at Howards in the early 90's we were still using glass tanks in the 21s.

But I have heard of others having modern fuel additives attacking the glass tanks.
Title: Re: fiberglass question
Post by: hotrod56cars on June 11, 2007, 09:07:24 AM
In the Biesemeyer it has fiberglass tanks and they appear to be undamaged. I thought that maybe there was a special coating or something on the inside of the tanks... not the case apparently.   ;)   ;D
Title: Re: fiberglass question
Post by: 19Daytona on June 22, 2007, 03:35:03 AM
It's the Ethanol they are mixing with gas nowdays, It dissolves the resin in the fiberglass, If there is a chance they use Ethanol in your area I would get rid of that glass tank and get metal tanks, It's cheaper than replacing a burned out hull.
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