POR 15 fuel tank sealer.

[greenmeanie]

Has anyone had any real success with the POR 15 fuel tank kit?

The tank on my 109 leaks badly enough to have peed away 5 gallons of fluid over night. I was at least smart enough to use water for the test or I would be pretty pissed.

Anyway, I pulled the tank today and gave it a good blast over the outside to remove the 1" layer of earth that was on top. I then pulled the tank sender and had a good look inside. It is suprisingly cleam with no debris and no corrosion. This makes me think that it has popped at one of the seams. Is it worth trying to reseal this or should I just face facts and get a new one.

Oh, and after spending four hours lying under my truck in the driveway with the pressure washer I thought she looked pretty spotlessly clean. Then I pulled the tank and found a whole new mud supply. The number of nooks and crannies that mud hides in on these trucks is amazing. The neighbours now think I'm even more mental than I was before.

Cheers
Gregor

[jp-]

I have used the POR-15 fuel sealer. Works great! However, you really need to follow all the directions closely for the best results. If it is just a small hole or a crack I'd use it in a heartbeat. However, if the tank is more rust than metal I'd just buy a new tank. It's not worth it if something on the trail is going to punch through.

[thixon]

I've used it with good success. If it is just a seam in the tank, it will seal it up nicely. About 8 years ago, I used it on a buddies CJ-5 tank that had developed a leak (rust). No leaks yet, and the truck gets abused.

Good luck.

[greenmeanie]

That's good news. The tank seems in good condition with the interior looking pretty spotless, no silt, gunk or corrosion. There was a bit of chain in there like the stuff used to hold in the filler cap so it may have helped. On the outside the healthy coating of oily muck seems to have acted as a good preservative. My biggest headache will probably be removing the epoxy gunk the PO had applied all around the skid plate to try and seal it from the outside.

My report on the old beastie so far is that she is in suprisingly good nick. After spending a lot of time with the pressure washer on Saturday I can say the chassis is solid as a rock with plenty of original paint plus signs of some original stickers. The only rot I have found is in the footwells. I knew the passenger side had some which was going to be an easy fix. Unfortunately I managed to blow some holes in the drivers footwell with the pressure washer. I'm now wondering if I should patch in place or pull the whole bulkhead and do it in style. Ike and Jim's websites can inspire a man to chronic shipfitter's disease.

The interior is very original with a good set of vinyl seats. These will probably be offered to another owner as I have plans for high backs front and rear. Originality is great but this will be a family truck and a daily driver so safety is of more importance to me.

I'm getting a much better feeling about this old girl. Some mechanical bits have been neglected but they are an easy fix, I've got to do domething about the radiator to make that a neater installation and then it's the big rewiring job.

It'll be a long hot summer in the garage. On the plus side my wife was much happier with a moderately clean truck. She even sat in it to steer while I used my 88 to shunt her back up the driveway into the garage after her big clean!

Cheers
Gregor

[Tim Smith]

I was going to go with POR 15 on my tank until another series owner pointed me to this stuff: www.damonq.com/TechSheets/Red-Kote.pdf (http://www.damonq.com/TechSheets/Red-Kote.pdf)

It's been in my right tank for all of 2 or 3 months now and so far it seems to be holding up great. Give the folks over there a call and they will tell you all about their gas tank sealer and why it's better other stuff. They will also direct you to a reseller in your neck of the woods. I think it was about $15 per 10-15 gallon tank's worth.

The only real advice I've got for you is DON'T use too much of it and to keep it an a relatively warm area as it cures. Mine didn't really cure before I started using the tank because I used too much and it was in a below freezing environment while I was waiting. After about 2 weeks or so, I needed to use the tank, so I did. Normal curing time should have been about 24 hours.

Even though my finger nail could still easily put a dent in the stuff, it worked like a charm.

PS: I'm not so sure sealing the outside of the tank is such a great idea unless you are going to have the surface absolutely perfect before you apply your coating. I decided to use some waxoil I had sitting around as it seemed to make a little more sense. Of course, our hosts carry that stuff.:thumb-up:

Good luck and let us know how you get on. Leaky tanks seems to be a common problem at some point for series owners.

[jp-]

Even though my finger nail could still easily put a dent in the stuff, it worked like a charm.



That's what scares me about the other stuff. It can be scraped off easily. The POR dries like a rock and won't scrape off even under heavy pressure.

[Tim Smith]

That's what scares me about the other stuff. It can be scraped off easily. The POR dries like a rock and won't scrape off even under heavy pressure.
I think there are two different schools of thought about that and rust protection. One being that if you protect something with a bullet proof material then you won't get rust. The other being that you will never get perfect adhesion no matter what the strength of the protective material, so go with something that stays "live". Naturally it's up to you but let us know how it goes.

I'll be sure to update this thread if mine does foul in some way (and of course if I remember about this thread...).

Cheers,
Tim

[thixon]

Based on how this thread has gone, this may or may not be helpful.

When POR'ing the CJ-5 I mentioned earlier, I dripped some onto my buddies garage floor. Its still there. Granted concrete has plenty of nooks and crannies for adhesion. We've pouned it, hammered it, and chipped at it. The stuff is stuck, and hard as a rock. It aint coming off without doing damage to the floor.

[jp-]

Based on how this thread has gone, this may or may not be helpful.

When POR'ing the CJ-5 I mentioned earlier, I dripped some onto my buddies garage floor. Its still there. Granted concrete has plenty of nooks and crannies for adhesion. We've pouned it, hammered it, and chipped at it. The stuff is stuck, and hard as a rock. It aint coming off without doing damage to the floor.


Funny I had the same thing happen. I let it stay for several years, then I chiseled if off. It took some of the floor with it.

[Tim Smith]

The only experience I have with POR 15 is a secondhand "refurbished" frame I picked up a few years ago. It was supposedly POR 15 coated some time before I got it. Unfortunately the POR 15 appeared to be too thin a coat and had started rusting on some of the corners. I assumed this was the UV rays attacking it? I've since coated it with a thick coat of rustolium but I admit it was a rush job and that is starting to wear off already.

All this and the frame hasn't even been used yet! :mad:

I wish I had access to a good galvanizer who would willingly do car parts. There are so many things I'd love to just dunk in the tank.

[Saxondog]

If new tanks are still available, I'd get one while they still are, and keep to old one for a spare. Just my thoughts

[schultp]

I had a leak in my 109SW rear tank. I took it to a radiator shop and had it pressure tested. They found a few seam leaks and brazed them for me. Wasn't expensive at all. The bonus is that they boiled any residual fuel out of it. After that, I used the POR-15 fuel sealer kit and followed the directions EXACTLY. I coated the outside with POR-15. It has worked great.

As for the person with the frame that was weakly covered with POR-15. It doesn't lose its effectiveness with exposure to UV light. It just gets dull looking.

I spent about $50 for the tank to be cleaned and brazed and then bought the tank sealer kit and paint. Very solid tank for a small refurbishing fee.

BTW, to dry my tank after treating with the Metal Ready treatment I used a hot air gun and stuck it into the hole for the fuel sender. Could feel the hot air coming from the fuel feed tube. Walked away and in 10 minutes the tank was bone dry on the inside. This is very important at various stages of the tank prep.

Paul.

Paul.

[Tim Smith]

I had a leak in my 109SW rear tank. I took it to a radiator shop and had it pressure tested. They found a few seam leaks and brazed them for me. Wasn't expensive at all. The bonus is that they boiled any residual fuel out of it. After that, I used the POR-15 fuel sealer kit and followed the directions EXACTLY. I coated the outside with POR-15. It has worked great.

As for the person with the frame that was weakly covered with POR-15. It doesn't lose its effectiveness with exposure to UV light. It just gets dull looking.

I spent about $50 for the tank to be cleaned and brazed and then bought the tank sealer kit and paint. Very solid tank for a small refurbishing fee.

BTW, to dry my tank after treating with the Metal Ready treatment I used a hot air gun and stuck it into the hole for the fuel sender. Could feel the hot air coming from the fuel feed tube. Walked away and in 10 minutes the tank was bone dry on the inside. This is very important at various stages of the tank prep.

Paul.

Paul.
It sounds like Paul had the right idea about going to a radiator shop. Firstly they boiled the tank dry. Secondly they brazed the cracks for him. Maybe I should have gone that route for a better prep but I'm still happy with my Red Kote. If POR 15 is your flavor, then go for it. I'm sure either will do the job well.

As for the frame and the POR 15, I thought that POR 15 was in fact sensitive to UV rays. My quick Google doesn't really prove it but there are some notes about the need for top coating POR 15 on some of these links. Just an FYI for folks...
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=gmail&q=POR-15%20UV%20exposure

As for a gas tank though, you shouldn't have any problems unless your tank has some major holes in it. :D

Cheers,
Tim

[greenmeanie]

Yup,
I agree about taking it to a shop for a bit of brazing. It's a lot easier to get it done now than revisit it later.

Brazing the seams, sealing it internally with tank sealer and giving it a coat of POR-15 on the outside should make it almost brand new.

Additionally, I used the POR-15 marine clean to clean up the ouside of the tank last night and it is pretty good stuff. It cut through years of oily mud mix quickly leaving only the PO attenpt at reapair using epoxy and some sort of solder.

AFter this I'm getting into cleaning up and painting the rear of the chassis. I need to look at the mounting of the bolt on rear cross member, clean it up and strengthen the mounting flanges on the chassis. Should be fun.

Cheers
Gregor

[greenmeanie]

As a matter of interest, has anyone used the fuel tank sealer to seal the tin can hydraulic reservior on a IIA? As I expect to have some spare and the MSDS say that it is a one shot deal once the can is open I tohught I may as well give it a go.

I'm planning a SIII dual circuit brake conversion anyway so I have an out if it all goes horribly wrong.

Cheers
Gregor

[Tim Smith]

As a matter of interest, has anyone used the fuel tank sealer to seal the tin can hydraulic reservior on a IIA? As I expect to have some spare and the MSDS say that it is a one shot deal once the can is open I tohught I may as well give it a go.

I'm planning a SIII dual circuit brake conversion anyway so I have an out if it all goes horribly wrong.

Cheers
Gregor
Brake fluid (other than DOT 5 Silicone) is a very good paint remover. So before I went ahead with anything in the reservoir, I'd make absolutely sure the sealer is rated to work with it.

I'd imagine that brazing would be sufficient.

[greenmeanie]

Brake fluid (other than DOT 5 Silicone) is a very good paint remover. So before I went ahead with anything in the reservoir, I'd make absolutely sure the sealer is rated to work with it.



Ah now that is the purpose of the experiment. Bear in mind that this is a sealer of some sort and not just paint. As I will have some spare sealer I thought I'd give it a go. If it works it could be a fairly cheap way to rejuvinate these things.

I have a back up plan just in case.

Cheers
Gregor

[siii8873]

All this talk about gas tanks raises a few questions comments.
First I had a tank that I thought was leaking (not 5 gallons overnight). I removed the tank and sealed all the holes with duct tape except the fill neck. I then hooked up the discharge side of my vacuum to the neck to slightly pressurize the tank and sprayed all the seams with soapy water. There were no leaks. In my case I think it was fuel returning to the tank leaking from the line. Not saying you don't have a leak but this is a good way to find one.
Secondly I have an original gas tank that was treated by the PO. The tank looks to be in great shape but the treatment inside is peeling. Anyone know how this flaking could be removed and be confident that all of it is removed? I do not know what sealer was used on the tank.
Thanks

[dwc]

It doesn't lose its effectiveness with exposure to UV light. It just gets dull looking.

From the POR-15 website:

"WILL THE SUN DESTROY MY POR-15 COATING IF I DON'T TOPCOAT IT?
If the surface is exposed to the sun for an extended amount of time, the UV rays will eventually break down the POR-15 and cause it to fail. That’s why we recommend you topcoat it."

http://www.por15.com/faq.asp

[greenmeanie]

In my case I think it was fuel returning to the tank leaking from the line. Not saying you don't have a leak but this is a good way to find one.

That is a good way to find a leak. In my case there was no doubt that the water was peeing out of the void between the double skins on the base of the tank. I pulled the access plates to the tank connections to make sure they were tight just in case.

Secondly I have an original gas tank that was treated by the PO. The tank looks to be in great shape but the treatment inside is peeling. Anyone know how this flaking could be removed and be confident that all of it is removed? I do not know what sealer was used on the tank.
Thanks

My first choice would be hit it with a good pressure washer. If it is already peeling high pressure water will help it on its way. After that I would maybe try some laquer paint thinner or stripper and leave it to soak for a day or two.

After that I might try heat on the outside of the tank but would have to balance that against the risk of loosing my eyebrows if there are still any fumes present.

Cheers
Gregor