Help! Ruttman grasshopper tank repair

7

70 wildcat

New Member
#1
#1
i have a ruttman grasshopper tank that had rust issues i repaired them and then i sent it to be chromed and it came back with some holes showing and it was bad:/ whats a good way to fix the pitts and holes?!? thanks
 
The Restore Kid

The Restore Kid

New Member
#2
#2
70 wildcat said:
i have a ruttman grasshopper tank that had rust issues i repaired them and then i sent it to be chromed and it came back with some holes showing and it was bad:/ whats a good way to fix the pitts and holes?!? thanks
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Shewwww If theres holes it's rough.. You could braze them, lead them, Seal-All is a regular glue type wipe on stuff from a toothpaste tube, type of stuff you can get at the hardware store that works pretty excellent for gluing and sealing stuff on gas tanks.. Liquid Steel NOT!!! JB Weld, but Liquid Steel... is good stuff...

a member here, Metal Man, could probably line the inside with tin, or do something for it..
 
KustomKartKid

KustomKartKid

Administrator
#3
#3
if your set on rechroming it then I'd say "brazing" is the best repair on thin sheet like that...but let the experts weigh in first.

I'm sure the tank is clean if it'd already been through the plater's dip tanks....but be sure there are no residual gas fumes before welding and purge with argon while executing the repair......
 
125ccCrazy

125ccCrazy

Well-Known Member
#4
#4
unless your set on chroming it and depending on how bad the holes are you can use a sealer like Hill Hirsch GAS TANK SEALER - 1 PINT CAN | eBay
or Por15.... if the holes are much bigger than a pencil lead, brazing or soldering is about your only option but the metal may be rusted too thin for brazing.....
 
M

metal man

New Member
#5
#5
i dont know if i could tin a whole tank in one piece and not damage the chrome , or get a full coat inside . :shrug:
if the holes are on the bottom out of site i would take sheet brass foil and solder it to the bottom . it would patch the holes and can be formed to curves and would cover the pits .been looking into trying it on a tank i have to fix a really bad bottom . just havent gotten the brass foil to try it out .
 
7

70 wildcat

New Member
#6
#6
we sodered it and it was airtight, and it looked good. but i guess it wasnt string enough, so if i braze it it will hold up when the platers chemically strip the chrome off to rechrome it?
 
125ccCrazy

125ccCrazy

Well-Known Member
#7
#7
70 wildcat said:
we sodered it and it was airtight, and it looked good. but i guess it wasnt string enough, so if i braze it it will hold up when the platers chemically strip the chrome off to rechrome it?
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as long as you get a good clean stick with the brazing it should hold up....braze is alot harder and stronger than solder...as mentioned before, if the metal is too thin from the rust it may blow through and/or warp since alot more heat is needed for brazing..
 
KustomKartKid

KustomKartKid

Administrator
#9
#9
70 wildcat said:
im afraid when i braze it it will melt the solder i already put on,
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definitely will...soft solder has a much lower melting point...but that's not a bad thing, you will want to get rid of the old solder and start fresh...also you will need more heat (oxy-acet) to braze....propane or map gas are not hot enough. :weld:
 
KustomKartKid

KustomKartKid

Administrator
#12
#12
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