soldering/de-soldering on fuel tanks?

[markus]

I bought a few tanks this week :doah:. someone has some of these NOS tecumseh sidemounts on ebay right now, for the $$ I thought it was a great price so I picked one up. the threaded fill is just a soldered on piece to the extended fill tube.

thinking (hoping) I can heat and slip the end right off cut the tube down and re solder it back on? think I can do it with propane or Mapp gas? I hate soldering

 

[Havasu Dave]

I bet you can get it with propane. I'd try and keep a heat sink down lower (wet rag?) to preserve the bottom connection.

Maybe cut it down first, de-solder, prep (like sweating a water pipe) and re-solder?

 

[delray]

markus, i think your on the right track. if you can heat the tube area where it connects the tank. it should come apart,but it may only come loose by droping down....:shrug: that means you might have to spit the tank open...:shrug:

http://www.oldminibikes.com/forum/project-logs/57938-gas-tank-build.html

 

[delray]

markus, i don't know if i ever showed you this side mount tank. it came on a gokart. with crossflags.......:thumbsup:

 

[markus]

I bet you can get it with propane. I'd try and keep a heat sink down lower (wet rag?) to preserve the bottom connection.

Maybe cut it down first, de-solder, prep (like sweating a water pipe) and re-solder?

cutting it down first is a great idea :thumbsup: That thought would have only popped in my head AFTER I somehow messed up the tank :laugh: thanks

 

[The Restore Kid]

There still will be a flange larger than the hole that will not pull through.. I'd think a couple pairs of needle nose, in a twisting motion, could crunch down and wad up the tube, so it will fit through the hole..

How you're gonna get the new filler IN the hole I don't know.... Probably just have to trim the lip off on 3/4 of the filler, then just be careful soldering it in..

 

[markus]

markus, i don't know if i ever showed you this side mount tank. it came on a gokart. with crossflags.......:thumbsup:

Thats cool to see one with the flags and in black :thumbsup:

On this extended one, the top threaded section is soldered over the tube. If it will come loose from the tube I should be able to just slip it back on, leaving the tube on the tank..........or I just wasted $30 and will most likely burn the hell out of my hands as well :wink:

 

[Stangrcr1]

Thats cool to see one with the flags and in black :thumbsup:

On this extended one, the top threaded section is soldered over the tube. If it will come loose from the tube I should be able to just slip it back on, leaving the tube on the tank..........or I just wasted $30 and will most likely burn the hell out of my hands as well :wink:

You got it right. Just make sure to put wet rags on the tank around the fill tube while soldering the threaded section back on.

 

[Havasu Dave]

cutting it down first is a great idea :thumbsup: That thought would have only popped in my head AFTER I somehow messed up the tank :laugh: thanks

Lately, I've tried to think; "what can I possibly screw up?" That seems to work a little better than my usual; "dang, I should have done it this way before screwing it up."

Think "heat sink" on that bottom bit, to keep it from de-soldering.

 

[scootercat]

Markus,has gas been in them?...No flame:weldn used tanks please....I would fill it with water up to an inch of the top for the "Heat Sink",new old stock or old/used tanks?....Scootercat....

 

[The Restore Kid]

OH hell it's gas not dynamite.. :laugh: As long as it's been rinsed out or aired out within a day of having gas in it it's fine.. Hell theres a great big hole in it already, it would be nearly impossible to blow one up..

The guys at the junkyard use a cutting torch to punch a hole into, then cut in half, 20 pound propane tanks.. :laugh:
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OH DAMN I never thought of just shortening down the tube and adding the threads back on.. :doah: YEAH that should work great.. :grind:

 

[jeep2003]

looks like its flanged a bit at the bottom. look down the tube and see if there is a lip at the bottom. Id bet its just an extention piece. If there is you can just unsolder it and resolder the flange back on lower.

 

[The Restore Kid]

for 30 bucks we will miracle them better if need be.. :laugh:

 

[markus]

I decided to work on this today. I cut the fill snout off leaving a little more of it off the tank than what would slip into the threaded end. used a standard propane plumbers torch and was able to melt the solder and slide the threaded end off the remnants of the tube and simply reinsitall :thumbsup:

Before:

cut down and threaded end resoldered on, cut out section to the left of the tank)

In reality I probalby could have de-soldered the whole tube off and re-soldered the threaded end right onto the tank. I half expected the fill tube to be installed from the inside but I found out by accident that its only sitting in a recess filled with solder from the outside. thankfully when I accidentally pulled it right off the tank entirely, I was able to just reset it into the recess and melt it back in :thumbsup: i even remembered to make sure the cap was centered when fully tightened before setting it.:smile:

sits a little higher than my "stock" one but wont be to noticeable:

 

[minibikin']

Nice job Markus.

 

[Skipjaz]

Nice job, thanks for sharing.

 

[markus]

Bump for @chatten63

 

[superflea]

I decided to work on this today. I cut the fill snout off leaving a little more of it off the tank than what would slip into the threaded end. used a standard propane plumbers torch and was able to melt the solder and slide the threaded end off the remnants of the tube and simply reinsitall :thumbsup:

Before:

cut down and threaded end resoldered on, cut out section to the left of the tank)

In reality I probalby could have de-soldered the whole tube off and re-soldered the threaded end right onto the tank. I half expected the fill tube to be installed from the inside but I found out by accident that its only sitting in a recess filled with solder from the outside. thankfully when I accidentally pulled it right off the tank entirely, I was able to just reset it into the recess and melt it back in :thumbsup: i even remembered to make sure the cap was centered when fully tightened before setting it.:smile:

sits a little higher than my "stock" one but wont be to noticeable:

I knew those pointers I gave you would help.