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MG TD TF 1500 - Critique my plan

1953 MG TD

I bought the POR 15 gas tank sealing kit. I've done the pre cleaning and acid wash. Now it's time to dump the POR 15 sealer in the tank. I'm not convinced that the highly viscous sealer will cover all the interior surface no matter how much I shake and tumble the tank. So I plan on painting the entire exterior of the tank with the sealer. I'll brush it on. I'll follow up with polyester primer and block it to get rid of the inevitable POR 15 brush strokes. Anyone see a downside to this plan?

Tim

Timothy Burchfield

Tim - it sounds like you are suggesting putting a Band-Aid on the problem, which is rust in the tank. POR-15 on the outside will stop the tank from rusting from the outside in, but it's the rust from the inside-out (from water accumulating and sitting in the bottom of the tank) that causes the problems. There is lots in the archives of this and the other forum about how people have sloshed the tank, how they have turned it, how they have hooked it up to a motor that slowly turns the tank for complete coverage. The inside baffles have holes, so eventually the entire inside will be covered.

PROPERLY PREPARED, APPLIED, AND DRIED, coating the inside of a tank does indeed lock in all rust. But scrimp on any one step and you're defeating the entire process.

Do yourself a favor - borrow a borescope to really inspect the inside of the tank for rust and/or corrosion - especially at the bottom where water sits. I found much corrosion when I inspected the last tank, ended up cutting out most of the the bottom of the tank, treating the insides to get rid of as much rust as I could, and welding a new bottom into the tank. For the first time, ALL the filters are clear of fine rust, and the customer can confidently drive the car more than 50 miles at a time.

Tom Lange
MGT Repair
t lange

Tom, thanks. I'm not as concerned about rust as I am about leaks. I do have bore scope and after the cleaning and acid wash the tank is relative rust free. The POR 15 sealer does inhibit rust but it also seals pin holes and seams.I just checked my 51 tank that was installed about two years ago with no sealer inside and it is rust free. I think rust is a real problem when a tank sits empty for a long time. I got this off of an antique car site:

"Keep your fuel tank filled with high-octane gas. This works in several ways:1) a full tank leaves little room for condensation to form, and 2) lower octane fuels contain higher levels of alcohol that promote rust by attracting water.

Add a fuel stabilizer during periods of inactivity."

I only run premium Top Tier gas in the TD. When I was cleaning the tank I did notice some leakage from invisible holes along the bottom of the tank. I think (hope) the outside application will seal those pin holes or leaky seams. I don't disagree with your points but I'm looking for a different solution than rust prevention.

Regards

Tim
Timothy Burchfield

I always drain the tank completely in winter and store the fuel in a sealed steel jerry can -nothing else will do if you want the fuel to stay in good condition (most plastic containers lose too many volatiles). The tank is lined with POR15, so also remains good.
Dave H
Dave Hill

Anyone have a picture or diagram of the inside of the TD gas tank?

Tim
Timothy Burchfield

Tank photos----- http://www.ttalk.info/FuelTankInnards.htm
Richard Cameron

Tim, I've used POR 15 tank sealer, and it does cover inside of tank as advertised.
Richard Cameron

Thanks everyone. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the POR 15 sealer was not as viscous as I'd been told. I decided to pour it in the tank and have spent the last two hours tumbling and shaking (the tank, not me). I can't check the results with the borescope yet because the sealer is not dry. I appreciate all the advice.

Regards

Tim
Timothy Burchfield


Tim, be sure and clean sealer from threads of plug and fuel outlet adapter holes before sealer fully dries.
Richard Cameron

An unfortunate set of circumstances led me to determine that a product called “Sta-Bil” will keep ethanol fresh for AT LEAST 6 years.
An empty tank is a condensation collector.

Having said that...seal the inside where the fuel is. I agree with Tom..sealer on the outside is a temporary band aid at best.

Regards, Tom
tm peterson

Richard, thanks. I did. I can only imagine the difficulty, and expense, of cleaning out the thread with a tap.

Tom, I'm going to paint the outside with the sealer as well. Belt and suspenders.

Tim
Timothy Burchfield

This thread was discussed between 02/10/2019 and 03/10/2019

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