My Mini stinks!

[BruceK]

Have you considered one of these?  It's called a new tank.

https://www.minispares.com/arp1043ms-petrol-tank-saloon-7-5-gallon-1974-up-to-injection

It's twice the price of a por15 fuel tank kit but with none of the hassle.  Potential over billing from DHL should be factored in.

Oh man!    That definitely cracked me up about it being only double the price of the expensive repair kit. Puts things in perspective.

It sure is tempting to consider. The price is really, really good. But it's the shipping cost and the customs fee hassle that is holding me back. At least for now.

I have not ruled it out.

[BruceK]

Possible Plan D.2  Would a small Dremel tool on a stick fit through the sender hole?

Hmmm. I like it. I've got a Dremel flex head cable that would fit the bill...

Possible Plan D.3 A Faucet tool has a flexible self-gripping head to reach up from under a sink to tighten or loosen the nuts around the pipes connected to a faucet set where there is no room to get a wrench in. This particular one telescopes but there are straight-shafted ones too.

Interesting tool. Never knew these existed. The issue remains trying to work with very limited access into the interior of the tank. 

[94touring]

You probably don't have a welder either?  Because I'd be more likely to drill out the pickup tube and install a new one than fight with trying to get that filter off.

[BruceK]

You probably don't have a welder either?  Because I'd be more likely to drill out the pickup tube and install a new one than fight with trying to get that filter off.

No, I don't know how to weld, but believe me the thought occurred to me to cut a hole and gain the delicious access. Or as you said, take a reasoned approach and just remove the filler tube and install a new one. 

[BruceK]

Success!  Or at least semi-Success. Or at least far enough to continue.

I have been able to remove the mesh strainer cage from the end of the pick up tube. Part of the filter apparatus still sits on the end of the pick up tube, but there's no screen material on that, so that shouldn't be a problem.  I was also able to use the long needle nose pliers to reposition the pick up tube almost back to where it should be. I plan to lower it a bit after the coating process is completed.

I can see where I poked through the mesh cage with my improvised Roto router, but didn't really do much damage. Also, that mesh (brass?) is super, super fine. Honestly with it being that fine I don't know what purpose the other downstream fuel filters actually accomplish.

[MPlayle]

I seem to recall that originally there were no downstream filters between the tank and carb until much later in production.  The pickup screen would have been the only filter.

I also seem to recall that the most common recommendation is to do as you succeeded in doing - remove the pickup mesh "filter" and leave it off, then put a standard filter in the line somewhere downstream before the carb.  Having the pre-filter on the electric pump and another near the carb covers all bases.

[BruceK]

Okay. I'm starting by flushing the tank with soapy water. Also allows me to test my plugs.

I purchased a pack of different sized vacuum plug bungs for the tank vent and the pickup tube. They are a pretty good fit but I'm securing them with some duct tape to be sure they stay in place. For the sender unit hole I'm using the old sender unit cover. Perfect fit. Almost like it was made for it. 

For the tank neck I found a PVC plumbing cap at Home Depot and I'm using an Edd China-inspired Orange glove as a gasket.

No leaks!

Force drying the tank isn't so easy. I've tried a corded electric leaf blower on a low speed and also a shop vac configured as a blower. Thirty minutes each and there's still some damp patches inside.

[Dan Moffet]

To dry water from it, you could warm the tank from the outside. Hold it over the BBQ or similar cooking appliance. Heat on low.

[MiniDave]

I'm just going to stick the "blow" end of my shop vac in the filler neck and alternately in the sender hole.

Maybe a hair dryer, Bruce?

Sitting it outside in the sun might help too?

[MPlayle]

We are actually experiencing cooler wet weather, so just forced air alone will take much longer.  The hair dryer or heat gun approach to use heated air will help speed up the drying process.

[94touring]

Set it in your oven when your wife isn't looking.

[BruceK]

Set it in your oven when your wife isn't looking.

If I did that I think my WiFi-capable oven would connect itself and then text my wife to tell her!

[BruceK]

Update: I completed the tank restoration process today. I spent a lot of time with the cleaner/degreaser to remove all the gum and varnish. I was going to use drywall screws in the tank during this process to help agitate and go after the surface rust. But then I realized the screws are coated with something so I went with regular zinc wood screws. I spent well over an hour rotating the tank and shaking it back-and-forth and trying to get every area addressed.

Then, like shampoo, it's rinse and repeat with the second cleaner/degreaser bottle. Then another rinse. 

According to the latest instructions from POR15 it's not necessary to have a completely dry tank before adding the metal prep solution. But I decided this would be a good time to try using a hairdryer as a trial run for later in the process when I definitely need to have completely dry tank. The heat from a hairdryer definitely makes a huge difference (whoodathunkit) and it got the tank completely dry in about 20 to 25 minutes.

I spent a lot of time with the metal prep solution, rolling it all over the inside of the tank, ensuring every area got at least 10 to 15 minutes of coverage with the solution. I believe it's basically just phosphoric acid, but it does etch the metal and attack rust.

When I rinsed the tank after the metal prep it really looked good on the inside with a nice light gray coating over the interior surface.

Using the hairdryer, I made sure it was again completely bone dry, especially in the seam gaps, and I popped the top on the can of POR15 gas tank sealant paint. The instructions indicate must be stirred, and that was definitely necessary as some of the material had settled to the bottom of the can. 

Once it was stirred, I poured the quart can into the tank and gently rotated it, and all directions to ensure coverage. I spent about 20 minutes slowly, rotating it to cover all areas. The instructions say to pour the remaining paint back into the can where it will harden overnight, and then open the tank petcock and position the tank so excess can drain out over 30 minutes or so to help prevent a puddle or pooling of the paint. Sure wish the Mini fuel tank had a petcock, because it was not easy to get the excess out of the tank due to the internal design of the filler neck. The filler neck tube extends into the fuel tank and there's a ridge there so it is not a smooth transition from the tank to the filler neck. That ridge kept some paint from draining out of the tank. So I basically continued to rotate the tank around, trying to distribute the excess evenly everywhere.

Nice to have it finally done. The instructions say wait 96 hours before use. I'm going on a trip so when I come back, it should be ready to install.

[BruceK]

Okay. It's several hours later and the paint is dry enough for me to take photos of inside the tank. I'm happy with the result.

[MiniDave]

Looks nice, are you going to test it before you put it back in the car? 96 hours of cure time.....4 days.....will you give it some extra time just in case since it was thick in a couple of places or are you eager to put it back in?

Did the stain in the boot under the tank clean up? What did you use on that, some compound and polish?

[94touring]

Was thinking and I suppose if I didn't have the option to let the paint drain,I'd let the excess pool by the filler neck.

[BruceK]

Looks nice, are you going to test it before you put it back in the car? 96 hours of cure time.....4 days.....will you give it some extra time just in case since it was thick in a couple of places or are you eager to put it back in?

Did the stain in the boot under the tank clean up? What did you use on that, some compound and polish?

No, I'm traveling for a week so it's going to be a while before I reinstall it.

I haven't cleaned up the stain yet. It appears to be gum and varnish from the leaky tank, so perhaps something that is strong enough to break through that without hurting the paint - if I can avoid doing that.

[BruceK]

Was thinking and I suppose if I didn't have the option to let the paint drain,I'd let the excess pool by the filler neck.

Hmmmm. Last night after I posted pictures of the tank I found out that POR recommends no paint be thicker than 2 mm.  So any paint that pools thicker than that apparently just gets a thick skin on it, but underneath it never really dries and therefore it will fail over time, leading to chunks of it floating in the gas tank and getting elsewhere in the fuel system.  (apparently the two complaints about the POR fuel tank system failing are related to 1) improper tank preparation, including not getting it completely dry, and 2) having the paint in a thick pool on a section of the tank.  I really made sure I followed all the preparation instructions, but the pool of paint possibility was really bugging me.)

So... this was giving me some doubts last night. I went out to the garage check on the tank. I found a nice puddle of paint in one corner on the bottom of the tank. Fortunately, it was near the sender hole. I poked at it and sure enough it had a nice thick skin on it and it was wet paint underneath. So I spent about 20 minutes using a wood dowel rod to roll up and collect the paint skin in big lumpy chunks and pull them out of the tank, exposing the wet paint underneath. The resulting wet paint was not too thick, so I felt I helped prevent a future failure.

If I had to do this again on another Mini tank, I would seriously consider modifying either the tank neck before starting the process to remove part of that ridge so extra paint could effectively drain out. Or perhaps drilling a hole at the top of the tank so excess paint could drain out when tipped upside down. And of course, I would need to find a way to plug that hole afterwards.

[94touring]

That's kind of what I was thinking is it would be thick, crack, and chunk. Anything by the filler neck if it didn't seal wouldn't really matter. Other than it might clog your fuel line if it fell off in chunks.

[MPlayle]

Would you have been able to pour the excess out the sender hole versus the filler neck?

I don't recall there being a lip at the sender hole that would pool the paint like the lips of the filler neck.

[BruceK]

Would you have been able to pour the excess out the sender hole versus the filler neck?

I don't recall there being a lip at the sender hole that would pool the paint like the lips of the filler neck.

No. I put masking tape all around that hole in anticipation of pouring the paint out that way. But the problem is the sender hole is in a raised section of the tank when it's positioned on its side. So it's not the low point. And the instructions call for letting the excess drain out for 30 minutes, so no good way to do that. 

[94touring]

You really need to get yourself a cheapo flux core mig welder to be able to add in bungs and drains and things for random projects like this.

[BruceK]

You really need to get yourself a cheapo flux core mig welder to be able to add in bungs and drains and things for random projects like this.

Hmmmm. Christmas is coming...

[MiniDave]

These new inverter welders are inexpensive and work a treat - just be sure to get one with dials on it to adjust the amperage/voltage and wire speed.

My buddy Dave got one that has a couple of digital readouts instead of dials and we could not make heads nor tails out of what the numbers meant! The instructions were in Chinese and of absolutely no help. We even went online and found an English language manual for it, but all it said was that there were readouts, no clue as to what they meant. Not only that but the scales changed as you ran the numbers up/down.

Bottom line, a dial from 1-11 is so much easier to learn on.

My buddy Zac bought one too, his has two dials and is super easy to use.

Don't forget - a good auto darkening helmet and some welding gloves. A chipping hammer to remove the slag and I use a wire brush on my angle grinder to clean up the welds. You can get all this stuff at Harbor Freight....

One like this will do just about anything you need to on a car....  Flux Mig welder

You also need this  wire

I have this one and it works great  Helmet

At this price, why not? chipping hammer

and finally....  gloves

all this adds up to what, $200? Amazing what you can get right now for so little money. I've had my cheapo welder for over 30 years now and it still works just fine, cost $400 in 1990 although I do run gas and not flux core.....makes for a much cleaner weld.

[94touring]

Yeah those auto darkening helmets from HF work well.  Toss in gloves and the thinnest flux wire.  Downside to flux is it welds hotter, more prone to burn holes on really thin sheet. Pro is it's softer and easier to grind down with your angle grinder or air tool attachments. But anyways, this tank project I'd have drilled out that PITA pipe with filter and welded in a new, saving myself a day or however long it took to do. And added the drain for the paint...though I might have pressurized the tank and used soapy water to find the leak and just welded that area solid.