| Author | Message | ||
     S1owner |
Ok for all you Old school guys I need to seal the inside of my aluminum tank. With modern fuel what is a good coating Red Coat, Por 15, I have heard that you can have a radiator repair shop boil it clean and seal it and that it is supiorior? | ||
| Blks1l |
As an aviation mechanic that works with aluminum regularly, I would suggest etching it and alodining the tank, then using a good coat of epoxy primer in it, might be tricky getting a good coat of primer in it though. Alodine holds up pretty well by itself though it is a chemical conversion coating. Could it also be anodized and left alone on the inside? I know I had an aluminum tank on my jeep that was probably left raw on the inside and it had started corroding due to some water in the fuel and sitting for long periods. | ||
| Hootowl |
http://www.caswellplating.com/restoration-aids/epo xy-gas-tank-sealer.html | ||
| S1owner |
Thanks for the info I spoke with a radiator shop and he was very informative. He suggests leaving it alone since it is aluminum no rust and with normal usage should not corrode. The biggest thing he said is he has never found a coating that will stand up to fuel treatments like stabil and seafoam it breaks them down he showed me two tanks he has in right now that it happened to and one is aluminum. He said he would live to work on my tank and probably talked himself out of a job but he thinks it is best kept raw. | ||
| General_ulysses |
Aluminum tends not to completely rust out and develop large weak areas and rust holes like steel tanks do. Is your tank leaking around a weld seam? Or maybe has a small pinhole leak here or there? If so, I'd have a professional welder Tig weld it shut and then proof test it by filling with water and letting it sit overnight. I would only use protective coatings/linings if absolutely necessary. Although Caswell and Por 15 claim to work with ethanol in gas today, it will still soften them over enough time (and it may take years to happen, but IMO Caswell hasn't completely solved the problem). The coatings are a necessity with a heavily rusted and weakened steel tank (i.e. with too many weak spots to weld shut). Not so with an aluminum tank that is structurally sound with only a few pinholes in it. | ||
| S1owner |
New aluminum no leaks just was thinking I should just in case | ||
| General_ulysses |
If it doesn't have any leaks I would absolutely not put any lining material in it. Waste of time and money. Plus sets you up for problems later if/when the liner falls apart. No rust is the beauty of aluminum (in addition to its extreme aesthetic value for a tank). Enjoy it as is! | ||
| S1owner |
Thats my plan | ||
| Harleyelf |
Irridite treatment increases resistance to water damage. Find a machine whop that makes things (Aluminum control panels) for the Navy. Gives the aluminum a yellow color. | ||
| Psykick_machanik |
I'd leave it uncoated. No reason to since aluminum is so corrosion resistant. As a aircraft mechanic i have been around aluminum tanks for aircraft, as well as boats, and have yet to see one with corrosion problems or see one coated. Dont fix something thats not broken. |
