A tip for those removing and replacing the rear bulkhead.  Plastic insulating putty is available at trailer supply places for about $2 for 30 feet.  It's a good idea to spread that around in places where original putty is missing or dried out. shieldhouse@earthlink.net Jan 2001 ----------------------------------------------- If anyone wants the very best in gas tank repair use tank re-nue they can be found on the internet and are nation wide. I just got mine back $159.95! ----------------------------------------------------------------- Hi Gang, I thought I would relate my experience over the week end with my gas tank in case anyone else ever finds themself in this situation. This car has been sitting far to long without being started and I was pretty sure that what little gas might have been in the tank had dried up by now, so I decided it would be best to remove the tank and have it cleaned and/or sealed. I have read, with great interest, all the messages many of you have sent to this forum on this subject and I felt I had plenty of information to do the job. When I started I had a fan blowing from the front of the car underneath and out the front of the garage and my Wife standing by with a couple of fire extinguishers. Now the car is on jack stands with the tires about three inches off the ground and I am no light weight so that still makes for some tight quarters flat on my back under the rear of the car. I first tried to siphon whatever fuel was in there to no avail, then I went to remove the hose under the tank. There was a little seepage when I removed the clamp ( a drop every 4-5 seconds) so I decided to go to the drain under the driver's door. The plug was so tight I could not remove it and I then removed the tube from the tank instead. This dripped a little but not much.I now felt the tank was empty, so back underneath to remove the hose and fitting from the bottom of the tank. Again There was a little seepage when I pulled the hose loose and it seemed safe to proceed. The fitting in the bottom of the tank was also very tight and the position I was in made it difficult to get it started but it finally broke loose and I began to unthread it. All seemed OK (no seepage as it was loosened) and when the final thread was reached a full stream of fuel came pouring out of the tank. It surprised me so I dropped the fitting and instinctively did the only think there was to do, I stuck my finger in the hole. I yelled to my Wife to shove the oil drain pan over and I tried to get my finger, arm and the rest of me out of the way. Well, of course, the stream of fuel is hitting the differential and not falling in the pan making a large mess. I crawled out and got out of the gas soaked clothes and turned the hose on myself then cleaned up the mess. I was sure there was at least a hundred gallons of gas pouring on me when I was under there but in reality there was only about 1/4 to 1/3 gal. After things cooled down a bit, I got the tank out and it appears to be quite clean inside and the area around the fitting in the bottom is clear. It turns out the fitting is plugged and I haven't understood yet how or with what and it appears that the pipe to the fuel pump may be plugged also. One thing I forgot to mention, when I first went to remove the clamp on the hose to the fitting on the bottom of the tank the pliers slipped and I saw a small spark. Be very careful with these things as this could have been a disaster a few minutes later. I hope this helps anyone who is contemplating this task and to point out the dangers involved. I was lucky this time Jack Usher July 2003 ------------------------------- Just an additional note. When I pulled my 82's tank, the rubber hose on the bottom was so brittle it just snapped when I grabbed it with the pliers. Use SAE 9 hose (sometimes referred to as fuel injection hose by auto stores) to replace all rubber hoses, it is more resistant to modern fuel additives than the original hose. chuck RQB-3553 July 2003 ----------------------------------------------------- Fumes are worse than actual gas spilled! ---------------------------------------------------- ========================== Restoring a tank... First take the tank to a metal stripper/ That will clean the inside (and outside) to clean bare metal. Then buy a can of "Red Kote" from a radiator shop, tape up all the openings, (except one) pour in the full can of Red Kote, tape up the last opening. turn the tank slowly all around so the Red Kote covers all the surfaces inside the tank. pour out the excess, untape the openings and let it sit for a minimum of 24 hours before putting gas in the tank. Red kote is about 20-25 bucks a quart. It will cost you about 40-60 bucks to get the tanks stripped. But, once it's done, its a done deal. Jim Turner ==================== I have used the POR-15 method on a few of my Corvairs over the years and was quite happy with the results.After using the fuel system for the inside of the tank I then coated the outside of the tank with POR-15,rock solid was the result.Eastwood Company also sells the components. ------- In my experience, the POR-15 tank sealer is the only sealer I would ever use. It's not like the others, more of a metalized paint. ------------ I used a sealer from JC Whitney with great success. Jim in Tulsa ---------