Hi Jeff
Good luck on your repair.
May I suggest a few things:
**Get hold of an "old" tank and try a practice repair. Motorcycle or snowmobile
or old gas can
**I know that Lyc case repairs are done pulling a vacuum with thick windshield
polyurethane that actual gets sucked in, try it on your practice piece
**For hahas, try a practice repair with Proseal and also one with Redux
**Don't know if you could get to tunnel, but if you can reinforcing with BID
like
I did, would probably layup 1 BID with Redux/peelply, then 2 BID with
Aeropoxy/BID
after cure. This would be to prevent further cracking. I would drive in
some wedges to raise front of tank before glassing
**With wedges driven to lift tank in front, I would use low expansion foam and
fill between fuse and tank to help support tank instead of having a 18 gallon
cantelever on aft BID supports
**I like the idea of using a patch with Proseal that is somewhat flexible, this
way if crack moves a little, it will not point load bond. McMaster sells plenty
of rubber. I purchased some fuel pump diaphragm repair rubber with cloth
reinforcement
I used for fuel sensor gasket I kinda like, perhaps get hold of a
piece and try it on your test sample
See album for some pics:
http://www.europaowners.org/modules.php?set_albumName=album233&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_album.php
Ron Parigoris
---From [Neville Eyre] [Permanent Link]
Subject: Re: Europa-List: Fuel Tank Cleaning before Soldering Iron
Date: Fri, 14 Mar 2003 09:11:04
Hi All,
After ALL the fuel has been drained, purge the fumes out with Carbon Dioxide,
either
---From a MIG welding plant, or from a brewery bottle. A bottle can be hired
---From most drink supply depots for not a lot of money.
Leave the gas running until all smell of fuel has gone, and let a little trickle
all the while you are working on the tank.
Ensure the tip of the iron is clean.
Nev.
Tony Renshaw <tonyrenshaw> 03/11/03 11:52am >>>
Gidday,
I am wondering after reading Paul McAllisters website about the
recommendations for preping the fuel tank before I attack it with my
soldering iron to install the Europa fuel probe (magnetic). The question is
that I was only going to drain it of fuel and wash it out with water, but I
now fear that I need to do more than that. Does the plastic absorb some of
the fuel that would make things dangerous for me if I keep to my original
plan?
Reg
Tony Renshaw
And if you must "gut"her:
A) Curious question, if you needed to replace tank in XS, how would you do
it? Remove upholstery, cut up seatback from the kink,cut across the
front at the kink, over the top, and down the baggage bay,and across just
above the tunnel,lift top off. Spread in front and behind the top with auto
scissor jacks / lumber to open the fuselage out, do this with heat on it and
over
a full day, [ softly, softly ] and the tank will come out. I have done this a
few times, only once did I have to saw the tank up as it had swollen [
After the first 50 or so tanks suplied, they don't swell now ] To repair the
joint of the cut off top, you need to cut away the outer skin, dig out the
foam,
5 min' back in place, do a 2 Bid lay up onto the outer face of the INNER
skin, micro some foam onto the wet lay up, allow to cure. Sand the foam to
flush
and do a two Bid lay up over the foam onto the outer skin. Usual scuffing
practises apply.
B) If a leak developed in tank, could it be repaired in place?
Kingsley summed it up about right, I have done this 3 times [ all to tanks that
had been drilled by the owners ! ] I prefer to use tank sealing ''goo '', use
the 2 hour one, the 1/2 hour sets too fast. On small holes, I have used
AN525 screws and AN970-3 washers with the goo on.
Visit - www.EuropaOwners.org
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