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Welding on my rear pumpkin

recoiljunky

Bronco Guru
Joined
Jul 19, 2007
Messages
1,478
Loc.
Dothan, AL. USA
I'm going to install a drain plug on the back of my rear axle. In order to do so, I have to add a little metal to the pumpkin and grind it flat to create a starting point for the drain. My question is this:

Is it suicide to weld on my rear pumpkin without dropping the fuel tank?

My tank doesn't have any obvious leaks. It has less than a gallon of fuel in it. The fuel hoses have mud on them and washing them off is not an option (the Bronco is disabled in my garage.) I have some industrial insulation I could use as a barrier between my work space and the tank.

I know it's not that big a deal to drop the tank, but for the little amount of welding I have I'd rather not go through the extra steps.

What say you? I'm betting y'all are going to talk my lazy butt into dropping the tank.
 

sprinksbeme

Bronco Guru
Joined
Jan 30, 2004
Messages
1,093
Loc.
Kingman, AZ
If you had a full tank and a broken shock mount on the trail would you think twice?
I'd roll it out of the garage and do it. But that's me.
 

Heus33

Bronco Guru
Joined
Jun 1, 2005
Messages
7,407
Can you wrap a welding blanket around the tank and lines? Prob should drop the tank ...Better safe than sorry although I welded my roll pan without dropping the tank.
 

Wyldebill

Full Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2008
Messages
292
Loc.
Berthoud, Colorado
I have welded all around my gas tank and I'm still here. The safest way to do it is to get an old sheet or blanket and soak it in water. when it has dripped dried to where it is still very damp, wrap it around the tank. Make sure you have sheet between where you are welding and the tank. Keep in mind, the lower the ambient temp is, the higher the flash point of gasoline. In other words, the colder it is, the safer you are. Good advice to get it out of the garage, and also to have your fire extinguisher close.
 

Pa PITT

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Jul 15, 2005
Messages
11,252
Loc.
Stephenville TEXAS
Evl you devil ...
another one.your killing me...
I say get it out of the garage although most of us don't ..I put a fan to blowing if I'm thinking about it..
 

Broncobowsher

Total hack
Joined
Jun 4, 2002
Messages
34,835
I am always fighting cracks in the rear end housing. When it leaks, back it in the garage, clean the leak, weld the new crack shut, drive away.
Custom building a rear bumper, gas tank is there, I want the new bumper to protect and clear it.

Now if you are a stick welder who tends to get sloppy about the handling of the eletrode, I would think twice...
 

rtreads

Sr. Member
Joined
May 13, 2008
Messages
690
Loc.
5280
You're safer with a full tank. It's the fumes that ignite explosively.
If you don't have a welding blanket, you should get one. This would be a good application for it.

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=SNR-A7246&N=700+115&autoview=sku

I was just thinking the same thing. The guy that sold me my welder was telling me how he used to own a welding shop and would weld gas tanks all the time. He says the most dangerous tank is an empty one. He said to fill it up to prevent it from blowing up. But on the other hand, you might be more prone to having a gas leak with it full...
 

siderbox

Bronco Guru
Joined
Nov 5, 2007
Messages
1,119
3rd on the full tank.
My shop teacher told us a story about him when he was starting out in 53. There was a "recall" on rear shock mounts.
Long story short.
He rolled under the car with the stick and started the fix as he has so many times before. A fellow tech pulled him out. He had hit the tank with the rod, poking a whole and starting a stream of fire.
They got it under control. Then did some checking. The car had a half tank of fuel, he hit the tank less than an inch below the fuel level.
 

Wyflyer

Bronco Guru
Joined
Apr 1, 2008
Messages
2,920
I was just thinking the same thing. The guy that sold me my welder was telling me how he used to own a welding shop and would weld gas tanks all the time. He says the most dangerous tank is an empty one. He said to fill it up to prevent it from blowing up. But on the other hand, you might be more prone to having a gas leak with it full...

If you have a bottle of C02 or Argon, drain the tank and purge it with one of these inert gases. Then weld your punkin...
If you don't have a bottle, just be careful and keep the fire and sparks away from the tank vents.
And for goodness sakes,,, dont arc the tank..
 

Wyflyer

Bronco Guru
Joined
Apr 1, 2008
Messages
2,920
My favorite welder runs an exhaust hose in the tank to displace the fumes/oxygen

I did that one time purging a 23,000 gallon gasoline tank. A few days later, I started thinking about all the times i've seen engines backfire out the exhaust,, actually blow fire out,, and decided that I did not want fire coughed into a large fuel tank. Actually I did not want the remote possiblity of it, so that's when I went to bottled gas.. no fire or ignition involved.
 

bludorbronc

Sr. Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2006
Messages
653
at the rear bottom of the housing where the rear cover is welded on there are 2 layers of steel, that is where i drilled and tapped mine, no welding.
 
OP
OP
recoiljunky

recoiljunky

Bronco Guru
Joined
Jul 19, 2007
Messages
1,478
Loc.
Dothan, AL. USA
I didn't blow myself up!!!

I know a gas tank is safer when it's full; my dad taught me that. I mentioned the low fuel level to see if anyone would recommend dropping the tank because of that.

I just get spooked welding near fuel now-a-days. But Lazyness won. I was too lazy to drop the tank and too lazy to put the third member, axles and tires back under the rig to get it out of the garage. I went overboard with HVAC insulating, wrapping the tank up in it and creating a shield over the pumpkin with it. Here's the final product:

2008_0110PicTests0007.jpg


Eventually I'll replace the hex head for a allen head plug, but that's all Ace Hardware had. Besides, we don't have rocks down here.
 

cupcake

Jr. Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2008
Messages
85
Or you could drill and weld in a weld nut. They have a nice flat surface and weld nicely. Oh yes and either full tank or purged with inert.
 
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