Never seen this before !!!

[oldiron]

While the repairs of previous owners has ceased to amaze me it's always interesting to be surprised. Today I was prepping the rear tank for paint and discovered that at some point it has been patched with......wait for it...bondo. Now I've seen bondo in some places where it was never intended, door strikers/posts, even floor pans, but never as a patch for a leaking gas tank. Now I'm really curious as to what other wonders await me as I put this one back together. Just thought I'd share.
Greg

 

[mritchy1]

That is funny . When I got my bronco I discovered someone had patched the rusty floor pans with fiberglass.

 

[nickgp]

How about Pennies used as backing for welding holes!

 

[gnsteam]

I looked at an original 67 half cab once. Upon inspection of the frame, I found that a previous owner had patched 50% of the frames length with Fiberglass..yikes!%)%) It was at a dealership, they said they had no idea that was there.%)

 

[Broncobowsher]

I just have to ask, did it hold gas?
If it did I may have to keep it in mind for an emergency roadside repair. You can get Bondo at any Wal-Mart. That could come in handy on those long road trips.

 

[Kyle.malone]

That is funny . When I got my bronco I discovered someone had patched the rusty floor pans with fiberglass.

My grandpa used fiberglass to patch my floor pans under the rubber mat. It worked and he didnt have to replace the pan You never saw it, but I still ended up cutting it out and replacing.

 

[tw322]

I just have to ask, did it hold gas?
If it did I may have to keep it in mind for an emergency roadside repair. You can get Bondo at any Wal-Mart. That could come in handy on those long road trips.

Yeah I am kinda curious too. I wanna know how long it was run like that and what would possess someone to do it!

 

[NicksTrix]

sure it's not a 2 part epoxy putty? that will work on gas situation and hardens very quick.

 

[rastiss]

I've seen oil pan with bondo on an econoline van.

 

[Broncobowsher]

Bondo is a polyester resin, much like the resin for fiberglass which is also a polyester resin. I just can't say if all the polyester resins are the same. They do make underground gas tanks out of fiberglass. Bondo also is fairly immune to strong paint solvents. So I surmise that bondo may work. Thus the reason I ask.

 

[6677ebman]

hey I used a 2 part epoxy on a hole in my '71's tank,then painted it w epoxy primer (2 coats) then painted it black, that was close to 10 yrs ago, hasn't leaked a drop. Bondo may be another story though lol

 

[half cab]

To get home once ..I fixed a gas leak with a piece of leather and a metal screw.

Work so well that let it ride for a spell before I pulled the tank!

 

[jhill52]

An old time reply that I have seen was Fels Naptha soap. Rubbed on hole and sealed it right up.

 

[jhill52]

An old time fix I saw was rubbing Fels Naptha soap on the hole. Sealed it right up.

 

[earthguy]

My brother and I shared an '81 Chevy Scottsdale in high school. He was out 'rodding in it one night (as much as an old 'C word' with a straight 6 and 35" tires could 'rod) and broke a motor mount. The torque pushed the oil pan across the cross member, creating a huge gash and draining the whole engine of oil. He drove it the 7 miles home dry ?:?. The next day I patched up the oil pan with fiberglass, bolted the engine down with a bigger bolt, filled the six with oil, and off I went. I drove it that way until I graduated and left the truck wholly to him. He then drove it until he graduated...

 

[oldiron]

Well it appears that this was just your garden variety bondo, and it was all over the tank in great globs and piles. It looks as though this repair was done years ago with little thought to long term results. The old bondo was gas saturated and stunk like damnit taking it off with the wire wheel. It's pretty obvious that it slowly leaked through and kept the whole area damp with gas for a very long time. You should have seen the condition of the dana 44...Hudlow axel said it was one of the most neglected he'd ever seen.
This was a woods truck for years.

 

[Explorer]

Nothing surprises me anymore. Body filler will collect moisture. For emergency repairs, JB Weld does wonders and easy to carry in the glovebox.