300/440/550 Fix a gas tank hole?

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Knucklehead Extrordinaire
Location
Homer, NY
Hi, anyone ever fix a hole in a gas tank? My 1989 440 has a pinhole about halfway up on the seam between the two halves; it's barely wet there but gas does accumulate in the bilge.

My first thought was to mix up some 2 part epoxy, rough up a 3x3" area, and pour it on. Other thoughts included drilling the hole out a little bigger and putting a bolt and washer through it.

Has anyone had any success fixing this?
 
I've had luck using plastic from a milk jug to patch a hole... Both the tank and jug are thermoformed plastics.

If you try this, make sure you empty the tank first, rinse it out, air it out, then circulate air through it (say with a shop vac exhaust) to make sure there are no lingering fumes. I cut a patch out of the jug to fit the tank , heated it up to shape the contour, then heated the tank and the patch evenly (until they both become clear), let cool & you're good to go.

That said, one of my buddies over at PWCToday.com (Gasgas) should still have a tank left over from parting his old boat out. PM him & I'm sure he'd be happy to sell it...!
 

Shonuff

I've got the glow
Site Supporter
Location
Memphis
You can drill it out and put in a tire repair mushroom plug but I would simply get a new tank.

Get a hold of John Zigler.
 

dbrutherford

Parts Whore
Location
Fairmont, WV
I bought a plastic welder once and used it to repair a few plastic things. If it is only a pin hole, I might try to just use a sodering iron to melt the hole closed. Then again if you are going to removethe tank to do the repair, you might as well just put a new tank in.

DAVE
 
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