Lotus Elan S4 Fuel Tank Repairs

[nebogipfel]

Can anyone suggest a good place to get an original S4 tank repaired also does anyone have experiance of doing it themself using epoxy resin ?

[nebogipfel]

Steve,

I'm all for saving dosh and fixing things but not a petrol tank on a Lotus

Buy yourself a nice aluminium tank, fit it, forget it, feel safe ........at least from that potential source of flames and destruction!

(About ?200 from CN)

[Hamish Coutts]

Steve,

Sorry to put a downer on repairing steel tanks but be very careful about who repairs your tank. Look up my previous posts on this subject. If a repair is botched it can lead to lots of problems which will, more than probably, mean that you replace your steel tank with a nice new alloy one.

Have a read first then decide what to do.

I would go for the new tank approach.

Hamish.

[1964 S1]

I'm in total agreement with the two suggestions to buy new. Don't try to repair an old rusty tank.

[Elanintheforest]

I had a go at repairing one many moons ago. Followed all the procedures for making the tank safe...filled with water for 2 weeks prior to working on it to get rid of all petrol fumes. Then cut into it to remove the rusty bit, looked inside and it was solid rust...not just from the water of the last 2 weeks! Cleaned it up as best I could and was soldering on a new piece when it exploded, blowing windows out of the workshop and sending me about 10ft across the room.
If you need a really good laxative, or a bit of zip in your life, go fix it yourself. But really, if it's gone in one small area thats obvious, I'll bet most of the rest of it is scrap.
Mark

[nebogipfel]

Thanks for the advice I certainly don't want any explosions so it looks like a new tank.

[bill308]

Mark,

You're a very lucky man to not get hurt.

If one is determined to repair the tank then it must be filled with an inert gas. Dry ice (solid CO2) placed in the tank with the weld area up, should work well. CO2 is heavier than air it so should displace any oxygen and eliminiate the possiblity of an explosion.

Bill

[nebogipfel]

Thanks for the replies everyone it's interesting to see how difficult it would be to do a repair. Just to add a bit of history I've had my elan for about 10 years and did originally repair the tank with solder and resin. However it had not seen petrol for a very long time and I did fill it with water. Anyway it now seems the repair failed. So I am going for a new tank. The other bit's that I need to do concern the fuel line and pump. I have an electric pump placed in the boot. I don't think it original but it seems to work well. Any advice on the best position for this and what do people think of stainless braided lines from the tank to the carbs.

regards
Steve

[Bruce Crowthorne]

Hi Steve, I have an extra tank if it is of interest drop me a note.
I am early in my rebuild but since I have two tanks someone may as well use the extra one.
Bruce

[Hamish Coutts]

Steve,

Depends on what pump it is.

Probably best to mount the pump below the level of the tank so it is gravity fed.
I have a fuel tap between the tank and the pump and a fuel filter just after the pump. All are in the boot.

A braided fuel line sounds good but expensive. I used some 8mm copper tube I had lying around in the garage. Works OK.

Hamish.

[elansprint71]

i dont know if this one could answer but i was hoping it is. i have a problem with my Fuel tank and i dont know where can i get some Fuel Saving Products. ive been looking for some stores but its too pricey. i dont know what is the price of it thats why im here asking for a help on you guys. thanks.

What sort of problem are you having with your tank and what do you mean by "Fuel Saving Products"?

[simonknee]

I think margaret's account gets hijacked by spammers from J C Whitney from time to time.
You can spot this when an old thread gets resurrected with an ambiguous post that includes a link to J C Whitney.
There's been a couple now.
I have notified him/her but not heard back.

Simon

[elansprint71]

I think margaret's account gets hijacked by spammers from J C Whitney from time to time.
You can spot this when an old thread gets resurrected with an ambiguous post that includes a link to J C Whitney.
There's been a couple now.
I have notified him/her but not heard back.

Simon

Ah; you have great wisdom, Grasshopper! I noticed a peculiar post from margaret (sic) in a the steering column thread.