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gas tank explosion.............dam

  • Thread starter Thread starter shockvalue
  • Start date Start date
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shockvalue

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Got a question guys and gals......How does one go about drillin a hole in the side of a gas tank . Will it spark an explosion or shoot a flame....... Nothing at all if I go slow........Or will it explode so violently my cheeks slam shut and make it sound like thunder acroos the country...... Im having to relocate my petcock ( oldschool reasoning) and Im gonna drill a 7/16 hole then tap it and then put a ball valve for the petcock...... Oh yeh Im using a sportster tank thats part of the relocation.....................I have heard to just fill it up with water and drill your hole under water and your fine and others say its not gonna spark at all..............Can someone confirm proper drillin for me lol...
 
flush it real well with some dish soap and water a few times...or you can fill it with water, flip it over and drill away...
 
thanks man I appreciate it

thanks man I appreciate it

I appreciate it chuck . Im gonna grab the balls from my wifes purse and just go for it. Shouldnt be too dam hot to drill just one hole......Thanks again
 
fuel lines for gs 1000

fuel lines for gs 1000

Hey guys is there a reason for two lines to the carbs from a pet cock on a gs 1000.. I know the bottom one is fuel and the other is in the same locations as the vent tubes on the other carbs. Why would one of the vent tubes go to the petcick, Is that for vacuum or something. can I run without it Is the number one question. Cause Im running a ball cock and only plan on running one line to the cabs..............Thanks a bunch
 
just drill slow and dont create excessive heat. and dont drill thru so water will gush out onto the drill in our hand either, by the way.. may get a bit of a poke that way. you know what to do..slow, keep it cool with the water in the tank, and its all good.
 
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The small line is for the vacuum operated petcock. If your going to use a different petcock, make sure you cap off the carburetor with the vacuum nipple.
 
Whenever I've had to do anything like that on a tank then I just fill it with carbon monoxide and go ahead and complete the task, drilling, etc. Just fill the tank with fumes from your car exhaust. Then you don't have a water filled tank to dry out after the event.
 
Just a heads up, you cannot drill a hole in a gas tank tap it and have it hold a petcock. Drilling the hole would be the least of your worries. Note how the stock tank is reinforced where the petcock goes.
Filling a gas tank with water sloshing it around and draining it out will not remove explosive gas fumes, ask me how I know that. Kerosene or diesel works pretty good though. When I did repair work on gas tanks I would let a compressed air line run loose in the tank for 15 or 20 minutes that always worked for me.
 
well i have drilled many my self and yes even mig welded a few holes myself. if it is washed with water AND AND AND detergent a few times as was STATED ... then filled with water and drill with it full he has nothingb to worry about.. if you left air space that could fill with fumes because you didnt wash it out enough times with a strong enough detergent then yup i know why it exploded on you......
 
kerosene and detergent

kerosene and detergent

well guys I have some kerosene would that work. Or would the detergent work better.............I dont wanna lose a tooth over a stupid petcock.......You guys have been a great help I appreciate everything....
 
STOP!!!!!!! NO KEREOSENE DIESEL ..Wash it very thoroughly with hot water and a strong detergent like mr clean, greased lighning, full strength simple green etc etc.. wash it two or three times. Then fill it with plain water tip it so where you want to drill is facing up and drill the hole ... the thing here is you gotta neutralize the combusible fumes from the gas vapors!!! Put maybe a quarter of a tank of water and the detergent and shake the hell out of it..dump it out and do it again with fresh detergent and water... get it as clean inside as you can first.....
 
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For some reason I think I should give my one cent worth here. Gasoline has a flashpoint of -40F. Kerosene is between 100-162F and Deisel is 143F. As has been stated its the vapors that will ignite not the liquid. Pour out the liquid in a well ventilated area and container. (Please no smoking when you do this). The vapor density of gasoline is less than one, which is why it floats on water. May not be a good idea to just flush it out with water or fill the tank with just water cause the gasoline and vapors will be at the surface of the water. (Probably right where you will be drilling) Purging of gasoline is a process.
 
What are you going to tap? Is there an existing boss or something? Taping the shet metal won't work.
 
In my youth, I wanted to weld a hole in the tank of my BSA 650 lightning. I must have washed that tank 10 times w/soap & water. Decided I would light a match & burn off the "residual" fumes before welding. Well when the fumes ignited, it threw a fireball straight up in the air & actually started the ceiling on fire. Scared the crap out of me. Have you ever tried to put out a fire on the ceiling with a bucket of water?

Fill it with water, problem solved.
 
gggGary said:
Just a heads up, you cannot drill a hole in a gas tank tap it and have it hold a petcock. Drilling the hole would be the least of your worries.
Click to expand...

Needs to be re-stated. How's this issue getting worked around?
 
nastyjones said:
Have you ever tried to put out a fire on the ceiling with a bucket of water?

Fill it with water, problem solved.
Click to expand...

I have put out LOTS of fires :D, just not with a bucket of water.

One more thought, water is NOT a compressable liquid. :eek:

This is why I have job security.:rolleyes:
 
I am pretty sure my garage is too leaky to fill it with water and I think it would take too long also. OK enough smart azz answer. I am no expert and too lazy to search but I think at least part of the issue I have had in the past is that the gas is actually somewhat imbedded in the pores of the metal (and varnish build up) It is not such a big issue drilling a hole but when heating the metal no matter how thorough, a water based wash is not sufficient.
 
shockvalue said:
Got a question guys and gals......How does one go about drillin a hole in the side of a gas tank . Will it spark an explosion or shoot a flame....... Nothing at all if I go slow........Or will it explode so violently my cheeks slam shut and make it sound like thunder acroos the country...... Im having to relocate my petcock ( oldschool reasoning) and Im gonna drill a 7/16 hole then tap it and then put a ball valve for the petcock...... Oh yeh Im using a sportster tank thats part of the relocation.....................I have heard to just fill it up with water and drill your hole under water and your fine and others say its not gonna spark at all..............Can someone confirm proper drillin for me lol...
Click to expand...
Do as Suzuki_Don said.

If you are really worried, why did you buy a bike with the HIGH TENSION COILS right under the tank?

I have seen a tank explode on someone, lost both legs (including hips).

You should be using Nitrogen but in the end, it's all about removing the oxygen.

Take it to your nearby stream and submerge it, part to be drilled 1/2" from water surface with a longer drill will also work.
The water will act as a cooling solution and also expel the O2.

Steaming tank for quite a while is also normal procedure...
 
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gas tank repair

gas tank repair

You guys have some great thoughts.....I think Im gonna just buy the harley petcock and try and figure out how to mount the dam thng on top of the gs twin framing that goes down the back bone.........I just want the gas tank mounted frsico style but seems to be a pain in da ass ..........Any one want to trade a harley sportster tank for a smaller tank that will mount onto the gs 1000............I have the gorilla tank already but its not working with the oldschool theme being its like a 12 gaLLON TANK...tHANKS
 
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