I plan on welding in some floor patches to get my car through the VA inspection (restore properly later). My question is do I have to drain the fuel tank before I weld onto the floor? I know that a fire extinguisher is necessary when welding, but I was asked about fire hazard to the fuel line.
Thanks!
Fuel line is *inside* the tunnel. I wouldn't drain the tank or do anything special. But DO work *outside*, not in the garage.
Speedy Jim
An EMPTY gas tank is MUCH more dangerous than a full one! It's the FUMES that explode, a full tank won't have room for fumes, so it's SAFE. If you want to be 100%, remove the tank and take it out on the yard, in shade. Away from the working area. (Overkill... just fill her up and start welding)
Jan
Watch the brake line --- brake fluid is flamable too. To be honest it is just as easy to replace the pan halfs as it is to patch a rusted one.
................If the pan half is in overall good condition except for one or two areas like where the battery sits, it's better to repair the original pan. None of the aftermarket pan halves are as heavy as the originals and there are minor 'year model specific' differences that sometimes have to be worked around. The other problem with replacement pan halves is the seat rails which aren't as sturdy as the originals. It doesn't make much sense to remove the original seat rails from the old pan half and weld them to the thinner gauge replacements if the original pan is repairable, in my opinion.
timmy
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