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Tank over prosealed?

Foghorn

Well Known Member
I'm checking out my new to me tanks. One tank has about 5 rivets leaking and the other tank didn't leak but it has lots of proseal. There's also quite a few rivets that look like the proseal has pushed them out or they weren't set very good (or at all).

What do you guys that have gone before me think. Can I fix the leaking rivets, the high rivets and what about all that proseal around the rivets?

Should I just make my own for peace of mind?

Thanks,

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Tanks

Try sanding off the excess and see if it's ok. Looks like proud rivets not set properly.
Leaking rivets are another story. You would need access holes in the baffle to buck the replacements after drilling them out. Vans sells the hole panels. The last option would be to assemble new tanks.
Personally, I would build new ones.
 
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Like Larry said, build new tanks. Find a local builder to assist.

I offer that this is just the first indication of a host of problems.

Carl
 
Aft row of rivets isn?t a huge deal. You could drill out and re-rivet as you have access. Rivets on the nose are another story. Repairing those through an access hole sounds like the beginning of a very difficult journey. Tough call but building a new set of tanks sounds like an easier road vs trying to repair.

Sorry for the not so great news.
 
I think you could save these tanks. Like Brian said, the rear set of rivets is easy to fix. Just drill out the rivets that are leaking, dab some pro seal on and re-rivet it. It could all be done in less than an hour.

If you have leaking rivets other than the rear row you may be able to use the green locktite people talk about. I havent used it, but apparently it works. You could also carefully remove the rear bulk head, replace the bad rivet, clean the tank, then proseal and re-rivet the back bulkhead. It would be tedious work, but then again so is building new tanks.

Pro seal isn't as bad as people make it out to be. Its messy and smelly and takes forever to clean after it has cured, but its not at all impossible. It just takes some patience/dedication/elbow grease.

As for the proseal on the outside of the tank, I used a scotchbrite wheel on a drill to clean it, then use a dental pick to clean up around the rivets. When you got it nice and clean, use your favorite primer and then paint it when you are ready for paint.
 
If it were me...
I would mark all the leaking rivets
Drill off the rear baffle
Drill out the leaking and any other bad looking rivets
Rivet in new rivets with proseal to replace the bad ones.
Get in there and really clean everything in preparation for new pro seal
Put a layer of proseal over every rivet and joint in the tank.
Then install the back baffle according to the plans
Extra pro seal inside the tank doesn?t hurt.
While it?s open you can check the vent line as well as the fittings in the root rib.
I don?t think it?s that big a deal but if you have access to a local builder who has done proseal before to get you started it would be nice.
Good luck.
 
If you're going to build new tanks (I would), it's certainly worth trying to fix the existing ones first. If nothing else, you'll learn a lot. And you might get good tanks out of it, too.

Dave
 
Thank you for the advice. I'll probably start with Davids recommendation and then proceed to new tanks, if necessary. The rest of the wings look pretty good and the lower outside skin is still off so fixing any proud rivets I find should be fairly easy.

Thanks
 
Like Larry said, build new tanks. Find a local builder to assist. I offer that this is just the first indication of a host of problems.

Agree 100%. Obvious craftsmanship issues are a red flag. There will probably be more.

For example, clean away the proseal at the countersunk rivet line along the rear flange. Gauging the diameter of the countersinks tells the depth. The tank skin thickness is already at the minimum for an MS20426-3 countersink. Can't un-cut a countersink. The only fix is to replace the skins.

Countersink%20Diameter%20vs%20Depth.jpg


Take a good look at all the rivet heads. Use a 10x magnifier. An oversize countersink means the outer perimeter of the head is unsupported when the rivet is squeezed or hit. Here are two examples; note countersink diameter compared to rivet head, and the cracks.

Head%20Cracking%20Dwg.jpg


Fracture%20P6140009%20cropped.jpg


Cracked%20Rivet%20Head.jpg
 
It sounds like you now already own these tanks. In that case, good luck with all the repairs mentioned above. If you DO NOT yet own these tanks, I would wonder in general about the entire construction quality. Not cleaning up all that proseal on the exterior of the tanks just seems like sloppy workmanship to me. Not to mention the number of leaking rivets!
 
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