> Last year I installed a NOS gas tank in my M2A1 halftrack. Unlike the
> original one that I took out, this one did not have the heavy bullet
> sealing rubber compound surrounding it. Since regular gas is not
> available around here, I use unleaded gas and add a lead additive with
> a
> stabilizer included. Everything was fine for a couple of parades that
Are you aware that some of the self seal tanks are actually rubber
bladder INSIDE a metal shell? If this is the case you may be victim of
either a disntegrating bladder or attack from the alcohol that is
added to petrol in some places in the US. I believe that if there
is less than 5% alcohol added they don't have to admit to it on the
signageat the petrol station.
The bladder type tank has an inner and an outer of
black rubber with a core of natural rubber, a yellow gum like
substance. If the inner has gone soft because of alcohol or
for other reasons and the core rubber has been exposed it
may have attacked by the alcohol or othe additives in your
petrol, you would get a very similar mess to what you have
described.
Alternately, the "sloshing" compound that was used during
WW2 does have a very definite life. An all metal tank
may have been "sloshed" and it has degraded over the years.
I have seen M3A1 Stuart tank petrol tanks that the sloshing
compound has all settled to the bottom, blocking lines and
drain plugs It turned into the
most stubborn substance I have every encountered. Ultimately
only prolonged soaking in paint thinner and very agressive use
of very sharp wood chisels had any hope of removing it.
Not fun.
Regards
Doug
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Armoured Vehicles Collector
_______
_/_(_o_)_\_ ____
_/|___|_|___|\_ /____\
/ [___] [___] \ Douglas Greville _/[o]___\_
/\_ [o] [o] _/\ Broken Hill __/=_|____|_=\__
|w||___________||w| N.S.W. /__\__________/__\
|w|\u u/|w| Australia |w| \ / |w|
|w| \_________/ |w| |w|$ \______/ $|w|
[w] [w] [w] [w]
M8 Ferret
dgrev@ruralnet.net.au
Web Armour site at: http://Fast.to/DG
(http://members.xoom.com/remlr/dga/index.html)
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