Tr00b Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Hey all... quit coming around because I've about lost all hope for this car... Gas tank developed a catastrophic leak. Bought one at a junk yard to replace it. This tank had rust bubbles on the outside. Decided to clean it up before putting the tank in and this used tank also has pinholes where ever there is rust bubbles. My question is... Has anyone brought a tank like this back to life? From what I know from auto body this swiss cheese will rust again very soon just about no matter what you do. Should I find a different tank or try to fix it or just buy new? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tr00b Posted March 28, 2014 Author Share Posted March 28, 2014 More info... leak is coming from drivers side so its not the filler neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vr4 Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Buy new or find one from a rust free state Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Idaho subaru Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 I've seen this used on some hot rod and motorcycle restoration shows, maybe you can give it a try and give us all a review. http://www.eastwood.com/gas-tank-sealer-kits.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spooln30 Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Either get a new tank or one from the South West like AZ or NV. They are a pia to replace. GL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tr00b Posted March 28, 2014 Author Share Posted March 28, 2014 I'm in the process of grinding down all the rust until no red scale is visible underneath. I'm going to epoxy the holes, prime and re-under coat any rust spots. Grinding undercoat and rust is nasty. Def needed a respirator gagging up nasty stuff today... whole house smelled like burning rubber. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tr00b Posted March 29, 2014 Author Share Posted March 29, 2014 Well I give up. Too many holes and all the studs that hold on the 19 different dumb ass sending units are breaking off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mailman Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 you could drive a few hours and get this guy's gas tank: http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/1998-legacy-gt-2-5-sale-pics-info-missing-222373.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tr00b Posted March 30, 2014 Author Share Posted March 30, 2014 Does anyone know what years and body styles have compatible tanks? Mailman... that poor guy DEF doesn't want to cut the car in half to get this thing out... hardest job on the whole car. There is a junkyard in on ebay out of WA selling tanks 275 free shipping. Thinking about biting on that. WA is generally a rust free state right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robinlsb Posted March 30, 2014 Share Posted March 30, 2014 You better look into what it takes to replace the tank, it's a bitch. You have to tear half the car apart:mad: "Belief does not make truth. Evidence makes truth. And belief does not make evidence." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vr4 Posted March 30, 2014 Share Posted March 30, 2014 Not a speck of rust on any of my cars here in wa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tr00b Posted March 30, 2014 Author Share Posted March 30, 2014 Robin... yes I know. Have a friend with a 2 post lift so it shouldn't be terrible but when I do it I want to be done for another decade with the POS. If it was easy I'd feel better about tanking a risk with a piecemeal tank. Vr4 thanks for the insight. I'm jealous. Everything I own is rusting to pieces. Hard to be an automotive enthusiast in this area because by the time the car note is paid off you have a pile of rusted shit no matter how many times you wash it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dimwittedmoose51 Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 I am just finishing my gas tank replacement and maybe I can help. '96 Legac Brighton Wagon and the filler neck was real crusty as were the seams. Afew things to consider/observations.... 1. If you go to the hassle of swapping the tank, make sure when yo ugo to the junk yard, that you get a "clean rear brake hydraulic line to swap out too. Trust me, if your gas has cancer, so will that crossover line that you see when accessing the fuel pump and saddle tank sending units. Don't wanna do that job twice!! TANKS. I had the choice of one of the 13 gallon Impreza OB tanks or a slightly crustier Legacy OB tank with the 15.6 gal volume(the tank my car had originally). I chose the larger tank and did some small rust repairs to it, but they were really inor. I used Gougeon West Systems epoxy and kevlar/fiberglass for the bonding, but if i was tpatching the bottom or lower sides, I'd had a welder do the job. Many epoxies tolerate gasoline and peroleum just fine. What they don't tolerate is the ethanol and over time can ewaken the structural bonding. simce my major work was at the filler neck, I didn't se that as being a problem except when the tank was full which wasn't all that often. I gave $35 for the tank(and the guy left the fuel pump in it) and the really sanitary Impreza OB tank donor ar had a pristine brake liine back there, so they removed it and charged me $15 for that. Everything has to come out from back there, but I did leave the rear trailing arms on thew car. 3. Installing the tank is definitely a 2 person job. Pray that your car wasn't a victim of a crash in a former life where extracting the old tank might be an issue. Luckily, mine wasn't. 4. Replace the hoses on all tha tplumbing on top of hte tank. I used 1/4" and 5/16", but make sure the pressurized line has the reinforced hose(one with the screw clamps instead of th spring clamps). 5. Check your filler neck for rust behind that plastic guard. That guard tends to trap salt and keep it there to rot away the metal. Also new gaskets for the pump and driver side sending unit and new filler hose and vent hose are a great idea. I left the shield off so at least the car wash wand can clean that area up a trime or two each year. 6. Goes w/o saying that PB Blaster (or a 50/50 mix of acetone and ATF) makes a great insurance policy for not snapping off bolts holding suspension/tank/exhaust/etc. bolts. As crusty as everything was under there, I didn't snap a single bolt during the entire process. I used zip tiies to re connect the plastic tank shields. There's prolly some other things that i did to make the job easier, but having the impact gun did help once I manually broke each large bolt free. I concur that buying a tank from Springfield Missouri or points south is a great idea. The problem becomes that Subarus aren't all that popular down south and junkyard picks dwindle the further south you go. Shipping gets pricey too. My car wasn't worth a $300 tank, new or used. YMMV DM&FS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vr4 Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 For an idea this is when I replaced the tank on my s14... http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/2546/mo7r.jpg http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/4422/12xy.jpg http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/8233/wjcb.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tr00b Posted April 4, 2014 Author Share Posted April 4, 2014 I got a tank and it was super rusty. Paid 50, no fuel pump, multiple holes, broken studs basically unuseable. My car is super shitty too and it makes me sick to think about spending more money on it. You guys have cars that sound like/look like they are worth effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dimwittedmoose51 Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 I saw a decent tank out of a 95 Legacy 4 door in Cedar Falls IA just this week. Not sure what year yours is , but this was the same yard that charged me $35 from my tank. Kings Auto Salvage. They should be on line.......good luck. DM&FS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomistopheles Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 I replaced the tank in my old Outback wagon. Everything dimwittedmoose said is true, lol. I had access to a lift and air tools so it wasn't too bad. Soaked everything in PB, dropped the rear subframe, pulled the old tank, replaced the rotted out brake line that ran above it, and put in my clean $25 legacy L sedan tank. Not a job I would want to do again any time soon, but it wasn't horrible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twisty Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 i hate pulling tanks. on almost all vehicles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tr00b Posted April 9, 2014 Author Share Posted April 9, 2014 Dropped the tank, took two hours with two people. Pulled the driveshaft, dropped the rear xmember and let it hang. Air tools, lift, PB... (PB didn't do crap IMO) Tank isn't as junk as the one I bought, I think I can grind/patch with JB/paint this tank ok. Buying some POR-15, maybe that will be better than undercoat in the problem areas. That rotted brake line looks OK, except at the junction block. 4 lines go into/out of this cast thinger that the internet forum folks so far call the "rusty box." All the lines at that point are junk and scabbed up and near failure. Is the "rusty box" just a pass through junction? One guy said he just bypassed it and just ran the lines straight from A-B. I was thinking of patching in stainless back there. Does anyone sell prebent lines? Do the WRX braided SS brake hoses work on Legacy cars? The brakes on this car are absolutely awful. What commonly fails on the e-brake? This looks like a great time to fix that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dimwittedmoose51 Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 My 4 way boxx was made of brass, as was the one that the junkyard guys left on the line they pulled. The POR might tolerate the ethanol better than the epoxy, but couldn't say for sure. Everyhting I've heard about SS brake lines says stay away from them for street use. The braids accumulate dust and road grime over the years ad that gets inside the ss braid and chafes the rubber inside causing premature failure. SS lines are good fro the track though, just not the daily driver.... DM&FS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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