Fuel Tank Replacement 87 V20

[RABBITFISH]

I am going to try to get this started and attach pictures.
First pic is of open hatch and console moved to allow access to tank area.

next pic is of the console moved showing tank area


Next the hoses, wires etc removed and ready to begin removing foam..


The tank is out..


See the holes, there were more under the bottom area..

 

[RABBITFISH]

Tank replacement cont..

next picture is the tank showing the overall condition after 22 years encased in foam..

this is the coffin area after the tank has been removed, notice the PVC pipe running from bulkhead to bulkhead through the foam. This drained the foreward compartment areas to the rear bilge where the bilge pump is.


This is the rear of the coffin bulkhead showing how the PVC is run.


The dark area is where I had spilled some outboard oil and it stained the bulkhead, it's still solid all the way around as seen in the next two pics...

 

[RABBITFISH]

Tank replacement cont..

OK first pic is the front of the coffin bulkhead showing the condition of the interior and bilge area, still good for 22 years I think..


Next the coffin area is cleaned out and ready for prep.


New tank, prepped with coal tar epoxy, ready to be put into coffin..


I prepared the coffin area with foamed in bulkheads to allow for water drainage from sides and front to rear and to allow air circulation around tank


I used a template to cut and shape the foam bulkheads to fit the tank and support it while I poured foam into the four corners..

 

[RABBITFISH]

Tank replacement cont..

After I cut the foam bulkheads to fit, I epoxied the entire compartment and foam bulkheads to seal everything before I dropped in the new tank.

The nex pic is the new tank in place with hold downs in place to keep the tank from rising when I poured the foam in..


This is the coal tar epoxy I used to coat the tank with, it only cost $23


After changing all of the hoses and filters and everything associated with the fuel system, I am very confident of the condition of my boat now. I also had stuck the camera into all of the holes and inspection ports to be able to check unreachable areas. Worked out great..
I can't figure out how to insert big pictures yet. This is still a learning experience for me....
Thanks for all of the help guys..

Tommy

 

[tsubaki]

Man, that looks good!!
D'yu run a bonding strap for lightning and/or static electricity protection between the nozzle filler, tank and zinc plate or motor ground?

 

[spareparts]

man, that coal tar is tough stuff, where did you find it so cheap?

 

[RABBITFISH]

Man, that looks good!!
D'yu run a bonding strap for lightning and/or static electricity protection between the nozzle filler, tank and zinc plate or motor ground?

There were two grounding tabs built on the topside of the tank, grounding wires were run from filler to tank, vent to tank, tank to battery ground, tank to ground block on panel. Is this the same as a bonding strap like you mentioned? ( I hope so, I would hate to find out now I need to go back into the project) I failed to mention how long it took! Started in January 2009, finished around end of March 09, working weekends between all of the other honeydos...
Learned a lot from the internet forums.... I would not have tried it without all of the help. I think I might haved saved a few dollars doing it my self..

 

[RABBITFISH]

man, that coal tar is tough stuff, where did you find it so cheap?

The brand is BP and there is a BP paint store here in my area. I had checked with another paint store and a similar product was around $54, believe it or not the salesman at the paint store told me about the BP store. I had printed out the pic to use for shopping......

 

[RWilson2526]

Great info there Rabbitfish, thanks for posting....I have my tank replacement on the horizon, this fall/winter. Not sure if I have the patience to do as good a job as you though....

 

[phatdaddy]

looks good, did you put cloth over the new foam supports, or just coat with epoxy? i have a feeling i am due for the same type project in the future....

 

[Blue_Runner]

Great post and nice work.​

 

[nymack66]

Excellent idea with the foam pour creating the mold etc, I did something similar but pour marine foam across the entire bottom because I install a polyurethane tank.
Its an idea i will remember, good job and very informative post.

 

[RABBITFISH]

looks good, did you put cloth over the new foam supports, or just coat with epoxy? i have a feeling i am due for the same type project in the future....

No I didn't use any cloth, after cutting the supports to fit I just used epoxy to seal the foam cuts to stop any absorbtion. I also coated the entire tank compartment with epoxy while I was in there. The form supports were also stops for the additional foam pour to stop the foam from running into the center channels, creating the corner supports. The foam when poured along the sides will run under the tank filling the corners under the tank and rising up the sides to provide more support from underneath, along with closing the corners on the side locking the tank in place. This was not my idea, I had copied some of the other members ideas that had done this type of replacement before..

Tommy

 

[RABBITFISH]

Great info there Rabbitfish, thanks for posting....I have my tank replacement on the horizon, this fall/winter. Not sure if I have the patience to do as good a job as you though....

When I first became aware of the problem, it seemed like a major catastrophe, after calming a while and doing a lot of reading, (it was January!) I decided that either I could just go take out a loan to have it done, or attempt to do the job myself. On these forum's are a lot of other people that have tackled these types of projects, and were very helpful with advice, and how to's even to the extent of posting pictures. Afterwards, looking back, I'm glad I did the job myself, not only did I save what was probably a significant amount of money, I now have a confidence in my boat that is very hard to describe, along with the pride of doing what I believe to be a better job than what I may have obtained having it done by someone else.....

Tommy

 

[Blue_Runner]

Ah confidence......

 

[pancake]

rabbitfish saw your posts, thanks for the pics. i will be facing a tank removal on my 1984 20' center console fisherman. i've removed the centerconsole and raised up the floor. can you tell me how tough/difficult it was to remove the tank. did thet liitle saw remove /cut the foam for you to pop out the fuel tank?

 

[jasoncooperpcola]

I thought i should post this, http://www.yachtsurvey.com/fueltank.htm , it seems foaming fuel tanks in isn't a bright idea anymore. The following is from the site i just linked:

Fuel tanks don't corrode because they get wet; they corrode because at some point something is in contact with the tank that traps water between it and the tank. Like the original foam that it was installed with. Aluminum is self-protecting, so long as the surface gets adequate air exposure. Severe corrosion is always caused by water plus a lack of oxygen.

makes me wonder, does the coal tar epoxy help or hurt the new tank?