I don't plan to seal inside or outside. It should last as long or longer than the original. I would be more concerned with how it is mounted. Get rid of the water absorbing pad material behind and under the tank. I plan to use some rubber strips here instead. Also put some rubber between steel tank straps and the tank to prevent Galvanic corrosion (corrosion between two dissimilar metals). Aluminum inhibits corrosion naturally by forming an Aluminum Oxide protective coating. Scuffing the surface removes this coating, but it will quickly repair itself as long as the surface is exposed to Oxygen. Therefore painting the outside may not be a good idea. Inside, Aluminum will not corrode as long as the PH of the liquid in contact with it is between 5 and 9. Gas has a neutral PH of 7. So I would install tank as is, keep dissimilar metals away from it, keep your trunk dry (difficult with British cars in wet climates) and you should be fine.
I will not be able to install and test my tank for several weeks. I'm making some rust repairs in my trunk. Post messages on how your install goes. I'm a little concerned with the white hard plastic seals, especially for the tank sender. I don't see how hard plastic can seal as good as a rubber seal here.
By the way, the orginal steel tank weighs 18 lbs. The Aluminum tank weighs 11 lbs. One gallon of gas lighter.
Gary
Last edited on 10-22-2005 06:10 pm by Gary Martin JH 15371
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