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| New Aluminum Tanks - Anyone Interested? | Rating: 
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| Posted: 10-20-2005 03:00 pm |
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81st Post |
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jensen4u Member
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Got mine yesterday! I have not considered sealing or painting my new tank. Why do you think aluminum can rust? SS can if in direct contact with other rusting parts, but I am not aware that is a concern with aluminum. Please explain further......... Last edited on 10-20-2005 03:01 pm by jensen4u |
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| Posted: 10-20-2005 03:54 pm |
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82nd Post |
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Harkes Member 
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i thought alu could rust and SS could not.. but i'm not knowledgeble in this area. i was just thinking about the SS fuel tanks DMS had been selling for a while that had problems of not being free of leaks (don't know whether is was the weldings or gaskets..or something else), so using a sealant would only be out of precaution for leaks and you get rust protection on top of it. pls let me know if this would be overdoing things... erik
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| Posted: 10-20-2005 06:12 pm |
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83rd Post |
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jensen4u Member
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I too am interested in what the others thoughts are on this. As for my own I will fill my tank with water soon to verify all is well. If mine leaks it goes back to Jorge to make good. I did not buy this tank with the idea of sealing it in mind. Quite frankly the sealer scares me. If it does not bond well how would you get it out or repair it???? Last edited on 10-20-2005 06:13 pm by jensen4u |
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| Posted: 10-20-2005 09:53 pm |
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84th Post |
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Greg Fletcher Administrator 
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I think I'd stay away from DIY tank sealers, at least for the inside. From what I've seen the hobby stuff doesn't give me much confidence, I've heard and seen some scary things- where it can disolve at an alarming rate and gum up fuel lines and fuel pumps. There is a entire industry devoted to tank sealing and new chemistry for it which changes all the time, much of it defense and aircraft related. You can be sure that companies that seal aircraft tanks want to use better quality stuff. The places that I've seen that specialize in this all appear to have their own particular way of doing it and they never want to sell the end user the products directly as correct application is a half the battle. The reconditioned JH fuel tanks we sell in the Club Store get cut open in six places for the sealer application (this coating is guanteed for life), all rust removed (not covered up), and a bunch of other things, so the end product is fairly expense as there is so much labor involved. I'm sure one our JH chemical engineers, could elaborate much better than I, but I'm remembering that aluminum rust is really alumimum oxide (white and completely different from iron oxide) and that aluminum oxide creates a sacrificial barrier which is a good thing since it's fairly hard. What's bad is when the aluminum oxide is depleted too fast, like when you take a 907 block apart that had only water inside (and no antifreeze) for years and half the engine is eatten away!
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| Posted: 10-21-2005 08:16 am |
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85th Post |
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Harkes Member
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Thanks Greg, i do agree sealing inner tank is scary and the product might dissolve all too quickly especially when not applied correctly. The original steel JH fuel tank didn't have any coating and managed to serve its purpose up until last year. To make the aluminium fuel tank look stock i will paint the outerside with POR 15 and a top coating. The tanks should indeed be leakfree so Jensen4u (and others that bought the alu tank) please let us know if it is. As soon as i have mine i'll do the test. the classic tip remains: when stored, keep her filled up. (keeps rust away, if any) erik
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| Posted: 10-22-2005 02:33 am |
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86th Post |
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Gary Martin JH 15371 Member
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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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| Posted: 10-22-2005 07:07 pm |
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87th Post |
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Harkes Member
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Hi Gary, thanks for your explanation and knowledge in this area. I won't paint the inside nor the outside. And i will certainly use rubber behind, underneath and where the straps go. Let me know if you change the seals for rubber ones. erik, netherlands
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| Posted: 10-22-2005 08:30 pm |
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88th Post |
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Gary Martin JH 15371 Member
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I contacted Jorge by email and asked him about the hard plastic seals. Here is his response. WE USE THE SAME GASKETS ON THE "SPITFIRE" FUEL TANKS (THEY HAVE THE SAME EXACT SET UP FOR THE FUEL SENDING UNITS), WITHOUT A PROBLEM... I THOUGHT SINCE WE MAKE THE SEALS FOR THAT TANK, I WOULD SEND THEM FOR THE JENSEN'S, WE DON'T MANUFACTURE RUBBER GASKETS... IF YOU CAN GET ONE, IT'S YOUR CHOICE... I OFFER THE TANKS, THE GASKETS I SENT EXTRA, N/C. PLEASE SEND ME PHOTOS ONCE YOU INSTALL THE TANK... THANX! JORGE CERVERA So Jorge says they work. However I think I'm going to find a rubber one for the sender unit. I will check JHPS store or Delta. Perhaps we can buy them there. I test fit my sender with my old rubber seal and it's not tight enough. The plastic seal is thicker than the standard rubber seal. So it looks like you would need two rubber gaskets to make a tight fit. Gary
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| Posted: 10-31-2005 07:40 pm |
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89th Post |
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jdean Member
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http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/JENSEN-HEALEY-FUEL-TANK-BRAND-NEW-ALLOY_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ34198QQitemZ4586055702QQrdZ1 Jorge is now selling these on eBay. At least they are available for those not able to get in on the initial buy.
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| Posted: 03-13-2006 01:41 pm |
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90th Post |
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smcmanus Member 
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Very interesting thread! I just pulled my tank. It appears to have a very suspect glass job applied to the front and bottom. The ends of the tank have large sheets of epoxy on them which peel off easily. The inside of the tank is very rusty and gummy. I have done some tank repair but the baffles in this tank would make it hard to do a good job. I will probably stick a plastic marine tank in the trunk until I'm sure this car runs and is worth fixing. So how are the new tanks working? Does anyone have a leak? Is anyone happy? I see them on ebay now for $349 which seems cheap compared to other options. Should I spend the extra $50 on alloy or stick with steel? Thanks Steve
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| Posted: 03-13-2006 08:56 pm |
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91st Post |
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73healey Member
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I would be if the price was right.
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| Posted: 11-18-2006 08:13 pm |
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92nd Post |
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jensen4u Member
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Jeorge currently has the aluminum tank listed on ebay for $299.95 buy it now price. Anyone looking for a tank or thinking of rebuilding your old one give this a look.
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| Posted: 11-20-2006 08:32 am |
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93rd Post |
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Harkes Member
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Gary was right about the white hard plastic seals at the sender unit...they do leak. Not much, but they do leak. I took the tank out, replaced it with the original rubber seal but then like Gary said it is not a tight fit. So i ordered a second rubber seal at Rejen Sales in the UK. Two rubbers are too thick, so i made the old one thinner. I placed the new rubber seal between tank and sender unit. The second thinner rubber seal i placed between the sender unit and the locking ring. Tight fit! Tested the tank and it doesn't leak anymore. Tank is back in the trunk. Rubber behind, underneath the tank and under the straps. The Aluminium tank itself is fine and light. erik Last edited on 11-20-2006 08:36 am by Harkes |
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| Posted: 12-08-2006 07:48 pm |
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94th Post |
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rscapri2600 Member
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I guess I should thank everyone for funding Jorge's tooling costs. Strange thing, I finished restoring my Mk1 Jensen a few weeks ago and been using it as my daily driver. Broke down on my street, ran out of gas. I saw a trail of gas following my car, looks like the tank sprung a big leak so will be pulling it out this weekend. I've emailed Jorge through EBay about his shipping costs but he hasn't responded yet. I haven't decided whether to repair, buy steel, or aluminum or install a hardly used 22 gallon FIA/FT3 fuel cell that I am going to pull out of my race car (cell was for a 25 hour enduro race). I would lose my spare tire if it'll fit at all so I have some deciding to do this weekend. I also have an 8 gallon ATL with new bladder which should fit w/o issues. Joe Craven 73 Mk1 Jensen Last edited on 12-08-2006 07:48 pm by rscapri2600 |
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| Posted: 05-06-2007 12:50 pm |
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95th Post |
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kfsmith Member
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I bought a steel unit from jorge. Didn't think I needed to spend the extra $$$ for alum. ... difference covered the shipping to Canada. Unit looks good. Hope to get it installed in the next few days.
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| Posted: 06-20-2007 06:24 am |
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96th Post |
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mdutch Member 
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Well, maybe there's something to be said for being lazy and unmotivated. I finally got around to ordering a tank and there seems a little bit of price drop from the initial estimates on the Aluminum tanks (which may be due to "amortizing" the tooling over more purchases.) Bought mine from Jorge today, $459.95 crated and delivered, which is his advertised eBay "sale price". As more of us buy the tanks, there might be some other additional discounts. Those Triumph tanks are even less expensive. Oh, and for those of you who haven't read the whole thread here, tanks are available in steel for much less. HELLO MARK,YES, HAVE THE TANK IN STOCK & WILL SHIP IT AS SOON AS WE RECEIVE PAYMENT... Looking forward to some bling in my boot. ;) Last edited on 06-20-2007 06:26 am by mdutch |
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| Posted: 06-20-2007 01:15 pm |
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97th Post |
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Mitch Ware Member 
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mdutch wrote:
Isn't that a rap song?
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| Posted: 06-26-2007 06:14 pm |
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98th Post |
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mdutch Member
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Okay, Jorge's aluminum tank just arrived at my office. It IS a sight to behold. Very nicely fabricated, and shipped in a luan-ply crate. I will mention to him about adding a little packing, as it had quite a bit of "rattle room" in the crate -- a couple sheets of bubble wrap would go a long way toward making this a perfect delivery. Personally, I'm going to take a little time to consider polishing out the swirls in the tank, for cosmetic reasons only -- it's so pretty now, I'm almost tempted not to bother. So, anybody want a used O.E. Jensen Healey steel tank? :)
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| Posted: 07-03-2007 02:38 am |
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99th Post |
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timeforwalkies Member
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Looks like I am going to replace my tank with one of the Jaguar by Jorge tanks. Hate to spend the money but it seems like the right thing to do. Question: What are the fins for on top of the tank? Just pulled my tank and they don't seem to do anything at all. Did these attach to a braket on the underside of the trunk on earlier models? Clif
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| Posted: 07-04-2007 12:24 am |
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100th Post |
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LambandAndy Member 
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The "fins" originally had small plastic clips to hold the vent lines in place. Some small tie wraps make a satisfactory replacement. Andy #15223
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