I think it is now possible to express the degree of "disorder" of the
Land-Rover by a constant. It used to be that the need for repair increased
exponentially with the amount of mileage covered, but now I've got it down
to a constant amount of "stuff" that doesn't work.
Last night I installed some brand new rear springs on Valdez, with (gasp)
new bolts. These springs solved my spring wrap problem (as they are really
HD), my excessive sway problem, and the saggy rear end problem. I was simply
delighted to round corners without having to lean into them, and to be able
to load five hundred pounds of junk into it without having the spring end up
in negative arch.
Of course, having decreased the overall amount (X) of
unreliability/disorder, mathematics prevailed and left me with a stuck relay
(draining my new $$$ battery) and a substantial fuel leak. The relay was
cured this morning with a new one, but the fuel leak is the real annoyance.
I've fixed that tank once before (it's actually quite solid) but it has
rusted out right where the salt accumulated behind the tank. Excellent.
Someone mentioned welding... What IS the general consensus of the list when
it comes to welding a fuel tank? Of course, after having removed the tank,
drained it of fuel, filled it with hot water to the brim, and having washed
it with a mixture of soap and steaming water. That should get rid of enough
of the fumes and junk, if not I'd just leave it full of water as I'm welding
it. Ordinarily I wouldn't consider it, but this tank is pretty decent
inside, and overall is in excellent shape. I figure that with a welded patch
of 18 gauge over the rusted area (leaking from a pinhole or something) I
might get some decent life out of it. I hesitate to have it coated as it
won't fix the problem permanently, it'll simply plug the hole until the
whole area is weakened and lets go entirely.
Am I going to explode if I do this? I figure that washing it should rid it
of a large percentage of vapour, and whatever is left would be "popped" with
a match before welding it. Welding a tank filled with water sounds like a
recipe for a brittle weld.
J-L
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