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Hi,
I’m dealing with a seep in the Left Fuel Tank. Before removing and attempting a repair I thought I would ask around to see if I might be able to pick up a nice Left fuel tank. I would hate to tear mine out and have the plane down all summer if I run into challenges in repairing. Please contact me if you can set me up. Leave message 360-380-7337 and I will get back to you or email me at underhiswings7@comcast.net. Thanks a ton! Ed Soderblom
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Hi Ed ,
Sorry no good tanks here, but I recommend sending the tank to K &K Precision Welding for repair. The owner does excellent work and has many fuel tank repairs completed. Including L-5 tanks. Kim Wekerly (owner) is retired USAF welder and runs an FAA Repair Station which specializes in spinner and backplate repairs.
Disclaimer time — Kim is one of my best friends and I help him on many sheet metal repairs (non welding type). His work is outstanding , fast, reliable and reasonable. (and I am not saying that because he just walked in the door:). I do all pressure testing on the L-5 tanks he gets. There has not been an un repairable L-5 tank to date.
L-5 tanks can have a corrosion issue or a crack causing a leak. My tanks had been sealed at some point with a sloshing sealer before I got it. (don’t do that!!). I cut open each tank bay and stripped the sealant. ( that is on my list of not fun things to do:), then cut out the corroded area of the rear seam. We spliced in a new section and Kim welded it up. 22 years 1100 hours and no leaks.
K &K Precision Welding
2083 Hwy L, Unit 15
East Troy, WI 53120-9778
United Stateshttp://www.precision-welding.com
414-333-0689
ST
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Thankyou Sam for the valuable information! It’s a very small seep and I will plan on removing the tank next winter when the weather turns south again. I won’t use it unless I need it for range occasionally as I don’t want to damage the wood. I will still try to dig up an extra tank until then after which I will get the original repaired and on the shelf for someone else someday. THANKYOU for the info. Ed
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Just an update, my advertisement in Barnstormers has turned up several fuel tanks for the L-5. So far I have not found one in better shape than my left seeping one (usually they are dented worse than mine) so I have not bought one yet, but they are around. If you are interested I can forward phone numbers to you if you are looking for one. Once again, if you have an extra very nice left fuel tank you want to sell me don’t hesitate to contact me.
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Just finished the fuel tank repair. There was a very tiny seep on an old repair at the top of the tank that took the welder 15 seconds to fix. Pressure checked it thoroughly and reinstalled. It was nice to be able to do an in-depth inspection of the inside of the wing with the tank out. I was very pleased how everything looked and all glue joints were solid! I took some pictures of the job and I thought it would be appropriate to post here. Love how easy the Poly-fiber system is to work with.
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