So I gave OREGONLOGGER's Indian Head gasket sealer method a try and still have a major seal failure. I re-used the original gasket which appeared to still be in really good shape, though showed significant indentation where the ridge of the tank base should obviously create one for the seal itself. There was a previous attempt at fixing the leak with some type of sealer applied only at the rear corners of the tank, which as mentioned in a previous post, probably just created a bigger leak, but was easily cleaned up with no residue on the tank surface areas or the gasket. I was reluctant to soak the gasket in anything that may interfere with the shellac curing, so I just went with it as it was and applied the sealer to both surfaces and let cure for a while before assembly per the instructions. Snagged a good fuel line from an old 10-10 donor, put it together, let it sit for 24 hours. Still leaked just as bad as before. And when I pulled it back apart, the shellac was pretty runny again vs. real gummy/tacky like when I put things back together.
So..., a couple of questions;
What is adequate "drying time for this stuff? (The Indian Head sealer.)
Is it possible the gasket is too compressed and has lost enough thickness to even be close to effective...even with the sealer?
Is the original thickness of the gasket 1/8"? (Looks like it around the edges.)
As for Fel-Pro at the local auto parts store, they only carry the 1/16" stuff, so if the compression already present in the existing gasket isn't sealing, I doubt that a new, thinner gasket would be much better...and I assume doubling up a pair of thinner ones would not exactly receive a ringing endorsement from you guys, either. Plus, just cutting
one would be bad enough.
The Red-Kote is tempting, but it's mighty expensive and the smallest available container size is a quart.
And finally, I have a real mess of shellac that needs cleaned up before I can give this another shot by whatever method. What's the best solvent for dissolving this stuff? Mineral spirits barely puts a dent in it. Lacquer thinner maybe? (Don't have any on hand to try at the moment.) Gas has some effect, but not much...and shouldn't according to what the sealer is intended to seal.
TIA for any additional advice / input as usual. Would sure like to get this rascal running along side the other two!
Oh yeah, is this the Indian Head stuff everyone refers to? It's what I used.
