Wichita Friends - Gas Tank Disposal???

[b-mac]

My friends in the Wichita area (I know you're on here) how do I go about getting rid of an old gas tank?
One of the scrap yards I talked to said I needed to cut a 6"x6" hole in it.
Not sure how to do that and live to tell about it.

I read somewhere about pumping car exhaust into the tank, and that would keep it from exploding when cutting it, but my cajones are too small for that.

[joedoh]

tin snips!

a hole saw wont make sparks. if you are scrapping it, fill it with water and cut a hole with a torch.

[b-mac]

Do you have a scrap yard you like around here?

[joedoh]

to sell steel? I take all my parts to boge iron downtown, no muss no fuss. drive on the scale when you pull in, unload, drive back to the scale, get cash. a gas tank is worth about a dime, but I bet you wouldnt need a hole cut in it as long as it wasnt sealed up.

to buy s10 parts I like G&R lately, pretty reasonable

[HUSSEY]

The dumpster at the apartment complex down the street from me is always accepting old gas tanks.

I take the easy way out scrapping steel, set it at the curb, it doesn't last long. I never really have enough to make it worth driving to a scrap yard. I save up aluminum/brass/copper etc. and go once I feel like I have enough to make it worth my while.

[b-mac]

Man, I've really considered the dumpster thing.

Setting the steel on the curb is a good idea too. My neighborhood might be a little classy for it (neighborhood...not me) but if I take it to work, I probably won't even have to unload it out of my truck. It will be like my own personal charity program.

[OrrieG]

Craigslist here has a dozen ads in the free section for guys that pick up scrap. There is one guy that cruises out neighborhood every couple of weeks, he knows anything I don't want is next to the street where the trash cans go for dumping. If I'm out we will BS a little about cars and stuff.

[joedoh]

Originally Posted by HUSSEY

I never really have enough to make it worth driving to a scrap yard.

I hear that, you work all day sweating and it nets like 20 bucks.

[mr48chev]

Over the past 46 years I've cut an untold number of them open with an axe. I sure wouldn't waste the cost of a cutting disk or sawzall blade on one. I learned that In Waco from a guy who cut cars up with an axe because in his words it cost money to use a torch and nothing to use an axe. I've cut a few cars up with an axe frame and all too over the years.

[1958Warrior]

steel/tin is only .10 a lb at scrap yard around here...
add on CL will be gone in a few hours ...
Just for fun...12 gauge target practice ...or
4th of July is just around the corner home made fireworks also comes to mind on a back road( at a safe distance of course)

[mr48chev]

Most of us would rather haul it away ourselves rather than let a scrapper on the property. I've run enough of them off here that the word is out and they don't come around.

[b-mac]

Mr48, I'm am throughly impressed. Chopping up a frame with an ax...that's pretty badass.

As far as the gas tank, wouldn't wacking metal with a metal ax create sparks?

[HUSSEY]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

I learned that In Waco from a guy who cut cars up with an axe because in his words it cost money to use a torch and nothing to use an axe.

Ok, come on, that has to be total BS. Cutting up a car with an axe?!?! Even if cutting wheels and oxy/acetylene cost money, you'd be money ahead by the time you save as oppose to "cutting it up with an ax".

[mr48chev]

Well the guy I saw it was about 6'6 and 250 and had shoulder length flame red hair. I asked him why he didn't use a torch (he was cutting up a 65 Corvair) and he said torches cost money to run and he didn't have money to spend.

Actually they cut pretty easy with an axe. The first car I cut up that way was a 66 Chevelle Two door hardtop that my buddy had sold the engine and trans and nose off and gave me the body and frame. I unbolted the doors and deck lid and loaded them in my 48 and cut the roof off and cut it in two and loaded it. Hauled that to M Lipsizts's in Waco the next day and cut the floor in two and pulled the back half off that night and cut it in half. Hauled that the next day and hauled the cowl the next and then cut up the frame and sold the rear end for 10.00 to a buddy building a T bucket.

I can give you the phone number of one of my now best friends who will tell you he met me when I was out in the yard cutting up a scrap car with an axe next door to where he was living at the time. At that time I had a cutting torch that had never been out of the box because I couldn't afford the bottles or pay for the gas because I wasn't making much money at the time.

As far as that gas tank goes unless you were driving the truck in the past week I doubt that you would have to worry about a spark cutting it but I would do it out in the yard away from everything else just in case.

[Bushwickbill]

i would let it air dry out for a few days, wash it out with water, open up every port possibly and drop a match into it. once nothing happens cut it up with a sawsall and move on. or like joedoh said tin snip a large enough hole it doesn't need to be pretty

[ChevySixty6]

Ditto MR48CHEVY We had a guy, retired now, who used to quarter cars with an axe all the time. We told him he was nuts. Said it really didn't take as long as you would think. He worked in Topeka Foundry and Irons' steel yard and was a strong as an ox.