[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

I sometimes just read and smile. Naturally everyone needs to err on the side of caution and follow safety precautions, but I gotta tell you (-and it may happen on the next one!), that we have never had an A tank do anything more than make one slight 'whoof' when a spark was introduced to a tank. After that, there will never explode or catch fire again during the repair process.

Our protocol is pretty simple; start by draining the fuel and remove the gas gauge, fuel cap, and the valve, ...then add a good squirt of Dawn dishwashing soap, and either fill it with water or stick the nozzle of the steam cleaner into tank to flush for about a minute. Let the water drain and use compressed air to blow the excess water out of the tank. Then use a cut-off wheel to open the tank. If all of the flammable fuel has been removed, and the vapors have been dissipated with compressed air, there isn't anything left to explode. This even applies to rust & varnish left in the bottom of the tank. If it is old dried gas, then the flammable light ends have already evaporated. If someone is still concerned, we have used starting fluid and sprayed a stream starting at the filler neck and across the floor about 5' away. Using a torch, we have lit the starting fluid and the flame traveled across the floor and up into the tank. If the tank did have some vapors, all you will get is a slight 'whoof' as those remaining vapors combust. Otherwise no poof, whoof, or anything. FWIW, if I had listened to all of the people on Fordbarn tell me never weld on a Model-A tank because of how dangerous welding on them was, I would have never, ever restored the first one. It turns out, most oof the advice I was given was from people who had never even welded on a Model-A gas tank. The were just repeating a story that they had heard from someone who had heard it from.....