[twilder]

I was a firefighter for nearly 40 yrs. One of the worst injuries I ever saw was someone working on a (removed) gas tank from a '67 Corvette. It's not the liquid that ignites but the fumes. I'm like an earlier poster, I wouldn't even let anyone smoke near it! You never know, you could have an electrical arc somewhere that could cause ignition. Be safe, remove it and repair it correctly!