The bad news is, it was leaking. It was leaking badly around the filler neck base - so badly that I couldn't tell if it was also leaking anywhere else. So, out came the torch, and I finished the job of desoldering the filler neck from the tank. Then, I did my best at cleaning up the metal to prepare to reassemble and resolder it back together.

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I had to order solder, because all I could find locally was lead free stuff - and I wanted to use a decent leaded solder. After it arrived, I went ahead and fluxed, soldered, and moved forward with another leak check.

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You can see I used some PVC fittings, and a Motive Products Power Bleeder to pressurize up to about 15 psi, to see if it would hold. It would not. Bummer. I tried to use a soapy solution to find where it was leaking, but all I did was make a mess. So, I filled a big ol' bucket, submerged the thing, and pumped it up - looking for bubbles. I was pretty happy to find it was leaking at the plate that I used to block the thermostat/inlet flange. After redoing that with some gasket sealer - no leaks. It sure seems like it holds!

Now, on with the build!!