how can i start/fix gas leak on craftsman 4.3A/VL?

I had both 1" and 3/8" holes on the bottom of my saw straight through the bottom of the gas tank. I stripped the paint off down to the bare metal with a rotary tool (Dremel brand) using a small rotary wire brush. I then used a piece of aircraft grade aluminum plate (any thin metal should due, but same metals are recommended to reduce dissimilar metal corrosion). Drilled two holes (two was all I needed for secure fastening) through the plate, and saw housing. I then selected two screws (acquire from local hardware store) I used 1/4" 4-40 screws with 75% thread depth for the shallow tapping. After testing the tapped holes and plate with the screws, I removed the plate and hardware. I prepped all surfaces by cleaning with M.E.K. (High strength solvent also found at hardware stores) I then used gasket material(Permatex form-a-gasket #2) for the fuel/oil resistance on the saw and plate. I fastened the plate to the saw, and used thread locking compound (Loctite Threadlocker RED 271) to permanently lock the screws into the tapped threads. After giving the gasket and thread locker 48hrs to fully cure, I then sealed the entire plate and screws in an epoxy (VersChem Clear Weld Epoxy that is fuel/oil resistant) making the repaired bottom a solid, one piece. I haven't experienced any leaking at all.

Brave Rifles
March 2011