I will say, I was surprised to still smell such a strong odor after soaking like that for almost a month. I pulled the fuel gauge out and also tilted it while filling this time while filling with soapy water so no air would be trapped.
It is a nice tank though, it's got the better looking end caps, only has four plugs in the bottom and they are in line. I will just install plugs in three and use the forth for the drain pipe. It has a little rust on the bottom, but does not look like it has pitted the steel yet, just slight surface rust. Usually these are 3/16". , but sticking my finger in the plug hole and trying to gauge the thickness, it feels a bit heavier, might just be wish full thinking though.
I have changed my mind though on the direction this build will go. I have received many party invites , nascar passes, ect. In the past few months and realized that I don't have a small, portable, tailgater sort of cooker. My big pit is a bit big for that sort of thing, not wanting to pull it all over the state like that. I'm going to step up to 12" rims on this build so I won't be worried about running 80 mph down the highway with it. I'm also going to try to give it as much wood/cooler storage as possible under the cooking chamber. I don't want to lengthen or widen the trailer any, still want it to be compact, so that's where I will have to incorporate the storage.
Trying to google pit trailers to get ideals has made me realize that many builders , even the big names , cut a lot of corners in that area. I'm trying to come up with something really cool, but more than likely will have to mock everything up and sit and stare at it a while.