What is the best method of cleaning the inside of a gas tank? I was having problems with the fuel gauge reading so dropped the tank and found the problem but noticed a fair amount of rust inside the tank. Please provide me your advise on the best way to clean the inside of the tank and remove the rust. Thanks in advance.....
I cleaned mine with a power washer and then took it to the local radiator shop, to check it out. They can clean it real good in there tank and make any necessary repairs. Not expensive to clean and test but coatings get expensive.
been thru this..if its bad, dont bother with it. it will just come back to haunt you in fucked up carbs and fuel pumps. your call but that is one of the reasons why my 53 has been down..i took the tank down cleaned it and etched it and got by for 2 years..but now shit is getting in my filters and carbs and jets again. i guess its one of those things you have to ask and see how bad it is , and how much f-ing around with it you really want to do.
Ive used Muriatic acid, just get it from your local pool supply shop and slosh it around. Wear gloves and a ruber suit, it works but its nasty stuff.
Took mine to a rad shop, had it dipped and cleaned. Lasted a year. I wouldn't bother. For the money I think it's one of those things that's better off starting new.
Don't use Muratic acid. Use phosphoric acid or zinc phosphate. After the tank is etched, seal it with a gas tank sealer and it will last for years. Muratic acid will cause the tank to rust, even as the rinse water is evaporating. Phosphoric acid and zinc phosphoric will give rust protection until you get it sealed. Bill
Building several gennie deuces with original sheetmetal but I sold my original tanks to the restorers and started with new. They are so close to original nobody notices.
the price of fuel, the amount of time and money invested into your car doesn't mean jack if you cant go anywhere in it. if you can afford it make a new one, or a repop, there is at least one thread on building your own gas tank.
Well, here is what I've done in the past to get by. Empty the tank, take it off, put in about two coffe cups full of small sharp stones. Something like the seal coat chips that the highway people put on asphalt roads. Crushed with sharp edges is what you want. Then put in a gallon of so of water. Find a helper and slosh the stones back & forth, rolling the tank around as you do so. Turn the tank upside down & rightside up during this process too. Do it till you are sick of it. Dump the mess out, rinse tank with clean water. Let it air dry. DO NOT vacum out the loose rust in the tank with a regular shop vac. The gas fumes can explode in the vacum as the electric motor is not explosion proof duty. Crude method perhaps but I used it with success on a 29 Model A and also a 64 Ford. Put a plastic see through filter in line in an easy to access location and keep a couple spares in the glove box. Maybe ain't the best but it'll get you buy. New tanks are silly expensive for some cars. Good luck Worken2much
I had to remove the gas tank to finish off the back of the cab with Dynamat. With a flashlight I took a peek inside and it appeared to look pretty clean. When I removed the gas sending unit I found out why it wasn't working very well, the float was like mesh so swiss cheese would be an under statement. After the tank dried out and I went to move it some junk was coming out of the petcock hole. Well enough of that junk came out to warrant feather investigation and I'm glad I did. The bottom of the tank was showing signs of a corossion. Threw some nuts in there and gave it a good shake, I couldn't believe all the crap brook loose and came out including something someone dropped in the tank. So I ordered a tank cleaner and sealer product by KBS. The three step process instructions were simple and straight foreword. A friend and I were able to go through the whole process in about 6 hours. Should be good for another 60 years.
For Zinc Phosphate, I used POR 15 Metal Ready. Really good stuff and I like it a lot. Gives a considerable amount of protection. http://www.por15.com/METAL-READY/productinfo/MRG/ Kind of spendy. Bill
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