gas tank cleaning

whats different ways to clean gas tanks ?mine has a lot of rust inside..anything from dust to big chunks..tank doent leak...

 

BB's or lead shot.

Throw them in and tumble the tank around.

 

Fill it with vinegar or molasses.

 

do all the things that will be suggested and still get stuck on the side of the road from a clogged filter or junked up carb..

I just did some work for a guy who had a tank that was repaired some time ago. some type of silvery crap coated the inside of the tank. so in addition to the rust in the fuel filter and carb, it also had some silvery crap.

we bought a new one.

 

Yeah, for the most part this is true.

I don't know about the "silvery crap" but I'm sure it's the same as Kreem which is commonly used in motorcycle tanks. Kreem is a good coating but is only good for about 3-7 years then it starts to break off and clog everything in sight.

Consider almost anything you do a band-aid.

 

Possibly even less with this damn ethanol added now. Ate the factory lining of my 03 bike and clogged the filter up something bad.

 

keep the idea's commin' guys and thankx for the responses..the shop's dont make a original type tank for inside my delivery..a frame rail tank would be ok,but id have to redo the tailpipes..im tryin' to repair the problem with the least money.right now i gotta do something with the tank and replace the carb and fuel pump..and possibly the fuel line.(that was replaced a yr or so ago,still looks new).that way i can do other things like replace my glass..

 

I have a tank that had six year old fuel that evaporated leaving gum, varnish, crud, and rust behind. The tank is/was not replaceable. So I read a jillion threads here on how to fix it. Here's what I did:

1. poured a bunch of nuts, bolts, and screws in the tank and shook it. Put a chain in it. Shook the tank. Dumped them out.

2. Followed the instructions that came with the POR15 Gas Tank Repair Kit. $77.00

3. Installed tank.

4. Mounted a clear fuel filter near the tank.

5. Mounted a clear fuel filter before the fuel pump.

 

there are some gas takn rebuilders - google it - also many in past have used radiator shope to cleean them too

 

I started by washing it out with soap and water several times, lots of sloshing around, I think I threw in an old chain, too. Then I used water and muriatic acid from the hardware store. (Be super careful, read up on it first. Bad stuff!) It WILL clean the rust out. Rinse it a bunch more, then do the POR-15 gas tank kit.

I did all that and it looked great, except I had a bunch of pinholes (and larger) in the top of the tank and I never did find an epoxy that really held.

Customer of mine had a tank done by a rebuilder (it's a franchise but I can't recall the name), this was back in '98. Lifetime guarantee, it started leaking again last year and they redid it for free, no questions asked.

 

Take it to a radiator shop.

 

If it had that much rust you will probably have leaks after you clean it.
I replaced mine in the 32 with a stainless unit,then you never have to worry again. Deucemanab

 

yea,a stainless tank for mine is $740.00..

 

used a tank sealer kit eastwood garage, seemed to work so far so good in our 57 special!

 

I had a bunch of rust in the tank on one of my 55 Chevy trucks. I dropped in a couple handfuls of large bolts and nuts(they were 7/8" and larger) along with a couple two foot lengths of chain. I hung it from a tree limb so I could rattle and shake it easier. Then after washing it out I used a rust converter made by plastikote. Just dumped it in and rolled the tank around( still hanging from the tree limb). Never had any problems with clogged filters or sediment, been two years now.

 

we have a winner. drop the tank and have them clean it. mine even does a coating on the inside. 4 tanks done this way. never had the coating peel off. no trouble at all. best way to make sure everything is on the up and up.

 

I have used Red Coat on several tanks and have had no problems with them.

 

I use Marine Clean, water and a 6' length of chain in the tank. Shake the chain around top and bottom till you knock off all the goobers, then rinse.

 

after several muriatic cleanings and even more side of the road fuel filter changes, I dropped in a 17 gallon RCI aluminum tank. It was almost exactly the same size as stock but added 100 miles of range for trips. I even kept the filler tube, mostly.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/17-Gallon-R...pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr

 

I bought a '61 plymouth that had gas sitting in it since '01. It had about 1/3 of a tank full. It turned to varnish. I used a gal of Muratic acid and it came out spotless. I washed it out and poured in about a 1/3 gal of WD-40 to prevent flash rusting. Don't huff Muratic or you'll be on your arse.