Fuel/Gas Tank "Restoration"

[Doug]

I have a vehicle that was "stored" a number of years ago and the gas was not drained at that time. To prep for starting, I drained the dark & somewhat
rank smelling old gas. The tanks interior is now coated with a damp,rusty & varnish crud. The tank for this particular vehicle is not being reproduced.
It appears my only option is to "Restore" the tank.
Question: Has anyone had experience (Good or Bad) with the POR15 3 step
Fuel Tank Restoration products? 1) Cleaner/Degreaser, 2) Metal Prep (water
base Zink Phosphate) & 3)Fuel Tank Sealer?
Also, any other suggestions greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

[TonyM]

Yes, I was able to restore my fuel tank using their cleaner. Worked for me. But then again my tank was not that bad.

[FortyNiner]

I used the POR system about 6 years ago and have been very satisfied with the results. Be certain to follow the directions EXACTLY. Pay special attention drying the tank before applying the sealer. Think fan with duct work to force air into the tank.

[paul2748]

Is there a radiator shop nearby - some clean out old gas tanks

[3twinridges]

If you use POR system, do it in the woods behind your house. It's by far the nastiest job I have done. I some how managed to get it just about every where.

JB

[barnfind]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Lots of videos on utube of different techniques to clean and derust gas tanks.
(Search gas tank rust removal or similar)

I had good luck with a homemade electrolysis setup to clean both the varnish and the rust.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Elec...rcycle-Gas-Ta/

Another article - I use Borax as suggested.
http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb...removal-75697/

[John R]

I used a two-step process to clean a tank that had both varnish and low-moderate rust. First, I removed the varnish using denatured alcohol. It will soften the varnish and eventually dissolve it. This process may take some time but can be accelerated by agitation and/or use of long-handled tube brushes to scrub the surface inside. I drained and replaced the alcohol with a fresh batch once, but it might take more refills if the varnish is really thick. The color of the alcohol will indicate how much work has been done or remains to be done. (My first batch of alcohol turned very dark brown after two weeks, but the second batch only reached a light tan after more than a week.)

The second step is to use Rust 911 or Evaporust or equivalent to remove the rust. Like the alcohol, I used about 1/3 tankful and rotated the tank occasionally so all surfaces were contacted. As the Rust 911 does its job, the process will slow down as the Rust 911 wears out. You may have to drain and refill once to get the last sections really clean.

It helps a lot to have a very strong, well-focused light so the process can be monitored thru the gas gauge opening (and maybe the filler neck, depending on the design of the tank).

Using the above process, my tank looks brand new inside.

[stangblue]

I used Eastwoods still works fine. No degradation or leaks so far. I like the tire rotation (agitation)! Shaking the solution around in the tank can get tiresome. It took me a day and 1/2 to complete process on and off.

[rotorwrench]

I get the varnish out with Drano crystals & water mix. I just put enough lye in there to cover the crud (probably around 3 gallons). Protect yourself from the lye. It can harm your skin and eyes if it splashes on you. Leave it in overnight and pour the crap out the next day then hose it out with water. After that it's ready for the phosphoric acid cleaner. If they are really bad, it may take two treatments.

[Bruce_MO]

I agree with Paul... take it to a radiator shop and have them boil it out. The guy I use has done hundreds. I would then have them coat it with "Redcoat" liner. Good shops will stand by their work.

I have a '32 and the tank was pretty bad inside. That one I took to one of the "Renu" locations and they cut a number of 1" holes in it and blasted the interior. Then the coated it with stuff that's really tough. They did a fantastic job of welding up the holes so there were no cosmetic issues with the tank.

With gas tanks, I think the best approach is to let a pro do it, to avoid having to redo it at some point. I learned that lesson once. That's my opinion. Good luck

[kegmon]

One of the best radiator shops here in KC would do the clean and coat as Bruce mentioned for appx $300. A new tank from LMC Truck runs $199, although you'd probably want to replace other parts (mounting hdwr, etc) which then may get you to $300 or more. I guess it depends on how bad you want to hang on to the original tank.

[rotorwrench]

The last time I checked, I could only find one genuine radiator shop in San Antonio. His tank was only large enough to put a small size radiator in it. All the other radiator shops will sell you a new plastic and aluminum radiator and that's about it.

[47COE]

I have used the POR-15 kit on 3 tanks with good results. Plan on spending an entire day to do a tank.

To dry the tank, I ran a vacuum hose through the gauge opening with the end of the hose at the far end of the tank opposite the filler opening. Then I stood the tank on end so that the filler opening was down and the end with the vacuum hose was up. Used a heat gun to blow hot air into the filler opening. With hot air blowing in the bottom, and the vacuum sucking air out of the top of the tank, it dries pretty fast.

Also had a local radiator shop do another gas tank. He hot tanked it and coated it with a blue colored coating. He used over a gallon of coating to slosh around inside. The POR 15 kit only gives you about a quart of coating. More than enough to coat the inside walls of the tank. But I'm not sure that it adequately covered all of the internal baffles. The gallon that the radiator shop used is a lot more likely to cover all of the baffles.

[JSeery]

Originally Posted by rotorwrench

The last time I checked, I could only find one genuine radiator shop in San Antonio. His tank was only large enough to put a small size radiator in it. All the other radiator shops will sell you a new plastic and aluminum radiator and that's about it.

Yep, radiator shops are quickly becoming a thing of the past.

[supereal]

There used to be shops that did "restoration"of gas tanks, but they mostly disappeared as the process didn't work. One these places was just down the road from our shop, and had a mountain of old tanks outside. Ford tanks were lined with a substance called "tern", a kind of solder. When it was breached, rust immediately attacked the exposed metal. Using a "slush" sealer sometimes worked, at least for a while. The only true "fix" is tank replacement. If you are a purist, exact replacement are available. The tank in my '47 was riddled with pinholes on the top, which is common, so I went to a plastic tank, and have had no problems (or rust)!

[4t8v8]

I used POR15 system in my F1 and Harley tanks 30 years ago. Still looks new. One corner of my tank was rusted out. Formed a new piece of metal and welded it in. Still holding. Be sure and follow the instructions carefully.

[rotorwrench]

With Por-15,Kreem, or other similar tank sealers it is important to follow instructions. The key is not allowing any corrosion to form inside the tank during the change over from cleaning to sealing. They usually give you a bottle of tank prep B (MEK) to slosh around in there to get rid of any traces of water or left over crud. The MEK is sort of a thinner for the sealer so I don't bother to let it dry. I just pour out the MEK and pour in the sealer & start the slosh process. This will generally keep any corrosion from starting to form inside the tank. Once it is coated, the corrosion will not try to form in there. If anything in the tank is not coated, the corrosion will start to form very soon after the excess sealer is removed. A person has to make sure everything is coated even if you have to paint it with a long brush. Some tanks are impossible to see into so you just don't know about those. Model A tanks are bad that way. If I ever sealed one of those damn things again, I think I would purchase a few more gallons of sealer just to make sure.

Another alternative it to take it to a galvanizing shop & have them dip the sucker in their tank but that stuff doesn't flow as well at tin/lead terne dip so I'd make sure they got it all out of there.

[wga]

Doug - used the POR15 on two gas tanks, my 49 Ford and 50 International PU. Both with outstanding results. As others have said, follow the directions. Used their cleaner with hot water and got all the crud out, then the acid, followed by a rinse. Used the shop vac to blow air in. Inside must be clean, no rust, and dry prior to the coating.
Also used the shop vac to help the coating dry.
Protect the threads for fittings on your tank from the coating. This took much of a day - and much of that time was allow the cleaners to work, tank to dry, etc.
Did this about 10 years ago, and if I need another tank cleaned, would do it again.

[Mick35]

Doug, also be mindful not to allow the fuel line inside your tank to become blocked during the sealing process.

[Karl]

Originally Posted by 3twinridges

If you use POR system, do it in the woods behind your house. It's by far the nastiest job I have done. I some how managed to get it just about every where.

JB

Ditto on that and it won't come off your hands (if you aren't wearing gloves) for three weeks ! Worked fine on my car