Cleaning the Fuel Tank of the 65 - Any Idea

[rollyalarcon]

Hi All,

I am restoring an r65 1981 model.
I am in the process of cleaning up my Fuel Tank borne by a rusted out Fuel Cap which has contaminated the inners.
The inner lining of the tank seem to have rusted flakes thus clogging the fuel line to the carbs.

Appreciate any idea on how to fully clean and restore the Fuel Tank.
Thanks

Rolly Alarcon
Manila Philippines

[Justin B.]

[movedhere] R65 Technical FAQ/Procedures [move by] Justin B..

[Justin B.]

A very agressive hiogh alkaline cleaner/degreaser (hot works better) then muriatic acid will dissolve the rust on the inside.  I used a gallon of acid inside one of mine and it took about 11 hours to completely remove all trace of rust.  After doing this, though, you need to immediately re-line the tank or rust will start back almost immediately...

You might be better served with a re-line kit such as that from POR15 or Caswell Plating...

[Bengt_Phorqs]

What Justin said on the POR15.  Good stuff if a bit messy so wear gloves.  While you are at it check out the thread "Gas Tank Mod".  Go ahead and put another petcock on there since you'll probably have to repaint the tank after you clean it out.

[Ed Miller]

If you're going to repaint the tank, the easy way I found was to pay my machinist buddy to hot tank the parts; it's a tank of hot sodium hydroxide solution and disolves pretty much everything but the steel.  He did all my Triumph metal work for about 25 dollars, as he was cleaning some other stuff at the same time.

If you are saving the external paint, ignore this.  

[rollyalarcon]

Hello Gentlemen,

Thanks for the ideas.
I do intend to keep the exterior paint, as it is still in pretty good shape.
If I can after this process.

Excuse me gents, but Im not sure what re- line kit POR15 is.
Where can this be acquired.

Perhaps a trip to the machinist would be a best bet.

Thanks all for the assistance.

"MABUHAY" from the Philippines.

[Bob_Roller]

Here's a link to their website : www.por15.com .

[rollyalarcon]

Hi Bob,

Thanks for the POR15 link.
Quite interesting.

Best Regards
Rolly

[Lucky_Lou]

I had to steam out my 80 r65 about 4 times a pressure washer set on reduced flow ..about 500psi i did  it a couple of times and still had trouble with flakes toyed with the idea of coating the inside but thought better of it.
I fitted a small internal filter and a external one not had any problem since
 Lou

[Red_Hen]

I bought the POR tank cleaning kit and am pleased with the end result for my R65LS restoration project. I followed the directions and did it over a few days - took my time - end result is good.  But be careful not to get any of the chemicals on a painted tank - it won't take long to start melting it off - I came close to doing this but in the end used saran wrap around the gas cap to prevent the chemicals from coming out when swishing the chemicals in the tank from one side of the tank to the other.

[montmil]

Whoa! Rolly's avatar looks somebody must've snapped a shot of me 'n Mike during last weekend's ride! That's me in second place about to pass the Mikester on the inside...     Monte

[Lucky_Lou]

Whoa! Rolly's avatar looks somebody must've snapped a shot of me 'n Mike during last weekend's ride! That's me in second place about to pass the Mikester on the inside...     Monte

You guys were never that thin!!!
Lou

[montmil]

Whoa! Rolly's avatar looks somebody must've snapped a shot of me 'n Mike during last weekend's ride! That's me in second place about to pass the Mikester on the inside...     Monte

You guys were never that thin! Lou  

You're half correct, Lou. Bengt admits to 245 pounds, buck nekkid (ugh, the mental image) but I've maintained 153 pounds for the last decade. Just an old skinny guy.

That's why Bengt's riding the vintage HD Daytona racer and I'm passing him on a Vespa!  Sing along with us, Born to be moderately deranged...

Monte

[Lucky_Lou]

Nice mental picture ....i see myself somewhere in the middle buck nackered. [smiley=happy.gif] [smiley=happy.gif]
Lou

[Flash]

I bought a bunch of various sized, tapered rubber plugs from Home Depot that I used to plug the fuel tank filler and petcock holes when using a Kreem tank cleaning kit. I also use them to plug my intake and exhaust ports on the heads and bean can hole when cleaning/rinsing the engine (which is currently on the bench). They're quick to install, very cheap, reuseable, and make a great seal.