Rusty Fuel Tank Interior

[Bob_Roller]

Now that I have successfully gotten the stuck fuel cap off of my '84 LS, I now have to address the rusty tank interior .

Justin, you mentioned that you used common pool acid to de-rust your LS tank .

How did you keep the acid in the tank, did you leave the fuel tap on, or did you use something else ?

Any other methods out there, that have worked for you ?

[Lucky_Lou]

I did mine with a steam cleaner (pressure washer) i made a special pipe end to get into the crevises washed it out at 500psi and 80c repeated this operation 3 or 4 times  as i had repeated  problems with debri in the fuel tap sorted it in the end but i must admit i was close to coating the inside of the tank with resin but glad i didnt but i did fit a mesh inside the tank had no problems since.
Lou

[Bob_Roller]

Has anyone in the US bought POR 15 tank liner recently, if so, any recommendations on who to purchase it from ?  

[Bengt_Phorqs]

I lined a fuel tank on a Karmann Ghia with POR 15 a couple of years back.  Pretty easy to do if you take precautions not to plug the fuel tap outlet.  Mine was available at the local VW Bug shop.  Not cheap as a package because you need the muriatic acid to clean the tank, then there is an etching solution, then add the POR 15.  

[Bob_Roller]

I wished I'd known the tank was rusted inside, as I have access to a high pressure washer at work .

Of course, I'm on vacation now !!!!

If the paint wasn't in such good condition, I would  soak the tank in an organic acid (highly concentrated citric acid) tank at work .

[Ed Miller]

I have some stuff called Ecotec, which seems to be a mix of some organic acids.  It works well for de-rusting, and I used it in my Triumph's gas tank without messing up the paint by using a funnel and being really careful.  I actually don't know that it would hurt paint but I decided not to experiment.

I got the stuff at a local vintage Chevy parts store called The Filling Station.  That reminds me I need to go back there for a third member gasket for my pickup.

[Bob_Roller]

How long did you leave the acid solution in the fuel tank ?

[Justin B.]

Bob, I used muriatic acid and had to leave it in the tank for around 11 hours but it was 100% grey in color inside when I finished!  I would shake it and slosh it around about once per hour.  I then rinsed real good with flowing water and followed by an acetone rinse.  I pulled the tap and plugged the hole with a rubber stopper...

[Ed Miller]

I'm pretty sure I left it in for a day.  It doesn't attack clean metal so I don't think there's any risk in leaving it in longer.  I saved it in a bucket and rinsed the tank out really well with water.  Hot water would be good as the tank would dry faster.

[Bob_Roller]

Thanks Justin, I'm not sure if I'll use muriatic acid, or something else, I think I'll wait until I get the POR 15 kit and go from there .

[Ed Miller]

The POR-15 kit comes with it's own Metal Ready stuff, which is probably similar to what Justin and I used.  Probably phosphoric acid based.  I just used a whole bunch of it on my Napco axle, which is now shiny POR-15 black.  

[Bob_Roller]

I just got done with my first attempt at removing the rust from the fuel tank .

I put about 2 cups of sharp edged aquarium gravel in the tank, with about a quart of paint thinner .

After about an hour or so of sloshing it around, it looks like about 75% of the rust is gone, there still is a fair amount of the old red liner left in the tank .

I need to go out and find some rubber stoppers, and I'm going to try a couple of quarts of phosphoric acid from Home Depot, slosh it around, and see how it looks after a few hours .

[montmil]

Bob, here's a source for the POR-15 along with some extensive data on usage and applications.     Monte

http://www.rustedrods.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1&Itemid=4

[Bob_Roller]

I've got the POR 15 kit already, I just an being hesitant about what to use to get the remaining rust out of the tank .

After talking to a few people about using acid to remove the remaining rust deposits, I've made up my mind, that I am going to hold off, until I get back to work in a little over 2 weeks, and then use concentrated citric acid .

I just have an uneasy feeling, about using anything else .

[Darwin_R65]

One of the guys here in the car club buys mollasses from a horse supply, dilutes it 10:1 and soaks metal parts overnight in that. He swears by it.

We also have a few guys who have used the POR15 tank sealant  and swear by it, but they've set up a rotisserie for tanks.

We also have a steam train that has been completely restored in POR15.

The "Sandfly" used to travel between Larrimah and Darwin when that was the only train tracks here

John