Gas Tank Repair/Sealant

[belmateo]

Muriatic acid is dangerous stuff, how did you dispose of it?

 

[Shannon Boal]

"Muriatic acid is dangerous stuff, how did you dispose of it?"

I used it diluted. I don't know what the strength was, got it from Ace hardware, maybe a cup of that in two gallons. It is good for cleaning rust stains off porcelain plumbing fixture. Results vary with concentration and temperature. Hotter is faster. Neutralize when you are done with baking soda solution....no longer dangerous. It is possible to use vinegar, sulfuric and nitric acid for various tasks. Sulfuric acid will sharpen dull files, vinegar can free up seized parts and while nitric acid will dissolve a broken tap, I don't use it..... it's fumes may nitrate things like your clothing!

 

[hartmandm]

Good for cleaning concrete, too. Avoid skin and eyes and you are good.

 

[JR66]

I didn't know where to take my tanks and I wanted to clean them myself. No holes or rust, just the black paint that was flaking off inside. There was advice here and other forums so I combined some ideas. I sealed all openings and started with a quart of paint stripper but it was too viscous. Acetone was the main ingredient so I bought of gallon of acetone and added it to the stripper to thin it out. People mentioned putting metal things in the tank along with the stripper and shaking the tank until your arms fall off. My idea which worked great was to use a box of one inch sheet rock screws. They are small enough that you can use a lot and they are very sharp to attack the paint in the tank while you are shaking the tanks. I stopped shaking just before my arms fell off. Left the mixture in the tanks for a few days shaking regularly and turning tanks to new positions. This took off about 90% of the paint and weakened the rest. Then I repeated the process with just high strength vinegar from ACE Hardware. That took the rest of the paint out. Looked very clean and I didn't have to use risky acids. After flushing and drying used POR15 sealer. So far so good. I think this is a pretty good DIY method.

 

[Warren]

I wish I had a dollar for every gas tank cleaning rehash on a email list that predates most forum software.
Electrolysis slow but effective. Reversing anode polarity to push zinc back onto bare metal more time. The big trouble is Sunbeam tanks solve the water in the fuel by allowing it to go to its lowest point. Not much of a solution but in the early cars I guess you can see the water in the glass pump bowl.
If you keep tanks full after cleaning you can still have a problem. I recently used the electrolysis through several Rusty anodes and then a phosphoric acid shake it like a Polaroid picture and then some of the Por 15 that was 10 years old but great so far as it's possible that it's an old VOC polluter formula. I've also used Kreme a two part epoxy type but that was years ago and it was thick and hard to work with.
The battery charger washing soda is messy but non caustic, the quick Ospho painters pre wash is next and it doesn't take much.
There's many opinions on gas tank cleaning but one thing is clear prepping it massively is the biggest thing that will make a good result.

 

[Bill Blue]

Sounds familiar, except for the lead weights. Guess I never had four handfulls of them laying around. Removing the factory sealer was problematic, even with the "good stuff". Translates into a long, exhausting job for us moderns,
Bill
Edit - whatever you do, do not ship the phosphoric acid bath. Chemically prepares the steel to accept the sealer.

 

[puff4]

I had mine cleaned out by a local radiator repair shop, then I used Bill Hirsch's tank sealer. This stuff has been around since Moses was a pup, and top-shelf antique car owners have been using it for over 50 years now (it was originally made for Packards). I did my tanks 30 years ago, after seeing an ad for the stuff in Hemmings Motor News (I used to subscribe, in the days before the internets). My tanks are still in great shape... no rust whatsoever... I'd say it works.

LINK:

Fuel Tank Sealer, Gas Tank Sealer, Hirsch Tank Sealer - HirschAuto.com

 

[Shannon Boal]

Sounds familiar, except for the lead weights. Guess I never had four handfulls of them laying around. Removing the factory sealer was problematic, even with the "good stuff". Translates into a long, exhausting job for us moderns,
Bill
Edit - whatever you do, do not ship the phosphoric acid bath. Chemically prepares the steel to accept the sealer.

I was probably overthinking, but my thinking was: that lead was non-sparking! Using soap solution probably removes risk of explosive vapors....