ideas on cleaning inside of gas tank

have out of hull gas tank from a 63 atom skier, has med amount of rust an crude in it. any sug on cleaning or chemical 2 use. thanks dg.

1969cc wrote: Hi Darren I would find a good local radiator repair shop since you have it out. I took mine in about 12 years ago and had it cleaned and repaired. A good shop will also pressure test it. Mine is still holding up. Just a thought.

That would be my suggestion as well. I worked in a radiator shop for several years (put myself through college) and we did many, many gas tanks. Boil, clean, coat, and pressure test. BKH

thanxs 1969cc 4 taking the time 2 reply. will check in2 it sat. thanxs dg

behindpropeller wrote: MEK and Some BB's is how we clean them on gummed up airplane tanks.

Tim, You may have missed it that Darren has rust in the tank. With rust the radiator shop boil and lining as recommended previously is the way to go. I've had several antiques and classics done with the coating and have never had a problem. The big thing is it maintains the originality of the boat which is a big plus especially in a judged show. Cheaper than a new tank as well!!

Riley wrote: $450-$500 to coat it.

Bruce, Did you tell them you had a big wad of money burning a hole in your wallet??? The last one I had done this summer was $200!!

$450 seems high to me. Then again, I haven't worked in a radiator shop since 1985 (yes, I know 87BFN, you were 4 years old then:>). I don't know what the coating cost these days, but you shouldn't have more than a couple hours labor into it total.

The coating part is easy. You really just poor the coating in, and slosh around so all the inner surfaces are covered, drain any excess and let dry.

Boiling is what you can't do at home. First you have to flush out the tank really well. We used to run a hose in the tank for literally a couple of hours. Only takes a little bit of gas to blow up when you're trying to drop into the radiator boil tank. Once all the gas is out, you're still pretty nervous when you put the gas tank into the boil tank. Boils for about an hour, maybe more if you're working on radiators, then pull and rinse thoroughly. Pressure test for leaks and solder/repair if necessary. Let dry really well before coating.

BKH

Bruce, Before you go and get a plastic tank, I would look at some of the do-it-yourself systems. I do know that some of us into the antique and classics have gone this route and have had good luck with them. The kits come with cleaners and etching liquids for preping the tank. I just did a search and came up with this one:
gas tank sealer

Tim, If you replace your classic tank with a alumininum, would you still consider it a classic? The judges wouldn't!!

Bruce, If the inside is in good shape, I would keep it and paint the outside. If the outside was originally tern plate (lead plated) then you can paint with a spray on cold galvanizing and it will look just like the original. I did this on my Atom.

cold galvanizing

Some of the tanks in the 60's were primed only. If so, "rusty metal red" primer will match.

I need to get you into the "keep it original" mode!!!

Bruce, I don't like the sistering idea. I don't think that it would require that much more work once you have dug into the boat that far to replace the stringer. You want the engine sitting on something solid and strong and not relying on a member next to the engine mounts.

Sorry to here that the CC was put into winter storage. You should have put your other boat (no brand mentioned) in it's place so you could have worked on the CC! Don't worry, spring will come soon.

Here's my old tank and the Tempo replacement.

If you are still considering cleaning the inside of the gas tank...I watched an episode of "trucks" where the host found an old truck in some guys yard. He brought it back to life. One of the things he did was restore the fuel cell. He bought a kit from some company. In the kit were a few chemicals (don't know what they were, probably bad for the environment, cause cancer, and are flammable) and a length of chain.

This guy poured in a bottle of some strange liquid and dropped the chain into the tank. Then he swooshed (not sure if that is a verb or not) the tank for a few minutes. After, he removed the chain and drained out the chemical.

In the end, this was supposed to remove the rust scales and treat the remaining rust. Then another chemical swooshed around provided some sort of finish.

The kit wasn't that expensive. Looked like it would work okay.

tank sealer link from post above