Hi Everyone, I am going to remove the gas tank out of my buick this weekend and want to clean it out and repaint it. I have a large chain that I am going to drop in the tank and loosen and clean the rust out. What type of chemical could I place in the tank to help with this process, I was thinking of picking something up at home depot, but not sure what? I dont want something to harsh because I am going to have to dispose of the stuff when done. Any ideas on what I can use ? THanks
If it's rust you're after, mol***es and water will get it. You can buy it at a feed store for about $2 a gallon. Mix it up 1 part mol***es/ 3 parts water and leave it in the tank for a week. Rinse it out with water, then through in a can of sealer from Eastwood and you've got it handled. The old mix is safe to the environment. Or you can save it for other de-rusting jobs. Check "search" for other threads on this trick.
The mol***es I bought at the feed store was in powdered form. I mixed two pounds with about four gallons of hot water and used a paint stick to stir. Do this outside, the stink will make you want to barf. This stuff makes shiney metal out of rusty ****.
A buddy of mine mentioned that CLR product is also worth trying. Never thought of it since I have used it around the house. Would this also work for me ?
if its rust on the inside a hand full of gravel and some mineral sprits will do it... worked 30 years ago when I cleaned my tank.
You might also try milkstone remover/phosphoric acid. Does a good job @ 8 to 1 & is environmentally safe. I got it @ Tractor Supply for $11.00 a gal. It will go a long way. Good Luck, Al
after you clean it watch for pinholes. my tank had a bunch of holes in the top from rusting from the inside out. it was paper thin in many spots. ended up buying a repop steel one.
I put a little water and dishwashing detergent into the tank.Then feed a chain into the tank ,let a little of the chain end poke out the filler or sender opening.Then shake it around as best you can.Pull out the chain,ya have to wiggle the chain .Then flush the tank with water to get out whtever the chain loosened up.I then use about a quart of Muriatic acid if the tank is solid,let it sit for 10 minutes,then slosh it around ,let it sit a little more.Flush with plenty of water.Acid is nasty,face shield and rubber gloves.Instead of Muriatic acid,Lowe's type stores sell Phosphoric acid etch that works ok if the tank isn't real s***my inside. Now the tank is clean and bare metal,it'll rust inside after running gas through it.I've used sealer several times and had good luck twice.But the third time the sealer flaked off and ruined the job.
I used a three part kit that had a rust killer/gum remover, surface prep, and a sealer. The cleaner was called Marine Clean supplied by FROST in the UK, stockists of POR 15 may hold it in the US. Just make sure you thoroughly rinse out the second stage surface prep solution, otherwise the sealer flakes away in huge sheets as my friend found out. The sealer is tough old **** as he put his tank in a caustic bath for a month and the flaking sealer was still ****** there!
I've never used mol***es, but have used vinegar; and it works very well. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/search.php?searchid=6609698
i had varnish in my tank,so i put in a one foot of chain and some acetone and rinsed with fresh gas,and no more problem
take it to a radiator shop and have them boil it. Or go to an autoparts super store and buy the biggest jug of seafoam they got and mix it with gas and shake the hell out of it. Boiling it is your best bet.
Phosphoric acid isn't nearly as good at cleaning and is more of a rust converter than remover. I use it, but after muriatic. I've found denatured alcohol more effective than acetone at eating the gum and varnish. Agreed. A lot of rad shops aren't doing it anymore, or, if they do, charge an arm and a leg though.... You want things with sharp edges like roofing nails - the smooth marbles won't work nearly as well. Here's what I do: 1 - Denatured alcohol and roofing nails. Shake, stir, rinse, repeat. A few times until I'm satisified I've got the gum & varnish out. Try some acetone if you've still got sticky spots - certain deposits respond well to one or the other. 2 - Muriatic acid and roofing nails. Shake, stir, rinse, repeat. May take two or three times. I tend to let it sit 5-10 mins, roll the tank 90*, 5-10 more, repeat until I'm certain all interior surfaces have had their soaking. When rust is removed, move to step 3. 3 - Phosphoric acid rinse. Shake, stir, rinse, repeat. I typically do this twice. Same drill as the muriatic acid with the rotating - then drain and let dry. 4 - Denatured alcohol rinse. Depending on amount and type of rust, the phosphoric acid flash may leave a powdery residue - this removes it. 5 - Install and use. Never use sealer, conditioner, or anything else that coats the tank. While some have reported good results with various products, virtually every tank I've ever fooled with that had a coating of some type was peeling, cracking, and clogging up filters...I even phosphoric acid wash new tanks if they're not galvanized....
A box of 3/8" nuts works good too. Lots of corners. Naval Jelly will loosen rust. Be sure to take the gauge sender out before doing anything!
I posted this in a similar thread: I have done this a couple of times. Use lacquer thinner first to remove any oily sludge. I use electrolysis to remove the rust without attacking the base metal. To do this, suspend an anode inside the gas tank using foam insulation. I constructed the anode from rebar formed into an inverted Tee spot welded inside the tank. Fill the tank with water and Arm and Hammer LAUNDRY SODA, not baking soda solution. Connect a DC battery charger negative to the tank and positive to the tank. Run overnight and the tank should be clean within 24 hours. I use this method for rust removal on all my restorations. It really works. http://antique-engines.com/electrol-details.asp http://antique-engines.com/electrol.asp http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/andyspatch/rust.htm
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