Hello All, I have a 1930 5 window coupe that is getting the full chop and drop treatment. I was wondering if anyone knows of a way to refurbish/ re-cote the gas tank without removing it. Due to space limitations, I would like to use the original tank. It looks like it would be too tough to remove without tearing up the car. All the products I have seen so far require being able to flip the tank upside down to clean, etch and cote it. Any knowledge would be greatly appreciated. This is definitely my 1st rodeo here. Thanks Fellas.
Only tank treatment/sealer I ever used required the tank to be "sloshed" in all directions. Seven years later my fuel system was clogged by the sealer crumbling/flaking. Based on my experience, I am not a fan of sealing them ... much rather replace with new. That being said ... I guess you could "slosh" it if the body was on a rotisserie.
Thanks for the info. I guess what I should really ask is how to properly remove a model A gas tank. All advice is much appreciated.
I tried the sealer stuff too. Ended up buying a new tank after being stranded on the road, luckily close to home. My opinion is use a new tank if you can find one. You'll be money ahead in the long run.
There are a lot of threads on this. It should not be done in place. Some guys opt to clean & seal the tanks themselves. I'm using an odd 1924 tank, which I had a radiator place cook out & reseal with Recote. That stuff will jot flake & has done the job just fine. I'd imagine that the Model A repop tanks are plentiful, so a new one would probably be the way to go.
My current build has a rare unique 73 Vega Panel Wgn tank. Not available anywhere. So I went the POR15 gas tank restoration kit route because of the rust and varnish.See before and aft pix. Very involved processed but not difficult to do. I would have preferred buying a new tank. There is a franchise called TANK RENU that guarantees their work. I think they quoted me around $275.00.
I did some work to several stock A's last fall. The best advice I can share is that the aftermarket A parts guys should have the very clever non-stock fuel screen that keeps all the rust flakes from constantly plugging the oulet shut-off valve and pipe. Just unscrew the shut-off valve, then the new filter gets pressed into the center of the threaded fitting. It still fits right back into the same hole because it's as thin as a cigarette. These screens work so slick. About $6..
I have never done big tanks but on smaller tanks I have had good luck with a product called Red Kote. I use ball bearings, links of chain or nuts/bolts in the tank with M.E.K. and shake alot to loosen the rust scale. The M.E.K. will loosen the varnish. Wash out thoroughly with water pressure and clean again with M.E.K. before coating. You have to plug all holes except the filler and then smoothly rotate the tank to coat all the inside and then let air dry for at least 24 hours. The stuff is pretty thick like syrup. I would also recommend a good fuel filter you can visibly keep a check on.
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