I have used gas tank sealant before with great success but my friend rather take his 54 olds tank in to get professionally restored. Plus, his tank is pretty bad. Anybody out there know of any shops that deal in gas tank sealing? I'm out of San Diego Ca so some place in so cal would be great.
Look up the thread on cleaning parts with vinegar, I did a 35 gallon Massey Ferguson tractor tank, it took 20 gallons to do it. I kept rotating the tank on all four sides, then used POR 15, metal ready and then U.S. tank sealer............worked great!
I think it's normal for radiator shops to do gas tanks as well. The "cooking out" process is basically the same. In our neighborhood, a "radiator" shop guy took my 1924 gas tank & cooked it out & lined it with Redcote. My tank had two baffles in it, so he had to drill two extra holes in it to access the three "compartments." He drilled the holes in the back, so the scars would not be visible when the tank was installed. There are threads on this. It's not exactly a real complicated process, just one that should be thorough. So, repairing a gas tank is not really that much different than repairing a radiator. There's cleaning, repairing and (in the case of a gas tank) sealing.
he said his friend did not want to do it himself, but once again im all for it. the tank in my 55 olds was real bad and i gas welded all the holes, shook around a bunch of loose nuts and bolts for an hour or so and flushed it about a 100 times. Then used the por 15 kit, no problems in almost a year. but if he REALLY doesnt want to do it. most radiator repair shops are geared up for it. look in your 'yeller pages
I sealed my tank myself ... very happy with the job ... for the first 6 years ... year seven and my fuel system was plugged with flakes/bits/wafers. I personally won't do it again (or have a shop seal it). I am now a firm believer in replacement not repair of a gas tank. But hey, that's just me and this comment/rant ain't helping you (or your friend) so .... carry on.
Look up Tank Renu online. I believe they have locations nationwide. I had them do my tank-- Rusty, holes, dented, looked awful. It came back straight, coated inside and out. I think they also have a lifetime warranty. Very pleased with it.
Since they repro Chevy tanks relatively cheap, I'd compare yours to pix of one of those and see if I could use one. Unless it's a for points show car, it may be good enough.
I called for a quote on tank sealing,,$160.00 in my neck of the woods so I bent up some 14ga. tin and had the boy weld the seams..Pressure tested it and done. My alternative seemed to be fuel cells so this was much cheaper.New ones are not that expensive. Another alternative is find a similar model tank that will fit,,someone with a car the same as yours has likely sourced one..
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