My hotrod honey and I dropped the fuel tank out my ol fairlane. We drained the few gallons of what ever liquid was residing inside of it. I took a peek inside of the tank. It appears to be awfully rusty inside. It does seem to be solid though. I'm on the fence to either restore it or replace it. A replacement tank and sender is bout $315. what would the cost be to restore it? I've got a new fuel pump, rebuild the carb and a fresh rebuild on the oe 260 mill. I'm leaning tward replacment. Still on the fence tho. thoughts?
Just pull the sender so it doesn't get damaged, fill the tank partially with a detergent like one of those "purple" cleaners and some water. Then drop in a length of old chain and shake it around to brake loose the crust in the tank, then pull the chain out and rinse thoroughly.
Last tank I had boiled was 40 bucks and they pressure tested it and silver soldered up the holes. If you buy a new tank it is not going to come with a sender and pickup so if that is bad you'll have to buy one anyway so 40 bucks to 315 what sounds like the better deal to you.
I'd agree with the scrub it out and look thing and then decide if it is worth having boiled out or if you need to spend the money for a replacement. What ever you do, put a good fuel filter between the tank and the pump.
really depends on what is inside of it. so much easier to just replace them if a new one is available. one less thing to worry about down the road. just replaced one in a guys 40 Ford truck. it had been treated to some sort of sealant or other nonsense at one time or another as the insides were all coated in silver stuff. the baffles were all rusted and crumbling inside the tank. previous owner cheaped out, and the new owner had to pay down the line. on that same truck I also found out filters do not keep all the **** from getting into the carb. carb had a load of junk in it, I'm suprised I was able to get it to run at all. I'd replace it.
Had my 56 f100 tank boiled out and pressure washed and then coated at a local radiator shop for $250. Oddly enough they rodded out they radiator and soldered a couple holes and repainted it for $40.
We dropped the tank in the Kid's '63 Econoline, removed the sender, and filled it with drywall screws and just a little non-flammable liquid of choice (really doesn't matter). Swish for 5 minutes or so, drain, flush, repeat. The sharp edges of the screws do an excellent job of removing rust and scale, and the best part is it's free.... just takes time. After done, we re-***embled and put a large cannister filter in-line between the tank and pump. Thousands of miles of trouble free running and the fuel is still clean.
Replace it. Or carry fuel filters with you. I bought an abandoned project out of a bodyshop. Read LOTS of sanding dust in the tank. We washed, rinsed and repeated more times than I care to think about, and I was still clogging filters about once every 3 days. Dropped it replaced it with a new tank, all problems gone. Keith
i don't like old tanks , especially if it had ever been rusted inside. i don't like being miles from home and wonder if this is the day it starts leaking or a chunk of rust clogs the fuel filter if it is rusty inside there could be some thin spots/rust pits ready to cause trouble nothing but new tanks for me
Long term, I'm all for replacement. I have done the radiator shop, chain, gravel, etc. Done properly, they may work. However, with a new tank it is nice to be able to eliminate the tank as a problem. Check around for pricing. Larry
If new tanks are available, I would just buy one and not mess with the old one. If replacements are not available readily, use a body hammer to tap on the tank to find any weak spots. If it seems solid, many times what appears to be rust is a mixture of rust and varnish [from deteriorating fuel] and it is soluble in lacquer thinner. Pour a gallon of the thinner into the tank, cover the openings to reduce evaporation, and occasionally slosh it around to coat all surfaces on the inside. Many times, the tank will come out perfectly clean, with no future problems from particulates gathering in the fuel filter or float bowl. ---John
The gas tank on our '54 wagon needed a good cleaning after sitting for over 20 years so I dropped it off at the radiator shop and they hot vatted the tank and pressure tested it,,no leaks ,no problems. One year later when we filled the tank it started leaking,,I drained the tank and had it checked again,,re-installed it and in 3 months it was leaking again. I decided to buy a new tank and should have done it from the beginning,,we put some long haul miles on the car and I don't want problems with the gas tank 500 miles from home. HRP
If you can get a new tank buy it. Save yourself a lot of grief. The last tank I fixed took 4 days work and $150 in materials to clean out, sandblast inside and out, coat with epoxy (inside) and paint (outside). A tank that is rusty inside will continue to rust until it rusts through, clogging filter regularly. Unless you coat it or replace it. Replace is better.
When I was building my cpe we cleaned the tank and used a coating sold by Eastwood. After about 10 years I needed to drop the tank to replace the sending unit and when I looked in the tank the coating was bubbling. When I checked into getting that cleaned out and recoated it was less than $75 to replace so that's what I did. I also sold the old tank and let him clean it So I'd buy a new one
There is a national chain called Gas Tank Renu. Did the tank in my '46 Ford 8 years ago, cost around $175, guaranteed forever.
New tank, and new sender.... Well worth the $$, saves the headaches later on,...and you only have to do it ONCE. 4TTRUK
I've restored a fair share of them over the years. There were no reproductions! We had no choice. I ruined a newly rebuilt 396 due to a rusty gas tank. Since then I just look for sales etc. and just bite the bullet. There was a company that would do it for you with a guarantee but a repro tank was cheaper. Once you have it in, it's in the rear view mirror and forgotten about.
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