Hello, i have my 47 chevy fleetline tank i really want to reuse, tight budget. Just wondering if its a good idea or not. Looks to just have surface rust. not sure how to clean the inside and insure it does not leek. Any ideas? I do not see any moist spots on the outside. Thanks in advance
Be very careful which sealer you choose if you choose to seal your tank. I sealed a tank 7 years ago (with Caswell gas tank sealer) and it caused me issues this season. The sealer literally fell apart in the tank and started plugging the line. After removing the remnants of the failed sealer (I cut a 4" hole in the top and reached in), I ran an exhaust from another car through the tank to remove/burn off any fumes from the gas (after emptying the tank of fuel ... I am NOT suggesting you run exhaust through you tank, I am simply stating that is how I did it and it worked for me), then I put a couple handfulls of large gravel in the tank and shook it around for quite a while to clean up the inside of the tank ... (gravel tumbling really does work). At this point I added a "sock type" filter from a newer style car (attaches to the end of the pickup tube, inside the tank) and put a fresh fuel filter up near the carb and another fresh filter in the trunk for a spare incase I needed to replace on the road. My cars gas tank also has a drain plug in the bottom (original) so I can drain the gas out at the end of the year, to remove any crap that has built up over the summer. My suggestion ... tumble with gravel and check for leaks. If it does leak, you can seal it BUT be warned that a lot of people have had sealer failures, so google, google, google before deciding on a brand. Sealer may allow you to get a couple more years out of your tank, but in reality, if the tank is available in the aftermarket, buying a new one would be the best option. Best of luck
An old trick was to get some fine gravel,put it in the tank and shake the crap out of it. Clean out all the gravel,hose out the tank with water. Let it dry,then use a gas tank sealer on the inside. Use one that in alcohol friendly. One other trick was to use a chain instead of gravel.
I used Bill Hurch (spelling?) brand in my sedan delivery tank 30 years ago and have never had any problems
gas tanks are critical, 1) it has to be safe so you so not catch fire 2) improper cleaning can cause drivabilty problems. so it is best to take it to a professioanl shop. and then your still not sure the tank will pass to be reused. i learned this the hard way tried a few times myself either could not get it clean or the tank leaked from some other defect. cut back somewhere else
I used TSP and very hot water to remove gasoline residue that had become gummy and/or hard. Remember that vinegar removes rust as well if you are patient.
You can also use the search feature on this site and look for "gas tank sealer", or "gas tank" etc. I know there are plenty of posts regarding this same issue. From what I understand ... correct preparation of the tank before sealing is very important to the longevity of the sealer. After first running into my problems with the sealer I used, I did quite a bit of "research" and I have to be honest ... the sealer I found to be the best (based on peoples comments) was the Bill Hirsch product. That being said, I just ended up removing the Caswell stuff, tumbling with gravel, adding the sock in the tank and not using a sealer at all .... it's working for me (my gas tank was actually is really good condition prior to my sealing it ... the only reason I decided to seal it in the first place was because I thought I was preventing future issues. Unfortunately I caused them instead). Tumble the tank, if it doesn't leak/seep anywhere then multiple filtering (inside the tank and up by the carb) and run it ... UNLESS the tank really is in rough shape, then it's either seal it or replace it. Based on my experience with sealer failing, I prefer not to use the stuff if I can avoid it. In my case, I was damn lucky the crap didn't plug my lines while on a road trip, that would have been an expensive repair (tow, removal-clean out the old sealer-reseal it-reinstall it at a shop).
I was in a similar situation with my 51 chevy 3100. It had more shit inside of it than I could get out so I made three cuts on one side of the tank, peeled it open like a clam and pulled all the shit out and sanded the rust down. Welded it back together and good as new. As far as testing for leaks I blew in shop are and felt around the tank, all was well. Its been holding gas in the truck since
I used the POR15 sealer. Tanks have been exposed to gasoline for 3 years, no problems yet. If you do decide to use a sealer, I recommend going whole hog and treating the insides with zinc phosphate. It provides "tooth" and is a tolerably good rust preventative. Problem: a kit runs about $75 (I think). So it ain't exactly cheap. But whatever you do, don't seal improperly prepped steel. That's just throwing money away. Causes future problems and is just plain stupid. Your better off to remove the rust and fill'er up. Bill
i would cut it open and clean it that way, i would not put any kind of sealer in it, if its clean and you keep it toped up then no rust will form.
Another trick to clean it up is to put a few pounds of roofing nails in the tank with your cleaner. Give it a good soak and begin to shake the nails around until you can see bright metal.When your finished pour out the liquid and use a magnet to retrieve the nails.
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