Gas tank

My outlook is, if you're handy with tools but not rich, many things are better done yourself. To properly de-rust a gas tank, you nearly always must remove it... and the tank only comes out after both the engine and transaxle are laying on the ground. At that point, you can assess the problem better and do as you described. You trade money for grunt-labor here. The Nor-Cal club experts did this for free on an incapacitated members' car one Saturday- 6 of us started at 10AM and the owner took the completed car around the block at 5:30 that afternoon... His job was to keep the beer cold and the Chili hot- an even trade.

The motor/trans are at the rebuilder and I'm going to get the tank out. I guess Jack what I really needed was instruction on derusting. Is it just acid and what kind? Do you seal the bare metal interior with something afterward? I read about a guy who sealed his tank and got gooey sealer through his feul lines because it didnt cure right.

if your in so cal check out mattsons radiator, in stanton i belive. they have a process to correct a rusty tank. they have a booth at the long beach swap meet, 2nd sunday of the month.

oh yeah and eastwood has the kit to do the tank yourself. you only half to buy a few thing, but dealing with the muric acid is an experience, than to get rid of the chemicals correctly is another.

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Originally posted by David:
Please advise. Is it better to de rust a gas tank myself or just spend the 2 to 3 hundred or so bucks to get a reconditioned tank. I mean is it just a matter of sloshing some acid in the tank until clear and putting it back or are there other steps to take as well?

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When I took my tank out I took it to a local radiator shop who sloshed it, steamed it and inspected it all for around $35. We were amazed at how good the tank looked after almost 30 years. We decided not to coat it. This solution means you don't have to deal with or dispose the nasty chemicals.

Good luck
Gary

OK. I derusted an old gas tank using a 10% solution of Phosphoric acid, which is a so-called 'weak acid' sometimes used to etch concrete. Weak acids tend to attack iron oxide (rust) but not steel. Strong acids such as hydrochloric or sulfuric tend to do the opposite. Just dumped it in & filled the tank to the top, taped it off and let it sit for a day. Upon emptying the stuff out (hazardous waste, remember), the rust was gone leaving a silvery-white coating of iron phosphate. I dumped some light oil in and sloshed it around to cover the stripped tank surface & prevent re-rusting. 6 months later, I installed the tank- no further problems.