Gas tank cleaning - need help

[GI JOE]

 

Anyone have a suggestion on how to clean a 68 Camaro Fuel Tank that has been sitting with 1/8 of cam2 in it without fuel stabilizer for a decade or more?    

[lakeholme]

POR15 and several other companies have cleaning/restoration kits on the market. They all generally involve having to remove the tank and using caustic liquids (acid), so I'd suggest having it boiled out at a radiator shop and then restored. If money is a big issue, then you can do it yourself, but it does take considerable time and effort.
My mechanic's shop does do this and his price was really reasonable when you consider your time.

[mikefam]

My tank rusted from the inside out a couple of years ago which is common due to moisture in the tank so I bought a replacement from Mustangs unlimited. The new tank was made in Canada and fit nicely.

http://tinyurl.com/2ukuwxa

Mike.

[1968 Z28]

POR15 and several other companies have cleaning/restoration kits on the market. They all generally involve having to remove the tank and using caustic liquids (acid), so I'd suggest having it boiled out at a radiator shop and then restored. If money is a big issue, then you can do it yourself, but it does take considerable time and effort.
My mechanic's shop does do this and his price was really reasonable when you consider your time.

I found out the hard way that boiling in a radiator shop does work but it has it's draw backs.  When I was working we had a tank on a diesel suburban boiled and it worked great for awhile......then it started to run very rough and had no power.  The mechanic removed the fuel filter and cut it open and it was clogged with specks of black paint....that threw us for awhile til it finally dawned on us that the black paint specks looked like radiator paint.  The radiator shop had not rinsed the tank very good or it took awhile of driving for the sloshing fuel to dislodge the remaining specks of paint.
So if you do have it boiled then make darn sure you get it rinsed completely clean.

[lakeholme]

...boiled out at a radiator shop and then restored....

Sonet is right... but boiling it or using the cleaning part of a kit is only half of the job. The shop should have at least told you to clean it and finish the restoration. That includes checking the fuel line all the way up through the Carb, sealing the tank, etc.
There are plenty of online sites that give the details.

[Stingr69]

I had a bad experience with having a radiator shop boil out a tank for me on my '69. They trashed my fuel sender and they left so much crap in there I had to re-rebuild my carb and replace the tank not to mention the gas that was ruined. Very tiny miniscule particles were passing through the filters and accumulating in the carb. That caused a lot of pain.

Blew out the lines, bought new tank & new sender, overhauled carb and we were back in business.  NEVER AGAIN! :~(

Unless you have a very good original tank you may be better off with a repro. They look and fit great for anything less than a 100 point car. They are not expensive either.

-Mark.

[JohnZ]

I wouldn't mess with having a 40-year-old gas tank cleaned/flushed/coated; just replace it - the reproduction tanks are excellent, won't clog your fuel system with crud, and will last longer than you will.

[Boston14]

Hey John, who makes the best reproduction fuel tanks for a 69? Thanks.

boston14
1969 RS/SS 350 Convertible

[tmodel66]

My name ain't John but I just got a new stainless tank from OER and it looks great and fit like a glove.

[pjbizjak]

I'm in the same boat, I have a 68 z/28 04A build that has been in storage for over 30 years. The gas tank is original and was pulled before storing the car. It is in very good shape with a little surface rust, but I can turn it upside down and shake it and debris falls out of the filler tube. I plan on using the original tank in my resto so I'm thinking about putting some pebbles or marbles in the tank and shaking it until no more debris falls out then rinse it out with kerosene. Good or bad idea?

[Petes L48]

I'm in the same boat, I have a 68 z/28 04A build that has been in storage for over 30 years. The gas tank is original and was pulled before storing the car. It is in very good shape with a little surface rust, but I can turn it upside down and shake it and debris falls out of the filler tube. I plan on using the original tank in my resto so I'm thinking about putting some pebbles or marbles in the tank and shaking it until no more debris falls out then rinse it out with kerosene. Good or bad idea?

I googled around before cleaning the small tank in my TR6 this summer, read where guys used gravel, chains, etc.  Braver men than I am.  I used lacquer thinner, dried, then hot soapy water and a brush.  There were small beige granules the thinner would not remove, that the water did.       

[69Z28]

I just pulled the tank from my 69 Z last weekend. It is covered with undercoating and needs to come off. What should I do here? Also, after I took out the sender I pic up the tank and shook it and heard something bouncing around, so I shook it out and it was a bunch of solder like material. Kind of flat and looked like it was sqeezed out when the tank was soldered together. Can't think of any other reason it would be there?

[JohnZ]

I just pulled the tank from my 69 Z last weekend. It is covered with undercoating and needs to come off. What should I do here? Also, after I took out the sender I pic up the tank and shook it and heard something bouncing around, so I shook it out and it was a bunch of solder like material. Kind of flat and looked like it was sqeezed out when the tank was soldered together. Can't think of any other reason it would be there?

The tank wasn't soldered together - the seam between the upper and lower half was roller-welded. The only solder was a tiny ring where the filler neck attaches to the tank. Why mess with a suspect 40-year-old gas tank when the replacements are so inexpensive?

[69Z28]

Probably because my car is unrestored and I want to keep it that way...I guess. There isn't anything suspect about the tank really. Very clean inside. I'm familiar with roller welding. It's done where I work in the stainless steel food equipment manufacturing industry. So the solder is from the filler tube. Didn't think of that. I just dumped out the solder, fixed a couple of tiny, tiny hairline cracks on top of the tank where it was crushed to the bottom of the trunk well. It just has a bunch of undercoating on it that has to be removed now.