Best Way To Clean Out Tank

[Cannonball1]

Any ideas for the best way to clean out a gas tank on a '71? We bought it after it had been sitting a while and it has that "smell" of old fuel. Any ideas?

Thanks

[hayhauler71]

I just did this 2 weeks ago

pull the tank out and put it on some saw horses and remove sending unit

drain out all the fuel

I added about 1/2 gallon castrol super clean and sloshed it around with a chain inside the tank

rinse out good with hot water

add 1/2 gallon muriatic acid and slosh around with chain in tank

rinse with hot water and then dry with snail fan blowing in filler neck

when dry add 1 quart acetone and slosh with chain

drain out acetone and dry with snail fan [careful acetone is extremely flammable]

[LockDoc]

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Take it out. get as much of the gas out as you can, wash it out with a strong soap and water solution(slosh it around good), then take it to the car wash and use the pressure washer on it. Don't take it to the car wash until you have washed it with the soap solution... Bring it back home and dump as much of the water out as you can and put a couple of bottles of "Heat" in it to help get the moisture out. Let it dry for a day or two and put it back in... I would still use an inline filter if I was you.

LockDoc

[bollybib]

If you want to spend a few bucks and end up with a well sealed inner surface, consider this POR system. It has been used by many for years with success. I was able to do it all at home and was very satisfied with the results.

http://www.por15.com/FUEL-TANK-REPAI...ductinfo/FTRK/

This is the tank I did on my Vette in 2009. When I started off, the tank had been sitting unused for 14 years with a half tank of gas and was dirty, rusty, and gooey. This is how it looked when it was done. A chain might have helped clean the upper area better, but I didn't use one.

[mtruckr]

We removed the sending unit and cut off the gooey, syrupy filter sock on the end of the tube. Then we put compressed air on one end of the tube and blew a mucous plug out of it... sent it about 50 feet out into the yard !

Then we drained as much of the old gas as possible, filled with new fuel, added some Marvel Mystery Oil, put in a fuel filter, and away we go...

[Cannonball1]

Some good suggestions. We'll have to pull it out and see what's in there and go from there. Hopefully the guy drained most of it before he parked it.

One more thing I just thought of...What holds the vent tube that runs up the passenger side rear pillar? It seems to rattle around a little. I'm thinking a piece of foam or something stuffed up there will keep it tight.

[hayhauler71]

Originally Posted by Cannonball1

Some good suggestions. We'll have to pull it out and see what's in there and go from there. Hopefully the guy drained most of it before he parked it.

One more thing I just thought of...What holds the vent tube that runs up the passenger side rear pillar? It seems to rattle around a little. I'm thinking a piece of foam or something stuffed up there will keep it tight.

that tube is wrapped in a cloth like material and gets hooked on a clip in the pillar also clamped to the cab near the tank

[57larry]

take the tank to a metal cleaning business (Redi-Strip) or a machine shop's hot tank. after that pour a can of coating to seal it

[68gmsee]

Depending on where you live, Larry57 suggestion might be the best way to go. Some neighborhoods frown on dumping gasoline or other chemicals on the ground and if a neighbor smells it or see you doing it, they may report it.

I'd check to see what it costs to have it done first. If it's cost prohibitive then the ideas given are all a good way to clean the tank. The important thing is to rinse it thoroughly and dry it completely.

One other thing, check the bottom carfully for rust pin holes. They're hard to see but may be detected by moisture or gas oozing out. If it has them, it's decision time. A new Spectra (what I did) or have it sealed professionally.

[cdowns]

the tube that goes up into the passenger pillar is hooked up to a metal loop that is held in place by a 1/4"sheetmetal screw

[68Gold/white]

How bad is your tank to start with???

Another possible solution.
There are companies that do metal stripping. It's actually reverse plating. Anything rusty can be made to look like virgin metal again (has to be steel or iron).Tank has to be clean, though, to do this, no slime, or grime...
Check around...