Tank cleaning & Lining!, "Miles" varnish got me worried! Options

[william harris]

OK, Miles tale of woe has got me worried. I disassembled my car 4 months ago, it was running just fine before the "rustoration" started, and in the process I drained and removed by gas tank. It has been sitting on the parts shelf since then. What should I do (if anything) to clean and reline the tank? How should I store it (I haven't done anything, but it sits there with no gas in it and the cap on. Any suggestions will be appreciated. By the way, IMHO the way the Steve at Otto's has responded has not helped him at all. Based on his comments alone, I would not care to do business with his shop. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mad.gif)

[John2kx]

This subject has me wondering if varnish was the cause of my fresh 2.0L blowing as well. The PO let the car sit for 9+ months prior to my purchase. He rebuilt the engine 10,000 miles before it went up for sale. The PO roadraced as a hobby and appeared to know what he was doing from what I saw at his shop and I felt comfortable with his mechanical ability.

We made the deal, installed a new battery at his house since the original was dead from sitting too long. Checked oil level and blasted home.......about a 180 mile drive, running 90 mph almost the whole way. Car ran like a top and all mechanical and electrical systems worked like a new car. He rebuilt every part of the drivetrain prior to letting it sit.

I drove the car about 4 weeks and while filling it with gas one day (engine was at idle), the motor started knocking like hell. Towed it home and just stuck this up as another one of those pesky Porsche experiences I have witnessed many times in the past. Since my car was purchased for the sole purpose of stuffing in a v8, I did not go to the trouble of taking the failed engine apart. Pulled the valve covers and found nothing wrong there.

Fuel tank was found to contain rust during my restoration and was treated with the Por 15 tank restoration kit. All chemicals needed to perform job were in the $50 kit.

Looks like there are several lessons to be learned here when purchasing a old car that has been sitting for long periods of time.

I heard today that "Steve" from Ottos is actually Steve Stromberg. If this is true, I'll add that he hosed me on a set of bumpers I had restored through a personal deal (not at Ottos) I made with him about a year ago. Several emails to make this good went without a reply. Look forward to meeting him in person to resolve this the southern way.

John