First weekend of real work - Were fuel tanks coated at the factory? Options

[jrmdir]

Hi everyone:

A follow up to my newbie intro thread - http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...p;#entry2918441

Yesterday I finally was able to start digging - following the good advice I got re: seeing if I can get this car running before going all in with an engine drop.

First out was the fuel tank which fortunately was empty. Even more fortunate was the fact that I didn't pour in a gallon or two since as you can see both hoses broke off just from lifting the tank.

But the main thing I found was literally 2 + inches of flakes piled up in and around the well. Only about an inch of the strainer was sticking out and the return line nozzle was buried. The tank is not unusually rusty and the flakes seem to have come from a black coating inside the tank. Is this typical? Given the condition of the hoses and lack of rust I can't believe the tank had ever been removed and sealed by a PO.

Regardless, it cleans up pretty well but should I be concerned about further flaking? Seems like it would take a long time to build up another pile and the strainer and filter should do their things but should I consider a replacement tank? I know there are many options for cleaning and resealing but given the lack of leaks I'm not sure I want to add yet another layer of stuff in there.

BTW, yes - I will be installing SS lines once I do get around to dropping the engine and don't plan on driving it much in the meantime.







Thanks!

Ron