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

[Jake Raby]

Damn,
60 years........ (IMG:style_emoticons/default/boldblue.gif)

I feel the need for an ultimate challenge coming on. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/fighting19.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/bootyshake.gif)

Two engines, one dyno and a pull to the death at redline.... all the while measuring torque, HP and engine temperatures. My best against whatever they can concokt in the crystal ball thats been snowballing for 60 years..... Man up and torture, hell we can both use it as a tax writeoff for R&D- no excuses!

As for bad gas! If you open the fuel filler and it smells like anything other than pure gas that would come out of the pump its starting to die.

It kills alot of engines, and EFI hates it as well.

I have got more years of working on these cars than most of the guys on the board have been alive.

Nice try... Its not what you know, not what you have experienced... Its how you apply it and what you remember.

Man up and build. I'm still as pissed off as a Hornet about your slimy alias posting about me and if need be I'll work 7 days a week for a year to contine to prove that 30 years of experience ain't worth a damn if its not applied correctly or anytrhing less than 100%!

You chose your flavor with me pal, and if it don't taste too good eat it anyway.

I'll insert my favorite quote here:

"Come on you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?"

Dan Daly, battle of Belleau Wood -1918

[Gint]

Meanwhile, back at the farm...

My Humble Opinion Follows with regard to the original topic:

I won't coat a fuel tank. It took 20-30 years for that rust to form. Any car that's driven regularly shouldn't need to have the tank coated. If you take the tank to a good radiator shop and if it boiled or put in an ultrasonic tank, it will be clean and shiny and good as new. I'd rather have a few rust flakes in my fuel filter than coating flakes...

But that's just me...

[lagunero]

Thanks Gint, that too makes sense to me. If the tank ends up rust free after boiling and such, then I can wait another 20 something years. Does the removal of rust weaked the tank? Maybe coating it adds extra protection. I also worry that the coating will find its way into my motor.

I hope I didn't bore anyone with keeping to the topic (IMG:style_emoticons/default/Yack.gif)

[Jake Raby]

Sorry to be an ass and invade the post, but that guy really irks me!

Anyway, the tank won't be severely weakened unless the rust is really bad. If its that bad replace the tank.

Mine was really bad in myu car (been sitting for 10 years) and I took it to a radiator shop and had them re-do it, works fine.

[Mark Henry]

I got a good one!

A customer bought a stock turn-key1600 bug engine from me, phones me up says it runs like crap, and stalls half the time. I ran it in for at least a couple of hours, so I don’t understand why and I asked all the usual questions. He brings back the engine and I run it for several hours, no problem. He takes it back. Phones up, this time hopping mad, stills runs like shit (not all the time) and he wants his money back. I say, “look, bring me the car and I’ll check it out”. Nope, he doesn’t trust the car, yanks the engine (again) brings it up and yells at me to fix it right. So this time I stick it in the wife’s car and she drives it for two weeks, again no problems. He comes and picks it back up.

A couple of weeks later he phones up all apologetic, seems the tank liner (POR 15 I think, but not positive) peeled off in great big chunks and would fold over the outlet. A new tank was the end of his problems. He asked how much he owed me and I said forget about it. He sent me a cheque for $400 anyways.

I doubt if I will ever seal a tank.

[Gint]

Anyway, the tank won't be severely weakened unless the rust is really bad. If its that bad replace the tank.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif) What Jake said. As long as the rust isn't real bad, you're not going to have any issues with just boiling or ulrtasonic and ploppin 'er back in. You'll have to repaint the outside of the tank though. Mine's gonna get powder coated.

[tat2dphreak]

I just got off the phone with a local shop, said they WOULD boil it without re-lining... but said rust would form in the tank before I could even pick it up?! WTF?!?! are these guys full of shit? or should I shell out the 125 for the boiling +lining?

[Gint]

Tell 'em to just boil it. Then tell 'em thanks. Then paint and plop it back in.

That's what I would do anyway...

[Mueller]

but said rust would form in the tank before I could even pick it up?! WTF?!?! are these guys full of shit? or should I shell out the 125 for the boiling +lining?

if the tank is taken to bare metal, yes, it's going to rust.....not sure what the humidity is like there, but once moisture gets to the bare metal, it'll start.....but like Mike feels on this, once the tank has some fuel in it (and sloshed around) the tank should be fine...that is as long as the car is driven and filled up once in a while....

does anyone know if the powdercoaters purge the inside of the tank with nitrogen or some other inert gas before baking them???

[lagunero]

Hey Jake no need for apologies, but everything that could be said has been said.

Mark Henry confirmed my one fear of relining. Naked steel does start to rust right away but at that rate it's no more worse than I already have.

When does the Jake Motor group buy begin?

[SirAndy]

What should I do (if anything) to clean and reline the tank?

i had mine sitting on the shelf for over a year (yes, empty & dry) ...

when i was ready to put it back in, i simply rinsed it out with lots of water (yes, water!).
then let it dry in the sun (upsidedown) for a hour or so.

cleaned out the fuel lines with pressured brake-cleaner and hooked it all back up.

it's like new (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)
Andy

[Gint]

does anyone know if the powdercoaters purge the inside of the tank with nitrogen or some other inert gas before baking them???

Couldn't say... mine has been empty and open for almost a year.

[JFJ914]

[does anyone know if the powdercoaters purge the inside of the tank with nitrogen or some other inert gas before baking them???

If you haven't come straight from the hot tank I doubt that they will powdercoat it.. My guy's eyes got BIG when I brought my tank in, but I had come straight from the hot tank and there was no smell of gas inside. He did not even speak of purging it. Buy the way, POR-15's instruction sheet say's that all tanks do not require liner. Of course I did mine, you guy's make me nervous!