Cleaning gas tanks !

Most of you must know about the nuts and bolts used to clean out a dirty gas tank method.ok so do I empty out tank and shake it around dry,or leave some gas in it as part of the cleaning process ? also should I put in a few short lag screws or just nuts and bolts? thanks guys !

Reply to
63t-cab
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I just take it to professionals to clean and seal. But use short pieces of chain(that way you dont leave anything in there) and dont leave any gas at all in there unless you want an early 4th of July.

63t-cab wrote:
Reply to
Transtar60

DON'T LEAVE ANY GAS IN THE TANK!!!

Actually a little bit of drain cleaner works pretty well to help get the crud loose, then drain the tank and add warm water with some dish detergent along with your chain and slosh the you know what out of the tank.

After you think it's clean drain it and look inside, and you will probably need to do it again a time or two before it's really clean. Once it's clean rinse it throughly and let it throughly dry.

Here is a pretty good description of a way to do it with muriatic acid.

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I just take it to professionals to clean and seal.

Reply to
Jeff DeWitt

The nuts and bolts (or chain) trick will only work with fairly light rust. It will come back quickly too if you don't seal the tank, as this won't get all of the rust out of the metal. That procedure is a carryover from the Depression\WW-II era when alternatives weren't available. It's better than nothing, but not by much. If the tank is truly rusty inside, it needs to be acid washed and sealed, or replaced.

Reply to
Tom Adkins

Lacquer thinner is best for cleaning the varnish out of the tank, and I prefer phosphoric acid to remove the rust. Unlike, HCL, it will neutralize rust. I usually use a hole saw to make 2 or 3 small holes on top & bottom of tank, and then thoroughly sand blast the interior through those holes & through the filler & sender openings. Following a good cleaning out, I MIG weld some electrical box knock-outs over the holes I made and seal the interior with POR-15 gas tank sealer. I think that is the best sealer. Pin holes can be repaired prior to sealing by applying POR 15 & thin fiberglass to the outside of the tank. Very tiny pin holes can simply be taped over prior to sealing. Just be sure to give the sealer plenty of time to cure before removing tape.

Reply to
Barry

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