Gas Tank Restoration

Camshaft · **Posted:** Tue Jul 26, 2011 8:31 am

I've done a search but i've come up empty-handed. Before I attempt to start the new /old RX7, I'd like to clean out the gas tank to remove any crud that may be sitting inside. What processes/products do you guys recommend? Keep in mind, I am on a tight budget. If the tank isn't rusty or otherwise damaged, the plan is to clean up the inside and repaint the outside.

ToolZ · **Posted:** Tue Jul 26, 2011 9:44 am

Hi Cam,
A product that continually crops up and gets good reports is the Por-15 stuff.
Member ToyGuy on this forum used it on his Corina GTTR Sedan with spectacular results -

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=13307

Maybe PM him for details but I think this is what he used -

http://www.por15.com/FUEL-TANK-REPAIR-K ... info/FTRK/

Think I have seen it mentioned in a few other threads on this forum as well.
After seeing some of the crud that gathers in a fuel tank of an old car or a car that has been sitting for a while I think I will be doing something similar as preventive medicine when I get my next jalopy.
Hopefully someone on here can give you some feedback on this and other products.

Loving the budget build RX7 Cam. Interior came up mint! :tu:

Camshaft · **Posted:** Tue Jul 26, 2011 9:58 am

ToolZ wrote:

Hi Cam,
A product that continually crops up and gets good reports is the Por-15 stuff.
Member ToyGuy on this forum used it on his Corina GTTR Sedan with spectacular results -

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=13307

Maybe PM him for details but I think this is what he used -

http://www.por15.com/FUEL-TANK-REPAIR-K ... info/FTRK/

Think I have seen it mentioned in a few other threads on this forum as well.
After seeing some of the crud that gathers in a fuel tank of an old car or a car that has been sitting for a while I think I will be doing something similar as preventive medicine when I get my next jalopy.
Hopefully someone on here can give you some feedback on this and other products.

Loving the budget build RX7 Cam. Interior came up mint! :tu:

Thanks! I've saved enough on other stuff that the $77 for the gas tank kit isn't too dear. Especially considering the havoc a dodgy tank would wreak on the engine! Incidentally, I live near Summit Racing Equipment, whom i believe resells this stuff. It would certainly save me the "hazardous" shipping charges!

I'm glad the budget build is going over well with the community. It's a lot of fun to impose limitations on yourself - it inspires creativity.

ToolZ · **Posted:** Tue Jul 26, 2011 10:57 am

Cam!
Jeremy Holden and Roy Buttress have made you an educational video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZoz_PDxksc

Edit - there are also some other product videos related to this - KBS Coatings etc. Might be worth a watch.

backspinstarlet · **Posted:** Tue Jul 26, 2011 7:55 pm

i had the same problem with my gas tank before. i took my tank to a local radiator repair shop for hot tank, coating treatment and preasure testing for $85. GL with your build.

Norcal510 · **Posted:** Wed Jul 27, 2011 9:38 am

I've used Por-15 tank sealer tons of times & works great. Just watch out if you have a shop do the work. The last tank I had done I had a shop boil it for me & one of the tubes was clogged with tank sealer when they were done. Which caused my tank to colapse on itself.

Word of advice Por-15 sells pints of the tank sealer. If your coating a JNC tank a pint would be more than enough to coat the whole tank. Now if youre doing an american car then buy the quart.

Camshaft · **Posted:** Fri Jul 29, 2011 1:05 pm

Norcal510 wrote:

Word of advice Por-15 sells pints of the tank sealer. If your coating a JNC tank a pint would be more than enough to coat the whole tank. Now if youre doing an american car then buy the quart.

This gives me a heck of an idea - build my own gas tank resto kit with smaller quantities of supplies. I bet I could save a few pennies that way!

backspinstarlet · **Posted:** Fri Jul 29, 2011 5:35 pm

Norcal510 wrote:

I've used Por-15 tank sealer tons of times & works great. Just watch out if you have a shop do the work. The last tank I had done I had a shop boil it for me & one of the tubes was clogged with tank sealer when they were done. Which caused my tank to colapse on itself.

Did the shop paid for the damages? to bad that the shop you chose did'nt know what they where doing. Hopefully you got your money back.

Drive510 · **Posted:** Sat Jul 30, 2011 12:42 am

I think it depends on how bad the tank is before the extent of the cleaning. If there is rust, I have heard the best thing is to get a chain (other's use rocks, nuts & bolts etc.) remove the interior fuel pump and simply slosh it around the tank with a solvent.

If the tank isn't that bad, I'm sure you can take it to a radiator shop to have the work done for about anywhere from $100 to $170 USD. Make sure you know what kind of cleaning process they use before hand. You obviously would want to know if they simply steam clean it, pressure wash, pressure test, por-15 the inside, or whatever before you dig into your pockets.

I'm looking into this for my area as well. My tank doesn't look too bad so I need to start getting some quotes.

Camshaft · **Posted:** Sat Jul 30, 2011 12:02 pm

The tank, at least from what I have seen, is in really good shape, since the car has been stored indoors in a warm climate. I'll be sure to post up pictures once it has been removed and get advice from everyone. The one radiator shop we have in town is...um...not so good...

rx-7 chris · **Posted:** Mon Aug 08, 2011 7:53 am

I had my gas tank dipped at a radiator shop. Total cost of about $60 plus truck bed liner for the outside and it turned out great.

Kostamojen · **Posted:** Thu Aug 25, 2011 6:38 pm

Take it to a radiator place as mentioned.

Thats what I did with mine, and they said, "its in good shape, just paint it, the inside is fine" so thats what I did

If you think yours is in good shape, just rattle can it or use some por-15 if there is any rust.

Camshaft · **Posted:** Sun Aug 28, 2011 1:18 pm

Thanks for the advice everyone! Just found another shop through a friend to do the work, radiator and gas tank together will come to about $120US and I can't beat that! Now I just need some time to work on the bloody thing.

jimbob_racing · **Posted:** Mon Oct 31, 2011 7:35 pm

jdmda7 wrote:

http://www.gas-tank.com/

I had this place do the tank in my '83 Starlet a few years ago. I cannot remember the cost but they did a very good job. Maybe $250 or so. They are local to me so I stopped out, talked to them, brought the tank out and then picked it up when it was ready.

Be aware that they bore large holes in your tank so that they can sandblast the inside. The holes are filled with freeze plugs and then the tank is coated inside and out with a tough, black epoxy. The finish is not perfectly smooth so if you want something concours, this process is not for you. For a hard to find tank that has a lot of rust holes, this is a good solution. For a good tank that just needs a light cleaning, you may do better with a local radiator shop.

Jim

Oracles · **Posted:** Tue Nov 01, 2011 6:26 pm

So I had a spare RA29 fuel tank that had lots of rust.
Took it to radiator shop to get it hot tanked but was told that
They are only going to rinse the tank with some very hot water

Next I took it to shops that refurbish gas tanks
by sand blast and seal ($350-$450 out of my budget).

So I bought 6 gallons of white vinegar and a can of salt.
I didn’t rinse or clean the tank before pouring all 6 gallons and half can of salt
into flat laying tank and let it sit for 4 days. Today I emptied the gas tank into big bucket
after power washed the inside, was shocked to see nice and clean metal.

Today I flipped the tank over and poured the same vinegar mix in I will let it sit for another 4 days and which point I will clean the inside once again air dry it and use POR 15 to seal.

I wish I had taken a picture of before but I wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out being this my first time at it. But don’t take my word for it.
Vinegar is very cheap and so is the salt... try it on a small scale

I wish I had taken a picture of before but I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out being this my first time at it. But don't take my word for it.
Vinegar is very cheap and so is the salt... try it on a small scale.

Inside of the tank was 10 times worst then this metal piece.

This is what it looks like after power wash

Toy_Yoda · **Posted:** Wed Nov 09, 2011 1:13 am

Im a six year radiator, cooler, and fuel tank vet. I work for a shop in Washington that's been around for 40 years and counting.

When we get a tank in that's dirty and/or rusty we first steam clean it with a heated industrial pressure washer, pulling all plugs and flushing through anextra tubes. This we do several times as the majority of rust comes free, checking between each wash to see if we need to continue or go to the next step.
Most tanks need only that. Use your common sense to make that judgement though. If you fear that the metal has become too thin or possibly porous then you will want to clean further before applying any sealant. Acetone is a good substitute for a caustic hot tank solution. Simply slosh a few cups around to break any stubborn buildup and drain. Use whatever method of cleaning you wish. It would be prudent to place your tank in a dry area for a day or so to ventilate it and get all the moisture out. The sealant needs a clean, dry surface and warm temps to adhere properly. Just remember that it doesn't have to be perfect inside, you just need to worry about the loose stuff.
Some sealants are better than others. POR makes good products. We use a product from Northern, a radiator manufacturer out of B.C. A pint is plenty for our purposes. But you won't need to use the whole thing. After sealing all your holes and tubes and pouring in the sealant, roll your tank around to get the best coverage. This takes time and patience.and you may have to open her up to.check for any spots you missed. When you think you've covered enough open a drain and prop your tank up so the excess can run out back into the can and walk away. Do this outside as the stuff can be tenatius and messy if spilt.
Again leave the tank for a day or so to dry and set. The goal is not to line the tank but for the sealant to find any holse and thin spots to fill in. Extra thick doesn't mean extra protection, only virgins don't understand that.
If your concerned about plugged fuel pickup tubes and such simply run some stiff wire down the tube to free up any blockages. If your tubes ar plugged from the sealant then you applied an extremely excessive amount and should be shot or fired for stupidity. I've done dozens of tanks and never had a problem or a return customer complain about our practices.

saddest6day66 · **Posted:** Wed Feb 15, 2012 10:16 am

I've had luck bringing an old tank back from the dead using the Eastwood kit.

http://blog.eastwood.com/mattsmotorhead ... -syndrome/

zionfarm · **Posted:** Wed Feb 15, 2012 7:46 pm

Man this was a good read, thx for the advice guys.

cw240z · **Posted:** Thu Feb 16, 2012 10:47 pm

A little feedback on the POR-15 tank liner.... DON'T USE IT!

You can read the mixed reviews at Eastwood about this stuff. I bought the kit last summer for my 72 240z. Following the directions to a "T", the tank was spotless and dry prior to the coating. I had a very nice looking and sealed tank after application. After about 3 months later I had fuel delivery problems. Turns out the liner had came off like cheap wallpaper and clogged the whole system.

If you are going to take the tank somewhere to be boiled, make sure you know the place does a quality job. It is very easy for these places to pressurize the tanks when cleaning them and expand them a bit.

That was my experience with the tank sealing, not trying to cause an argument.

backspinstarlet · **Posted:** Fri Feb 17, 2012 9:08 pm

A few months ago I found a good shop to make the proper restoration to my gas tank in the city of Bellflower. They specialize in hot rods and motorcycle gas tank resto. They sand blasted the outside and inside of the tank. Repaired all the problem areas. Applied rubberize coating inside and baked the tank, applied exterior coating and baked it again. I think it came out really good. Here are some pictures of the finished product outside and inside the tank. I also replaced all the old rubber gaskets, intank fuel pump, fuel strainer etc. Now i don't have to worry about rust contaminated fuel in my tank and my engine runs super smooth. Worth every penny. Very happy

Gas Tank Restoration

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