Best way to remove rust preventative coating?

I use powdered laundry detergent, water, and a scrub sponge. Then I use naval jelly, rinse it off with water and follow with Rust-Oleum Rusty Metal primer (red oxide), followed by a Rust-Oleum color coat. The "John Deere" green-painted tank (probably not your color choice) on my '65 Formula S still looks great after about ten years: DSC00873.JPG DSC00872.JPG DSC00874.JPG
P.S. Still wondering how it ended up with a 8 3/4 rear end with a later "489" carrier.