Fuel tank restoration

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Steve welder

Steve welder

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Non Mopar so forgive me.
I have a fuel tank id think its about 10 or 12 gallons or so made out of steel for a engine drive welder (1969). I don't think I can source a new tank or even a decent used one and a aluminium replacement is very expensive, more than I want to spend
My tank has some rust on bottom, doesn't look to bad but bad enough to screw up the carb
I bought one of these 3 step restoring kits, the last step being a paint/covering type sealer
Has anyone had any luck with them on a old tank
 
Steve welder said:
Non Mopar so forgive me.
I have a fuel tank id think its about 10 or 12 gallons or so made out of steel for a engine drive welder (1969). I don't think I can source a new tank or even a decent used one and a aluminium replacement is very expensive, more than I want to spend
My tank has some rust on bottom, doesn't look to bad but bad enough to screw up the carb
I bought one of these 3 step restoring kits, the last step being a paint/covering type sealer
Has anyone had any luck with them on a old tank
Click to expand...
The problem with the sealer is that if you don't continually rotate the tank, the sealer all lays on the bottom, lumps up, dries and eventually comes apart. They use to push that stuff to repair motorcycle fuel tanks.
 
My procedure for cleaning a rusty tank.

With tank empty, outlet plugged, and dry inside, I pour in 1 or more gallons (depends on size of tank, 1g should be more than fine in your case) of Evaporust. Then I add a couple of handfuls of crushed landscaping granite and cap the tank so nothing can spill out.

Let Evaporust sit on rust affected area for 10 minutes and then agitate the granite. Let sit for 30 minutes then repeat. Continue repeating every 30 minutes until rust is gone. Rotate and agitate accordingly if you have other areas (sides, top) of rust you need to remove. Pour out Evaporust and remove all granite. Flush with clean water and get out as much water as you can. Then heat dry the tank in the sun or use a hairdryer or heat gun. Reinstall, fill with fuel, and enjoy your clean and rust free tank.
 
About 25 years ago, I pulled the tank out of my 69 Barracuda. It was really NASTY inside, but they were not making new tanks for them back then (at least not that I could find). I bought a fuel tank restoration kit from Eastwood. I followed the instructions exactly. One step was to clean the tank out with Muratic acid. Be real careful with that step. Then I mixed up the epoxy that came with the kit and poured it in. Then I spent about 15 minutes twisting, turning, tipping and wiggling the tank to ensure even coverage inside. It then looked great inside. That treatment lasted about 15 or so years. When I blew the car apart again for another paint job about 9 years ago, I bought a new fuel tank. Believe it or not, the old one still looked great on the inside. I can highly recommend the Eastwood kit.
 
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