Gas Tank & RED-KOTE liner

[280~Master]

I have been having problems with the fuel system now for a couple of weeks. Every time the car is below ¼ of a tank it sputters and misses like it is starving for fuel. Which it is. I figured this by replacing the fuel filter with no results. I then blew out the lines with compressed air and this worked until I added gas and sloshed the rust around. So I have come to believe that the tank has so much rust it is clogging the pick up when the fuel is low. I know now that the tank has got to be redone.

I was lucky and received a parts car from HLS30, Great guy, not to long ago. What fun that was getting it to my house. I will have to post that story later.

1. I pulled that tank out of the parts car to see if it was any better than mine. Not hard to due at all, 5 clamps, 4 screws and both straps and POW it was on the ground. The only time I jacked up the car was to pull the tank out from under the car.

2. I had flushed it with water to get all the crap out of it before taking it to the shop. The tank had about a quart of rust in it.

3. I took the tank to a local radiator shop and had them boil the tank and treat it with acid. This took about 3 days for them to complete the process.

4. While the tank was drying I had gone to the local Lowes Depot, HA HA, and purchased 2qts of MEK. You will find this in the paint section. It is a paint thinner that is used for glues and epoxy type stuff. Almost the same as Acetone but has a better evaporation rate than Acetone.

5. I then let the tank sit for a day out in the sun to dry up. I still had a little wetness in the tank so I took a clothes hanger and taped a rag to the end of it and dried up the rest of the wetness.

6. I taped up the openings in the tank with great all American duck tape. All but the filler opening.

7. With most of the water gone I pored the 1st qt of MEK into the tank, taped up the filler opening and shook the sh!t out of it.

8. I popped the drain plug drained the MEK into a bucket and boy was it black.

9. Added the 2nd qt of MEK and shook the sh!t out of the tank again. By now my arms are sore from shaking and dancing with my gas tank.

10. I drained the 2nd flush into the bucket and let the tank sit for about 5 minutes.

11. I then retaped all of the openings of the tank with duck tape except for the filler opening.

12. I then put a qt of RED-KOTE into the tank and slowly turned the tank in all directions to allow for complete coverage. This takes about 10 minutes.

13. I removed all the duck tape and drained the remainder of the RED-KOTE out of the filler neck.

14. I then placed the tank in a sunny spot with the drain plug in the downward position so the RED-Kote will dry up. The drying time should be about 24 to 48 hours depending on the weather and temperature.

I went with RED-Kote due to the fact the shop had it in stock and he has been doing this for over 30 years and has been using this product with great results. He has done many Z tanks from a local VW/Z shop for years. The cost was also on the mind with this project only costing me $70 and about 2 to 3 hours labor.

If there are any questions just let me know and I will get the answer back as soon as possible. As long as the question is not something like, Why is the sky blue?

[montoya_fan01]

so, if you let the red-kote dry with the drain plug "in the downward position", haven't you effectively sealed your drainplug closed? In other words, isn't it useless now?

Also, have you ensured that the fuel supply (exit) and return (entrance) tubes aren't plugged up with red-kote?

[TomoHawk]

Acetone is a good way to soak up excess water. Pour some in the tank (about a pint or so is plenty) and run it around. It will soak up any water left (like the few drops or spoonfulls left) and the excess will dry out fast.

[280~Master]

Montoya,

Good questions But I ran low airpressure back through the lines to make sure that they were not cloged. I also pulled the drain plug out when I pulled off the tape. I didn't put it so it is draining out of the tank just set it up so the extra Red-Kote will flow to that side of the tank. Just like the instructions say to do.

Acetone is great at soaking up the extra water. I used the MEK because that is what the manufacturer says to use. It cost just about the same as acetone and sat right next to it on the shelf. I think MEK is a little stronger though.

[montoya_fan01]

cool, so after you drain out the excess, any residual sealant sort of puddles in a corner, or somewhere away from the drain, right? Good idea with blowing out the inlet and outlet tubes. Is the project complete now?

[280~Master]

Montoya,

It says to give it 24 hours to dry I am going with 48 to 72 hours just to make sure it is dry. The can said to make sure it is dry or it will never dry. I guess its like the paint in the bottom of the paint can looks dry but when you touch it you get stuck in a goo.