1973 Rebuild

[Mark Maras]

 Plunk that sending unit in CLR for 24-48 hours. You'll be amazed how good it will look. I've done two that were crusty and stuck. Both looked hopeless. They both look good and work. As I recall @Wheee was the one with the CLR suggestion. Of course, you'll have to find a way to plug the sending unit hole with something else. 

[ksechler]

On 6/5/2016 at 1:37 PM, Matthew Abate said:

Plugging the sending unit hole is easy.  I just cut a circle out of some plastic (it was actually the bottom of a cheap paint mixing cup), and used the sending unit retaining ring to hold it against the o-ring.  No leaks - piece of cake.

 

[charliekwin]

I just stuffed a rag into it!

[Matthew Abate]

So that's mostly varnish in there, not rust like I originally thought, which explains why the vinegar isn't getting it off as quickly as I had hoped.

I put a gallon of SuperClean in it yesterday along with my box of 100 3/8" nuts and gave myself a great core workout for 20 minutes. It's sitting on saw horses waiting for me to spend more time on it, but I am concerned that the SuperClean might be more likely to make it rust than the vinegar because I am not sure how their acidities compare.

Also, I've been looking around and found 3 gas tanks at wrecking yards for under $200 (+ shipping). Wondering if it makes more sense to buy a replacement if I one of them is rust- and dent-free.

[charliekwin]

Never dealt with varnish before, so just speculating here, but I would try acetone, lacquer thinner or Goof Off (which is mainly acetone and xylene).  There's not much that either of those three won't eat through.  

[siteunseen]

I'm thinking lacquer thinner would eat it up. Thats basically what carb cleaner is but much cheaper. My Dad uses it soaking small engine carbs for people's mowers he works on that go to church with him. They leave the bowls full at the end of mowing season and it turns to varnish over the winter months.

I've used lacquer thinner to clean all my internal engine parts. After a couple of days soaking they clean up like new with nothing but a toothbrush and 140 psi blast of air.

[Matthew Abate]

So this is where I am after 6 gallons of white vinegar and one gallon of SuperClean. Clearly the SuperClean is more effective, primarily because I had misdiagnosed that varnish as rust.

Also, I'm starting to think that this tank is too beat up to knock back into shape. I've started looking for a replacement that is dent, varnish, and rust free. If I can get one for a good price I might bail on this one.

[Matthew Abate]

I don't know what the hell is wrong with this site but these duplicate posts are getting old.

[siteunseen]

At least your nuts are clean. 

 

[Matthew Abate]

That's what she said.

It's working alright. Every time I drain it its significantly cleaner. Just don't know if it's worth fixing.

[siteunseen]

I guess it's tough call for you. You probably don't have a lot free time judging by that little one hanging from your shoulders.  8^)

If you could find one for a couple hundred dollars I'd buy another one. Your time is worth more than mine. You'll get burnt out fooling with small stuff. 

If it were mine I'd carry it to a muffler shop and see what it would cost to cut it in half and beat the dents out then weld it back up. Muffler guys weld more than anybody around here, and they're better at it too.

[sweatybetty]

if you have an air compressor, you might try pressurizing the tank. it may help popping the dents out. just cover your nuts.