View inside Fuel tank, previous coating?

[DaveR]

Edited the title to reflect the new questions regarding the fuel tank. Trying to figure out what is inside this tank. I believe strong that it was sitting in storage since 1981, and so if it was a previous tank liner it might be very old.

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Replacing the fuel hoses today and doing the lines by the tank. The port on the fuel tank that accepts the return fuel hose seems a bit loose. If it was weld on there, then I fear maybe the joint is weakened and could fail.

It seems like maybe its threaded, since if i turn it clockwise a little it tightens. (or i could be imagining it)  Unfortunately it needs to turn clockwise past its original position, and thus comes close or interferes with the supply line.

Any info on how this works and what I need to be careful of is appreciated. Trying to avoid an issue.

Edited April 20, 2016 by DaveR

[Darrel]

not threaded, drop the tank and get it repaired.

[Patcon]

I believe they are soldered into the tank. You are probably just turning it to where the solder joint is thicker and it tightens up. It probably needs to be removed and taken to someone to be boiled out and resoldered. Radiator shop possibly?

[DaveR]

So i've dropped the tank and ripped all the old evap lines out. Will be replacing them and keeping the OEM vapor system.

So i have a decision to make in regards to my fuel tank. I NEED to have my return fuel line rebrazed because it's loose.

I stuck a work light in there and took some pictures. The inside looks pretty good, its got some varnish and some stuck on stuff, but i don't see any legit rust. The flakey bits seem to be whatever is stuck on there, and i believe the gray behind it is the tank itself.  You can see the baffle in the top right.

Maybe its a tank sealant from decades in the past? 

Second picture shows a view of the same area, and the top of the tank.  There is some oxidation up there, but there isn't much depth to any of that.

Those 4 big dots in the second picture aren't holes. There was some patch put on the tank, but it looks like it was almost like that from the factory. Totally sealed up and was buried under all the coatings the tank had when i yanked it out. Not really in a spot that would have rusted through by the early 80's when it was put into storage.

My options are:
1) Have tank hot tanked @ local radiator shop, inspect after, use with no coating.  (~$130)
--- No risk of coating flaking off, tank shouldn't corrode any faster than it did while it sat for 30 years. I will babysit it with stabil and keeping the tank full.

2) Hot tank it, and coat it myself with red Kote or por15.  (~$200)

3) Have tank hot tanked @ local shop and have them coat the inside. (~$250-300)
--- 5 year warranty against leaks. I believe they use Red Kote, who knows how capable they are of a good application, versus what I could apply myself.  

4) Have my mother-in-law bring the tank to "Tank Renu" in Albany, NY. ($450-500 I believe, getting a quote)
--- Lifetime guarantee.  Fully sandblasted, cut open, coated inside and out, and baked.

 

Personally, I think the most logical options are either #1 or #4.   Half measures seem to just be asking for issues. Unfortunately my costs are adding up as I work to get this car running again, and $500 on the fuel tank when it could be in very good shape after hot tanking just seems excessive.  But of course the cost to hot tank it would be forfeit if I decided to "Tank Renu" it later as their process requires they sand blast everything perfectly clean before sealing it no matter what shape it was in at the start.

Edited April 20, 2016 by DaveR

[siteunseen]

You can buy the stuff and do it yourself, I did, for $50 and a Saturday afternoon.

When I bought the car,

After a muriatic acid sloshing,

After Red-Kote,

I have clear glass filters on the two cars I've done and have never seen anything that looks pink or red.  The Red Kote needs to cure for at least a week, until the smell goes away plus a couple of extra days.

[gwri8]

Do get the joint soldered, but from your pictures I see no real reason to hot tank or cut it open it unless it it clogged. That should save you some money. Like Site showed you with the muriatic acid and Red Kote, you can clean and coat it yourself in an afternoon.  Then wait a week for it to cure.  I did mine with POR 15 products. The POR 15 has a 3 step process, clean/degrease, metal etch, and coat. Cure is the same time.

 

 

[siteunseen]

I apologize for sounding arrogant, I didn't mean to.

I got all my instructions from Blue's Tech Tips on how to clean it with acid. Then the red kote instructions are on the internet. $30 for a quart of liner. $10 for a gallon of muratic acid and $10 for a quart of denatured alcohol. You need at least 4 five gallon buckets and a $.50 lb of baking soda. I have a leaf blower that helped speed things up.

Sent from my SM-S765C using Classic Zcar Club mobile app

[DaveR]

No worries, you didn't sound arrogant. I think I could apply the coating pretty well myself also, but I have read issues with red tinted fuel and the other issues.

Most of that stuff is typically user error, and I never usually have those issues.

Why did you guys say not to hot tank it? I don't honestly know what the process is, but I know red kite instructions say not to "boil out" because it strips the metal of something important. 

 

 

Quote

boilout is not recommended Because the high alkalinity removes the tin from

terne plate making the plating flake off. Red-Kote
will not stick if the plating is coming off. Some tanks
do not have this plating.

If hot tanking will clean it out well with no drawback besides cost, that is good to know. 

Edited April 20, 2016 by DaveR

[gwri8]

Maybe there is more concern to you as I can't see the whole tank, but what I saw would be easily cleaned with the products Siteunseen and I have mentioned. If you are going to coat it yourself I would think that cleaning it yourself also would be no big deal IMO. But hey, if you feel better having it hot tanked/boiled by a shop then go for it. There is something to be said about knowing a job is done right.  Clean is Clean no matter who does it and that is ESSENTIAL for either Red Kote or POR 15.   I haven't used the Red Kote so I don't know about the boilout warning but worth verifying before proceeding with it.

Compare your tank to this one. This was after it was boiled. It didn't look much better before.

[siteunseen]

That's my concern with vatting them. Same chemicals they use for radiators, not as strong and dirty. Probably leaves a film too that the liner won't adhere to as well. My .02 cents.  8^)

[DaveR]

That was my thought as well, leaving a film behind. I would imagine the best way to prep the surface is sandblast, and then hit it with some kind of solvent that comes up 100% and possibly even preps the surface slightly for coating. This is probably the purpose of the acid.

I think I will hold off on having them hot tank it. Thanks all. Still not sure if I will do it myself or have it done by "tank renu". I sent them pictures and they are giving me a quote tomorrow. 

At the very least the rad shop will rebraze the fuel connections. They may have to blast it a bit in those areas to get a good surface to braze upon. Then I will have them pressure test it and go from there. 

[gwri8]

Actually, I was at the Paint shop a couple of weeks ago and just happened to look down on the shelf and I saw POR15 Solvent.  http://www.por15.com/POR-15-Solvent_p_19.html. Might be worth a shot if you suspect it to be a coating. I've read where Acetone will dissolve tank coatings also. I've used neither but it sounds promising.

Keep us posted.