cor66vette

So I'm cruising down the road after not having driven the car in many (many) months and all of a sudden...dead in the water. I pull over and after about 1 minute or two, I am able to start the car. I get it home- only about a mile- and the car stalls in the driveway. After a few minutes, I can start it and I get it into the garage. I open the gas cap and notice a whitish buildup on the inside of the gas cap. I clean it off and before I screw it back on I look inside the tank and find clean-looking gas but the bottom of the tank is laden with what appears to be rust flakes. What's the correct way to get the tank clean and I hope the answer isn't to drop the tank. Your advice is needed and most appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Nowhere Man

buy a new tank and replace all the lines you can. cheapest and safest way to repair your problems

Frankie the Fink

I don't think you are going to find some magic solution to add to your gas to dissolve rust and let it flow through your induction system effortlessly. You also probably have an on-going problem now in that the rusting will continue. You are only trying to delay the inevitable...

Trophy Blue

mikem350

If the strainer sock on the fuel pickup is intact and doing its job, then the rust flakes will just stay (harmlessly) on the bottom of the tank. I would take the fuel filter(s) out and check them to see whats there. Pull some fuel out and look at in a glass jar, see if its rusty or stale smelling....

These re-formulated fuels will be an ongoing problem, esp w/carbs and cars that sit a lot

shemp

New tank here's a link Shemp
http://www.quantaproducts.com/prodin...?number=GM-33A

Vet65te

I bought my 65 Coupe back in 1985. Wound up doing an unexpected body-off because the car was in such bad shape. At the time the gas tank looked okay so it went back in after flushing it out. When I finished the body-off in '90 I put maybe 200 miles of driving on it, and then it went into storage. Pulled it out of storage (Mom's garage here in Northern California) late last year to finally put it back on the road and besides finding the new fuel pump had disintegrated over all the years, the engine was running rough which turned out to be very fine rust flakes. Some got caught in the Fram filter I had just upstream of the carb (pic below) and there was a fair amount that got by the filter and got inside the carb as well. New tank will be here this week.
If the coatings have let go you're down to bare steel which will continue to slough off rust flakes. No 'Silver Bullet' other than to replace it.

Mike T.

jim lockwood

The best advice you can receive is what you've already been given: Buy a new tank. That way you fix it once and fix it correctly.

Jim

GJS

I had debris in my 64 tank ----bits of leaves ? and small rust flakes. I did not replace the tank. I removed the sender unit and fuel line hose. Blew out steel fuel line and installed new fuel filter. Put new sock on sender unit. Here is where my method will probably get some laughs.I flush the tank with water(do it on a warm day). Blow dry with a shop vac.Little bits of crap can be taken out with your magnet. install sender with new seal and Fill the tank and run a couple containers of the fuel dry addative . You can drink a beer while you do it but no cigar.

StingU2

New Tank

Vet65te

GJS - No laughs here, that's about what I did back in the late 80's, minus the shop vac. New sock, new fuel filter and all lines were cleared and the tank was okay back then and for a while afterwards but add in the extra 20+ years of just sitting and the rust returned for me.
Mike T.

63 corvette

Per the great Neil Young – Rust Never Sleeps

Brucets11

When I bought my '66 5 years ago, I got it home and found at times it wouldn't run right. Turned out to be rust in the tank and it would get into the carb. Replaced the tank and all is good. Not too bad of a job.

67tripwr

Rust, the silent enemy!

Some tanks fair better than others. The original in my 67 looks as clean inside as the day it was new. I of course however seen them rusted so bad the top caved in.

Replace that one

6T7L71CPE

I also vote for a new tank. Years ago I had mine boiled at the radiator shop, I coated the inside with that poly stuff, last year it peeled off and plugged my fuel line. The best price I found for a non-logo tank was at RockAuto.com.

cor66vette

Many thanks to all of you for your input. Seems like the new tank is the way to go. Might as well do it once...the right way.

Kerrmudgeon

There are gas tank sealers that you swish around in a clean tank. I've used them before for antique bike tanks, and they work well. But when you consider the work of re+re the tanks and that new ones are readily available, this is a no brainer.....new tank, sender, and lines.

Randy G.

I was scratching my head trying to make a similar decision on my frame-on 1954 project, mainly because I want to keep it as original as possible.

By the time you pull the tank, buy the cleaning and refinishing kit, do all the work, deal with the mess and install a new sending unit, etc., you are not too many $$ away from the price of a new tank and accessories with a whole lot less work. Then you read about the recurring issues as stated here and on the NCRS board from those who chose to refinish their old tanks rather than buy a new one and it makes the decision that much easier. Last week I ordered a new tank for my '54 from Corvette Central for $199.

RG

Olustee bus

I had that problem about 300 miles ago. I don't drive it much as I have been restoring it for years. My tank had rust in it. I bouth a good kit of vinyl sealant. Put a heavy chain in it with special cleaner. Rolled it and shook it for several weeks. Got it as clean as I could. Then, put on the sealant as per instrucitons.

After completing my restoration pretty much, went to my first cruise in. Barely made it home. I recently replaced the SOB.

Cleaning a rusty tank is just delaying the inevitability.

Corbrastang

I suppose you could pull the rear exhaust valence, drop the spare tire and carrier, take the sending unit out, flush and clean the tank,but by the time you do that, you will have spent probably just as much time as replacing the tank. If the tank crossmember bolts are not rusted to the frame, then it only takes a few hours to change out the tank. If you decide to go the other route, here is a product that eastwood sells.
http://www.eastwood.com/gas-tank-sealer-kits.html