54vetteguy

I have a question on suggestions for cleaning the origional gas tank for my 1954. Believe it or not after careful inspections with mirrors and strong lights looking into the tank there appears to be very little rust, scale or debris inside the tank that I can see. For the most part everything is shiny metal but there are a few spots on the inside top that could be a little rust starting.

Wanting to keep the tank I was thinking as an extra preventative measure, I would take the tank to a local radiator shop to have it boiled out or hot tanked. Question came to mind if I do this will the solution they use in any way remove the "galvanizing" that has protected the metal over all these years causing a problem for possible rust in the future. I don't want to use any interior coating product either.

Maybe I should leave well enough alone??

Given some of the experiences our fellow forum members have had with fitting new reproduction tanks into their C1's I was not too eager to immediatly give up on my origional....

Thoughts or suggestions?
John Lanning

Vet65te

John - The main question is whether the Ni-Terne coating is still completely intact inside your tank. Cleaning will remove varnish and deposits from years of holding fuel but after it's clean, if there's bare spots of steel showing rust can return with no new protective coating to stop it. For all the work involved in R&R-ing the tank, I'd recommend a new replacement even with the hassle of trying to get it into place. Is there any possibility that those 'spots' you see aren't bare steel spots but maybe some coating discoloration?
Mike T - Prescott AZ

waynec

I'm not speaking from personal experience, but since you are having the tank removed and cleaned, why not consider an internal coating such as this one...

http://www.hirschauto.com/ALCOHOL-RE...oductinfo/GTS/

Update... I just noticed your comment about not wanting to use internal sealants.

from the Q&A on the above product:

"IS IT ALWAYS NECESSARY TO SEAL A TANK AFTER IT HAS BEEN CLEANED?
NO. SEALER SHOULD ONLY BE USED AS A LAST RESORT. TANKS THAT ARE RUST AND GUM FREE THAT HAVE
NO PINHOLES OR LEAKS DO NOT NEED SEALER. IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT TANKS BE KEPT FULL
WITH FUEL AT ALL TIMES, ESPECIALLY DURING STORAGE. THIS PREVENTS CONDENSATION AND FURTHER
RUSTING. BUT IF VEHICLES ARE NOT USED FREQUENTLY OR ARE STORED FOR MORE THAN 2-3 MONTHS AT
A TIME, THEY SHOULD BE TREATED WITH BILL HIRSCH'S GASOLINE PRESERVATIVE AND STABILIZER.
THIS WILL KEEP THE GASOLINE FRESH FOR UP TO FIVE YEARS AND WILL ENSURE QUICK TROUBLE FREE
STARTING AFTER MONTHS OF NON USE."

Vette Daddy

At $200, I always replace an old tank. Clear coat powder coat and it will always look new forever. I order the 56 tank, as the 53-55 tanks are never available.

John McGraw

Absolutely! The best $200 you will ever spend. Years ago, I restored a 60 which was pretty much an untouched car. I wanted to keep it as original as possible, so I did not replace the tank. The worst mistake I ever made. The tank would clog the filter constantly! I finally replaced the tank, and the truth is, nobody will ever know whether it is the original or not. The repro tanks are very good, and they are completely hidden to boot!

I could not see spending 75-100% of what a new tank cost to have the tank cleaned and coated with a coating that might start peeling and clogging the filter in a couple of years.


Regards, John McGraw

54vetteguy

Well it seems like smart money to me to go ahead and purchase a new tank....will sort through previous posting on C1 tank installs to see what supplier/manufacturer is most recommended.
thanks for everyone's input.
John Lanning