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What would you do with this gas tank?

JohnC

Veteran Member
Senior Member
I wanted to try to reuse my gas tank which I assume was in fair shape and usable. I hadn’t really checked it out very closely. I unfortunately stored it for years in a lean-to type shed with a dirt floor. The end with the fill tube was pointed up and I unfortunately the bottom side got a little rusty and slightly pitted. It still structurally solid.

I got ahead of myself and ordered a can of POR15 tank sealer and Eastwood tank tone. Got the tankcleaned out with some purple power to degrease and then a phosphoric acid based metal etch then rinsed well and blew a heat gun inside to dry it out.

It’s not as bad as I thought. There is extremely little rust - almost none. Unfortunately there are molasses colored thin stripes which are sticky. I assume varnish.
Gotta figure out how to clean that out.
As far as sealer, would you seal? I think the surface looks clean but rough. I think the paint would get a good bite.
Would you use “Tank Tone?” Does it look fake? To just clear coat it as it, I think it’d be a bit ugly in some areas.

Anyone restore a gas tank? I know repop tanks are pretty cheap but I want to reuse this one

Thanks
 
I've had a couple a-bodies that were completely covered with undercoatinig. So, technically you'd be correct in doing so. Nobody does that to a repro tank, but then again, you're not nobody.
 
Not sure what the tank tone looks like, but I did a couple with Rustoleum silver hammer tone.
 
Tank tone is a band aid & the tank will look obviously painted (& like shit) & nothing like original...BTDT. Save your money.

What I would do & what I've done in the past is get that tank as clean as you can with degreaser & scrape off any tar etc. Then sand the bare tank smooth with 320 &/or 400.... sand in one direction so all the scratches are uniform & the metal really shines. Once your happy with it, use a good automotive 2 part clear & spray the entire tank. Don't lay it on too heavy & spray your last coat a few feet away so it's not super glossy or better yet use a satin clear. It will look a hell of a lot better than if you sprayed it with any type of rattle can & will be extremely durable for a long time.

I followed that procedure on the original tank from the '67 in my avatar. I first tried it with tank tone but hated the look, so I stripped it all off the bottom of the tank. This is the only pic I can find of it, but it I was thrilled with the results after sanding it smooth with 400 then clearing it. Not the best pic, but you get the idea.


7672_3.JPG
 
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Thanks for the replies. I also ran across this thread where a guy does exactly what I had planned. He thought the Tank Tone ended up looking like a grey primer so he ended up using Rustoleum Metallic Finish. From the pics I thought both looked pretty acceptable. I’ll have to see how much cleaner I can get it. Looks shiny in the pics but it’s a little rough and stained looking up close.

 
If your planning on using any sealer that goes inside the tank I wouldn't, I used a sealer in a brand new set of Fat Bob MC tanks then had the tanks custom painted, this was around the time Eth gas came out and the Eth made the sealer inside the tank melt and clog the carb, had me cussing for days LOL, I have heard about epoxy sealers that seals the inside of the tank that Eth doesn't mess with, I was going for a Rust/Leak preventive
 
Thanks for the replies. I also ran across this thread where a guy does exactly what I had planned. He thought the Tank Tone ended up looking like a grey primer so he ended up using Rustoleum Metallic Finish. From the pics I thought both looked pretty acceptable. I’ll have to see how much cleaner I can get it. Looks shiny in the pics but it’s a little rough and stained looking up close.


Mine was in worse shape than yours, but once you sand it the stains will disappear. If you have stubborn areas, you can sand coarser with 220 or 180. You can even drop down to 80 or 120, but you have to go over them with 180 or 220 before doing your final sanding with 320 or 400. Remeber, you're not looking for perfection & you don't have to worry about the random deep scratch here or there, but the important thing is to get all the scratches moving in one direction. You could even sand as high as 600 before clear if you want it to really stand out.

You could also prep the top of the tank and spray it with that Rustoleum Metallic. If you're satisfied, spray the rest of it. If not, leave the Metallic in place & use my method for the bottom. Once you install it, nobody will notice the difference between the painted top & the natural steel bottom.
 
If your planning on using any sealer that goes inside the tank I wouldn't, I used a sealer in a brand new set of Fat Bob MC tanks then had the tanks custom painted, this was around the time Eth gas came out and the Eth made the sealer inside the tank melt and clog the carb, had me cussing for days LOL, I have heard about epoxy sealers that seals the inside of the tank that Eth doesn't mess with, I was going for a Rust/Leak preventive
What sealer did you use? I think the commonly
available ones like Red Kote and POR15 say ethanol doesn’t affect them.
 
I decided to use the tank liner I had bought. Even though the tank looked good inside I had some concern that was a bit of a leak at the seam. Laquer thinner dissolved the varnish really easily.
Poured a pint of the liner in and turned the tank all over the place for 40 minutes or so looks to have covered all the surfaces well. Couldn’t get out all of the extra because even tipping it so the sending unit hole is at the bottom, you can’t get it all out.
I cleaned up and JB welded and area on the outside where there was some pitting. I’m gonna try to sand it as recommended above and put semi gloss clear on the bare metal. B35AED8D-0C04-4C8B-8B5C-CAF9D1D1296F.jpeg5F5BAE47-F0AE-4EDD-9A61-1C201AFA3CDE.jpeg
 
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