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GAS TANK RESTORATION -THE RIGHT WAY


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On the older teens-20s round /oval tanks I cut the ends out leaving a aprox.3/4 inch flange with my recipicating jig saw.Then I bead blast the inside perfectly clean .Next I sweat the ends back in after bead blasting them.Lastly I coat the tank with a quality gas tank sealer. With baffles in the tanks ,you cant ever be sure you have gotten all the crap out. Ive done about a dozen this way and it is the only way to go. Also a NEW pickup tue can be installed at this time if the gas is drawn from the top. Mike West

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That is exactly what I just did recently to my dad's 1923 Franklin tank. The car has been sitting since 2002. The level of buildup would not have come off with anything less than media blasting. Also by opening and cleaning the inside of the tank, I was able to clean out the threads around the pickup and soak it with penetrating oil allowing me to remove the pot metal fitting in one piece.

Came out beautiful.

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Steve.I have done many of these tanks for customers with never a problem. You can shake.rattle and roll stones ,pinp pong balls ,whatever,but you can NEVER be sure you did the job right without opening them up. I turn these tanks around in 3 days. Mike

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How about a metal stripping hot tank? I sent a tank out that had about a half inch of tar in the bottom from sitting for eight years, and it came back looking like new steel. Of course, it took all the nice shiny black paint off the outside too. I even looked inside with a mirror and a light. It was flawless, and ready for etching and sealing.

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I once cleaned out a Copper tank used on a 1911 Cole Raceabout that sat for long periods between use (like over Winter) and it developed green corrosion from effects of Chicago fuel chemistry. The tank was divided into 2/3 fuel and 1/3 oil reservoir. You can see the Lime Green color of what was flushed out of it using Drano plumbing cleaner chemical.

Keeping the 80 year old patina was the reason we didn't want to do surgery on the tank. I recommend you don't store large quantities of fuel during storage periods. That way you can burn off the old stuff easily even if you drain it to use in the lawn mower.

Stude8

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