FireballV8 Posted June 18, 2019 Share Posted June 18, 2019 Hi Guys I am redoing a gas tank and I always coated the inside, but now I am being told not to coat the inside as the available coatings crack if the gas tank is not kept full. What are your thought on this? Thank You Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 I prefer to keep mine filled rather than coat them. It is kind of a Sunday evening ritual during the driving season. Coating is a long term job and you just don't know what might get mixed in with gasoline years down the road. Whatever "they" put in "shouldn't" attack metal. You never know what the fertile minds of regulators will come up with. Don't react until you have an identifiable problem. Seriously, if the chicken farmers told a legislator that chick crap would cut down on biological colonization in ethanol filled tanks it could end up in there. And that stuff really attacks metal. It would probably be disguised as a military spec, they like it too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 I never use that stuff. Think about it. How would you get it clean enough? If there is some tiny spec of rust down in a pit somewhere it will grow eventually, releasing whatever is painted on top. If it were possible to seal up rust permanently and never have it come back, why aren't we doing it on the OUTSIDE of our cars? And yet, some magic goo is supposed to do this in an area we cant even inspect, while drowned in gasoline. Yeah. Good luck with that. Clean it out as good as you can, put a sock on the pickup if it doesn't have one, and cross your fingers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
packick Posted June 22, 2019 Share Posted June 22, 2019 Years ago I purchased a can of gas tank sealer at a swap meet. So I proceeded to use the product on the inside of my 1936's gas tank. WHAT A MISTAKE! It worked fine for a while but while on the 2007 Buick National's Prewar After Tour my car crapped out. Had it towed home and began to look for the culprit. I inspected/tested the fuel pump, carburetor, electrical system, etc. etc. I eventually narrowed it down to a fuel problem so I disconnected the fuel line from the gas tank to the carburetor, strapped on a 1-gallon gas can on the running board with a temporary line to the carburetor, and took the car for a drive. It ran perfectly. Then I knew the problem was in the gas tank. I removed the tank, removed the sending unit, and there, all bunched up in a ball, was the gas tank sealer. I used a pair of needle nosed pliers and pulled it up in one whole glob. I am sure it was the Ethanol fuel that did it in and caused it to block the tanks outlet tube. On the positive side, at least I knew my fuel pump, carburetor and electrical systems were OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted June 22, 2019 Share Posted June 22, 2019 Your results will probably depend on the product and prep. I had the one on my most used 55 about 5 years ago and all is OK. A local radiator shop did it. There are new tanks available and will buy one if this fails. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 In 2003 I had my '56's tank done by a GasTank Renu franchise in my area. Knocked out a major dent and repaired a small leak. That car was fueled with ethanol gas, but started and used sparingly till about 6 years ago. Since then I have increased usage significantly but I am also lucky to live in an area where I can get non-ethanol fuel at multiple locations. To date the tank has never given me any problem. It wasn't cheap. Unfortunately neither is anything else of quality in this hobby. But uninterrupted driving down the road, with confidence that I made the best repair possible, is priceless! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetmech69 Posted June 24, 2019 Share Posted June 24, 2019 (edited) The 55 Special I just purchased had a previous repair and seal job done years ago. After finding out the car sat for 7 years I thought it best to pull the tank and investigate further. The sealer/lining was actually coming up in sheet's like old latex paint. A local shop quoted me 500$ to fix the tank. He told me proper prep is the key and if not done properly expect problems down the road. The product/sealer he uses and or swears by is call Red Kote made by Damon Industries. Long story short I ended up purchasing a new tank from TANKS. http://www.damonq.com/Red-Kote.html Edited June 24, 2019 by Jetmech69 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Phillips Posted June 24, 2019 Share Posted June 24, 2019 All of the above comments mirror the experience I have had. If you don't get the inside of the tank totally and completely smooth and clean, the new liner will eventually peel off and come off in chunks, clogging up your pickup tube--doesn't matter whether the tank is kept full or not. It's worth the extra expense to get a new tank from Bob's Automobilia or Tanks, Inc., or to have a professional reline done with a guarantee like you get from Gas Tank Re-Nu franchise. Both cost several hundred dollars, but the expense is well worth it. Pete Phillips, BCA #7338 Leonard, TX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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