1921 Buick Model 46 - Marvel Carburetor Varnish

[IFDPete]

Hello to All - 

 

I am new to the Forum and PreWar Cars.  I recently acquired an well preserved 1921 Buick Model 46 4 Pass. Coupe with original interior from an estate.  Car sat in an unheated garage since the late 1980s.  Engine was seized and I took off the valve rockers, soaked the cylinders in 50/50 acetone/ATF mix for a week and the cylinders freed up pretty easily.  Water pump / Starter-Gen shaft turns freely as well.  Oil drained from pan and still working on the stuck valves.   Will drop oil pan to clean sludge.  There is some old gas in the tank as there are pinhole leaks from the side of the tank.  The gas cap is on the tank tight and I cannot turn it or get a good hammer swing to knock at it because of the spare tire mount.  I opened the drain plug from the bottom center of the tank and nothing came out.  The gas must be below the female threaded fitting that is in the tank.  I will have to drop the tank and work on it off of the car. 

 

So now on to my question....up at the engine, I can see that the gasoline has turned to a black varnish / shellac at the banjo fitting of the gravity tank, at the threaded gas line nut under the gravity tank, at the gravity tank shut off valve, and you can see it on the carburetor fuel bowl cover.  I am guessing the varnish has also seeped up the gas tank to the banjo fitting there and the threads of the gas cap.  Nothing that is threaded will move because of this hard black varnish.

 

My question is what would you use to break this bonded black gasoline varnish.  I am reading on the internet different things...lacquer thinner, penetrating oil, Acetone ATF mix, or denatured alcohol.  What do you guys think would do it?  I want to remove the carburetor / gravity tank / gas tank for clean up.

 

Also - I have attached some car pictures of this great find.  Enjoy - Pete Jolly - Indiana

 

Edited April 2, 2022 by IFDPete
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[Robert Engle]

Nice car!!

 

I'll give an opinion, but I'm sure you will hear from others. I would take the screws out of the vacuum tank and  remove the carb and vacuum tank.  Blow the lines to remove any gas.  Use line wrenches and a soldering iron to apply some heat to the fittings.  You can heat the wrench and then apply to the fittings.  Once parts are removed, soak them in carb cleaner.

 

Remember gentle pressure relentlessy  applied on stuck fittings.

 

Bob Engle

[IFDPete]

Thanks Robert - That is if I can get the banjo gas line fitting free.  It has varnish as well.  You can see it on the fitting in the picture.  Pete

Edited April 2, 2022 by IFDPete (see edit history)

[Roger Barrett]

MEK, methyl ethyl ketone, is a very powerful industrial solvent. It will dissolve that goo and most any organic compound it is exposed to. Toluene is in the same class of chemicals. Handle them with care. They are often available and paint stores as they are used to clean up airless paint spray equipment. 

[Morgan Wright]

I would replace the fuel line, there is probably varnish and rust flakes in it. The fuel line is lower than the engine and also lower than the tank, so it acts like a sump to collect anything heavy, and what happened to me was, varnish crystallized on the rust particles and they sink to the bottom of the fuel line. Modern gas has detergents which dissolve the varnish a little and bring these rust particles into the vacuum tank and carb. I tried using filters but there was no end to the rust particles until I replaced the fuel line. I bought 50 feet of it so I have extra if you want it no charge, just pay postage. The fuel line is copper tubing which solders into the banjos, easy job. 

 

Edited April 2, 2022 by Morgan Wright
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[IFDPete]

Wow Morgan - Thanks so much.  I will gladly take you up on the offer and will be in touch - I am too new to the forum and the forum will not allow me to send people private messages yet.  By the way - your Youtube video series was an inspiration for me in getting this car.  I was unsure about reviving a car with a stuck motor, and after watching the series and seeing all that you did with yours, I figured mine was too nice not to try.  So thank you for taking the time to film and post those videos.  Pete

Edited April 2, 2022 by IFDPete
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[Mark Kikta]

I used brake cleaner spray cans to clean mine.  I have a 22 model 45 that had sat for almost 70 years. Several iterations of brake cleaner and air pressure cleaned it pretty well.  By the way I have lots of posts here with lots of pictures of every step along the way from unsticking my motor to now installing upholstery.

 

Good luck,

Mark Kikta

[Mark Kikta]

Here are a couple pics of my engine completed FYI

[1wonton]

Brake cleaner, MEK, acetone, lacquer thinner will do almost nothing to dissolve the old varnish, don't waste your time.  To clean your tank or other parts dissolve a couple cups of regular lye in a few gallons of water and pour that into your tank.  Don't use any kind of acid as that eat at your metal.  The lye won't attack the metal.  The heat generated and the etching action of the lye water will clean up your tank amazingly well.  You might want to do this again, maybe let it set overnight.  I spent years trying to clean up old tanks; nothing works nearly as well as this.   

Old time car manuals told you how to adjust the valves on your car, today they tell you don't drink the battery acid; we've come a long way.......backwards.

[Lahti35]

I had great luck with Berryman Chem-Dip a month ago when cleaning my Marvel 10-89 carb. I set it in the basket inside the can and let it sit for an hour, still a kinda gross so I let it sit overnight and in the AM it cleaning up great with a soft toothbrush. 

[Mark Kikta]

I too cleaned mine in a Carb Chem dip for 24 hours and then I cleaned it in an ultrasonic cleaner for 30 minutes.  This really did a nice job cleaning everything. 

[Larry Schramm]

I too used the Berryman product.  Put the parts in the solution, left them overnight, and then washed them off with a hose in the driveway.  Works great.  Just do not get the liquid onto you.  Not good.

Edited April 4, 2022 by Larry Schramm (see edit history)

[Mark Shaw]

On 4/3/2022 at 4:24 PM, 1wonton said:

To clean your tank or other parts dissolve a couple cups of regular lye in a few gallons of water and pour that into your tank.  Don't use any kind of acid as that eat at your metal.  The lye won't attack the metal.  The heat generated and the etching action of the lye water will clean up your tank amazingly well. 

Many years ago, I used the old Drano drain cleaner crystals with pea gravel & agitated it to clean my 29 Buick fuel tank.  Then I used the Bill Hearsch tank coating.  The car is still going strong...

[IFDPete]

Many thanks to you all.  As far as the gas tank goes...it will be a later project.  Right now just trying to separate the carb and fuel line fittings from the vacuum tank with out doing damage.  I managed to get the fuel line Banjo fitting off of the vac tank by soaking it with some laquer thinner a neighbor had.  Then I got the fitting off of the bottom of the carb for the fuel line that runs from the vac tank to the carb.  That fuel line fitting from the shut off at the bottom vac tank is still solid with varnish.  I like the idea that Robert Engle suggested for using a hot soldering iron to heat up the fitting.  May try that to get the line free.  I have not had much time to tackle the car this week as I have been busy with the HoneyDo list of projects she had for me.  But all in all it is going well as I at least have the carb and vacuum tank off of the engine and have separated them from each other.  I will try the Berrymans Chem dip for the carb once I get it apart.  Pete