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General Forums => Air Speed Lounge => Topic started by: 72vwtype2 on October 17, 2020, 10:02:22 PM

Title: Gas tank cleaned/sealed?
Post by: 72vwtype2 on October 17, 2020, 10:02:22 PM

I need to get my gas tank for my 1958 Beetle cleaned/sealed.

Any good places locally that does this type of work. The inside of the tank does have varnish and surface rust.

Thanks.

Title: Re: Gas tank cleaned/sealed?
Post by: gsun on October 18, 2020, 10:50:44 AM

Port Moody Radiators. They did a tank for me that should have been toast but they fixed the small holes and cleaned and sealed. Not cheap!
http://www.portmoodyautorepair.com/

In Langley there is Fraser Valley Radiators as well. They did a motorcycle tank for me. Turned out well.
https://www.fraservalleyrad.com/

Expect to spend some dough. I did my own bus tank with instructions from Busdaddy and it cleaned right up. I didn't seal it. Just try to keep it full.

Title: Re: Gas tank cleaned/sealed?
Post by: Bruce on October 19, 2020, 04:05:55 PM

DIY
I'd start with a quart of lacquer thinner or acetone or some other toxic nastyness that will dissolve the varnish.
Screw on an outlet tube in place of your fuel tap, then cap it off.  Throw in a handful of nuts and bolts and slosh it around for a while until you think the varnish is cleaned off.  Drain it then dry it out with the hose of your shop vac on the outlet to blow air in the tank.

Next step is for the rust.  This time use a quart of Evapo-Rust and even more nuts and bolts. It works best when warm, so do it inside your heated garage.  It takes a long time to work, and you have to keep sloshing the juice around to keep the surfaces wet with fresh solution. If you do it on a day off when you're doing other things around the house, you can go out and mix it around every 15-20 min.

gsun, do you still have the instructions from Mark?

Title: Re: Gas tank cleaned/sealed?
Post by: gsun on October 19, 2020, 09:49:51 PM

I don't have the exact instructions as it is on my desktop and it's in storage - moving. But read this thread and it has all the info, just spread out.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=378770

Title: Re: Gas tank cleaned/sealed?
Post by: Bruce on October 21, 2020, 01:30:10 AM

Good topic.
From Mark's post:

"I got a couple of wing nut expanding test plugs from the plumbing department at Home depot as well as some rubber caps for drain pipes that clamp over filler necks really nice, tape and plastic wrap really don't work well."