• Welcome to The Truck Stop! We see you haven't REGISTERED yet.

    Your truck knowledge is missing!
    • Registration is FREE , all we need is your birthday and email. (We don't share ANY data with ANYONE)
    • We have tons of knowledge here for your diesel truck!
    • Post your own topics and reply to existing threads to help others out!
    • NO ADS! The site is fully functional and ad free!
    CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

    Problems registering? Click here to contact us!

    Already registered, but need a PASSWORD RESET? CLICK HERE TO RESET YOUR PASSWORD!

My Shop

So I got a wild hair this morning and decided to dig out my old bullet bike. Other than the fuel tank it's pretty much just like it was 25 years ago. I pulled the carbs and cleaned the float bowls, which didn't take much cleaning, thank goodness for old fuel!
I got it back together and got it fired up and it purrs like a kitten still. Looks like my major job will be the gas tank. It's REALLY cruddy looking inside and was actually starting to leak.IMG_20200710_192653.jpg

Also got a DRO I ordered for my mill. Pretty cheap $230 but I've heard good things about them for a home shop.IMG_20200710_193055.jpg
 
Apple cider vinegar works good for removing rust and old fuel from tanks and carbs, dissolves old paint too.
But, reading where Your tank has rusted through, probably will be needing a different tank. Ouch.
 
No it'll have to be this tank. Bike is pretty rare and tanks are hard to find. There is one on eBay now not quite as rusty but has dents , $300 plus shipping
 
ak diesel driver said:
No it'll have to be this tank. Bike is pretty rare and tanks are hard to find. There is one on eBay now not quite as rusty but has dents , $300 plus shipping
Click to expand...
Ouch. as bad as the price for a tank for a Harley Hummer. I`m sure glad that the tank for My 57 was still with the frame and there was no major rust within.
I built a tumbler for that, used drywall screws and tumbled the tank, rotating it on the axis so every inch would catch them points. LOL. It did come out real shiny inside, just getting rid of the dirt and grindings was a bit of a pain, even after rinsing with detergent and hot water.
The tank on the 74 Triumph T-150 was not rusted, just a lot of dried fuel and crap. it took about a week of vinegar soaking to get it cleaned out. Dump and strained the vinegar through some scotch brite pads to filter out the big chunks, hot water rinse, inspect for crap, dump back in the vinegar and let it soak some more, rinse, repeat unti it was totally clean.
 
So I have it soaking in a 50/50 solution of purple power. I watched a YouTube video where they did that to get rid of the varnish or shellac or whatever the residue from fuel is called. They did overnight with a 100% solution, so I figured I'd do a couple days anyways. I'm actually amazed at how little it is leaking so far, basically just a slow drip. I'm hoping alot of what I was seeing is just the varnish residue.IMG_20200711_143209.jpg
 
I never use any of those tank sealers, Just seen too many instances where that crap come loose or flaked off and created a bigger problem than what the original mess was.
After I get them shiny and flushed out real good so I know they are road worthy, I add gasoline to them, then drain out the fuel, if they are not going into service right away. My belief is the odors of the fuel will displace the oxygen and keep the tank from rusting again. been at least six years on the 125 Harley tank and still no rust.
If there a a few pinholes I`ll tin the areas real good then solder them over. If there is some bigger holes, tin around them real good, tin a piece of copper sheeting and solder it over the hole. I try to use a soldering ron, the old fashioned heat with a torch type and keep the open flames away from the tank. Open flame is what causes bad things to happe.
Maybe after tank has had vinegar and been flushed with no remnants of old fuel left in it an open flame would be okay, I just dont know.
 
Having bare metal will rust. Inside the tank when it is full, it wont rust. But when it sits partial, the oxygen that was drawn in will have moisture that will cause rusting.
In places like where I am- decades of bare metal doesn’t matter- iirc. Vegas is officially the lowest humidity of all the US cities. But if you have any rust on your cars/trucks- a bare fuel tank is not good.

The gasoline will help eat the surface rust, but that then goes through your carburetor or injectors.
 
So I emptied out the purple power this evening. I thought about saving it but it looked pretty gross. Rinsed it out with water and I have to say I'm pleased with what it accomplished. Went from not being able to see any metal at all to now I could see some bare metal and rusty metal. There must have been quite a bit of the varnish build up. So now it's full of vinegar.
 
Give the tank a little shake now and then over the next few days.
I use a piece of scotch brite laid into a funnel and filter the vinegar through that when I get ready to make an inspection, gets out the big chunks and flows fast. After making an inspection and rinsing in very hot water, back in with the vinegar for a phew more days.
Rinse and repeat. LOL
Vinegar works wonders on dirty carburetors too.
 
On gas tanks for dirt bike I used to use hydrochloric acid to clean it, then dump and just rinse with water. Next put in a little rubbing alcohol shake around, pour out. It would displace any water left and evaporated quickly. Then the paint goes in and gets shook around and drained out.

Ya have to take off the fuel valve and put a plug on it (I just used duct tape) for the paint. Then remove the plug (tape) allowing the paint to drain all the way out. Then let it dry a couple days. If you have a shop oven to cook parts in, after it dries natural a few hours, put it in there on 200 or so. The better you cure the paint the better long term results are.

the advantage of the strong acid is it etches into the metal more and gives better place for the paint to hold.

if you are not repainting the tank outside, just be careful to not spill any on it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top