rusty gas tank fix

[joao210]

 I repair heavy equipment such as bulldozers etc  which tend to get a lot of rust buildup in the fuel tanks. On one Case dozer which had a 1/4 inch thick  70 gal steel wall  tank we removed a  full five +gallon bucket of rust flakes and then put two gallons of  concentrated phosphoric acid[available from chemical dealers] into the tank  then sealed the tank ,attached a rope to it , hung it from a hoist and sloshed it back and forth for about  25 minutes We then drained it and flushed it with water  Next we  blew it out with air  When we opened the inspection plate the inside was still pitted but all the rust was gone and replaced with a grey  primer like coating  I havent had a problem with rust ever since. I have used this tecnique on several machines  Be very careful not to get the acid on you IT IS EXTREMELY CORROSIVE  Naval jelly uses a very dilute phosphoric acid as a base

[ja17]

Thanks,

I think most of the do-it-yourself tank restoration kits have phosphoric acid as the cleaning agent before the coating step.

Read through the "Fuel Tank Tour" for some important information on the fuel tank before you begin.

[rjgricius1]

Joe

I sent my tank out to be coated and was told that the flower pot at the pick up point is plastic! They were concerned that the cleaning or the coating would either flake off the plastic or damage the plastic. I you any thoughts on this?

Ron Gricius
rjgricius1@yahoo.com

[clembeauch63712]

Hi Joe; I just had my tank done by North Country Raditor in Glens Falls NY they opened the top of the tank & removed the plastic flower pot.. Then fabricated a sheet metal one to replace it.. This tank is now perfect with the RENU process.. cost me $450. out the door. I just returned from 50th Pagoda a 1150 mile trip. and car ran awesome .. except for starting issues.. that are NOT related to the tank.. Also Jim Moyer in the Pittsburg PA does RENU process.. Google it.. Good luck with it.