[tcb] Re: Split Gas Tanks
- From: "Gerald V. Livingston II" <gvl2@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: tcb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 4 Aug 2004 09:16:18 -0500 (Central Standard Time)
I don't think the pictures I saw were on Richard's page. It was a set of
before and after pictures where someone duct taped a hair dryer yo the
inlet of a gas tank to dry it after washing it out with the water and rocks
method. No chemical or steam cleaning done.
Fumes still in the tank went BOOM. Enough air holes in the tank
(inlets/outlets) that it didn't turn into a schrapnel bomb. It just looked
like a warped beach ball. Still was sealed good enough to hold water but
would never fit back in the spot it was meant to go.
You will find that having a radiator shop boil it out will cost almost as
much as the sealer kit -- maybe more. And unless part of their process is a
phosporic acid flush you still need to use the Metal Ready. You just get to
skip the Marine Clean part.
You also need to make sure they doint oil the tank after cleaning. When I
called around here about having it done everyone I talked to said the final
step was to fill with transmission fluid then drain. This is SE Texas, they
do that to prevent flash rust from forming 10 seconds after they've cleaned
it and to provide a mild rust-proof coat to keep it clean until it's put
back into use. The tranny fluid dissolves off when the tank is used for
fuel again.
If they oil the tank you're back where you started -- except without the
"chunks". You have to use the Marine Clean to get the oil out then the
Metal Ready then....
G
On Wed, 4 Aug 2004 06:05:59 -0700 (PDT) Eric Woodall <type2list@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
> Dang Gerald that was a great email, thanks a lot!
> At the end you mentioned a picture of a cleaned out tank, I think that
> might be a Richard Atwell picture.
> I might try a radiator shop to remove all the stuff before re-sealing...
>
>
> "Gerald V. Livingston II" <gvl2@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:The biggest thing
> is getting it clean. Resealing with the POR-15 protects
> against further rust from inside and seals any holes that may already be
> there up to about 1/8" big.
>
> If you have all the stuff it's a VERY straightforward process (see Dan's
> message for some of the stuff needed).
>
> Probably want to start with the hot water and rocks to remove any loose
> stuff so you don't have to use so much Marine Clean. Then use the marine
> Clean. Follow all safety instructions with that stuff, it is heavy duty.
> It
> will get rid of any remaining varnish and rust in the tank. After using
> the
> Marine clean what you pour out will be really nasty stuff.
>
> After the Marine clean you should rinse the tank with hot water.
> Follow that with a good hot water rinse for the tank.
> Then take some really hot water and put it in the tank an slosh it aroud
> really good.
> After that....
>
> You get the idea. You want the water coming out looking clean enough to
> drink (but don't do that).
>
> Look in all the holes you can find and see if there are any areas you can
> see that are more rusty than everywhere else.
>
> Then use the Metal Ready as per instructions. Pour it in and do the tank
> flip thing again. Coat everything. Metal ready is just a Zinc Phosphate
> coating like Ospho. It's a "rust converter". If you saw any extra rusty
> spots prop the tank so the MR covers them for a while. Rotate as needed
> to
> give all rusty areas "extended treatment".
>
> Now go back up to the part about the hot water rinsing.
>
> When the water comes out clean you need to have a source of either WARM
> or
> HIGH VOLUME air to blow through the tank to dry it completely. Warm AND
> high volume would be great. I did the high volume thing:
>
> http://phorce1.sytes.net:8080/rootweb2/Buskatiers/Gerald.L/first-mini-res
> to-2002/4/album.html
>
> See photos 85 - 90.
>
> The tank needs to be COMPLETELY DRY! POR-15 cures with moisture. If there
> are any damp spots inside you will end up with "nuggets" that cure faster
> than the rest and may break off in the future and leave an unprotected
> spot.
>
> Once it's DRY follow the instructions on the sealer can. Pour it in the
> tank, rotate for full coverage, pour out the excess.
>
> Do not try to save any leftover tank sealer. This is Texas, read the part
> above about how this stuff cures. Once you open the can you have to use
> it
> RIGHT THEN. Even if you close the can back up it will have absorbed
> enough
> moisture from the air that it will be rubbery in a day or so and rock
> solid
> within a week.
>
> Don't get it on you or anything you value. I spilled some on the asphalt
> driveway doing my tank. When I went to "kick it up" the next day I
> kicked a
> huge chunk of driveway up instead.
>
> My brother and I thought that was fascinating. So, we did what comes
> natural to guys when faced with something that's supposed to be
> "indestructible" -- we tried to destroy it. We failed miserably. It was
> just a chunk of "stuff". We used the biggest hammers we could find to try
> to shatter it. We tried to pound nails into it (that did chip it but we
> never got one to actually drive in). We dulled a couple of drill bits to
> useless poking holes in it.
>
> As far as the inside of a fuel tank goes this stuff is definitely the
> equivalent of "indestructible".
>
> Yes, it will take you 3 or 4 days (or more depending on drying time) to
> do
> this. But it will NEVER have to be done again.
>
> A less verbose set of instructions is here:
>
> http://www.frost.co.uk/how_do_i.asp#3
>
>
> And DO NOT try to use a blow dryer on your tank until AFTER you have done
> both the Marine Clean and Metal Ready steps. No matter how long it sits
> there will be some volatile fumes in there, maybe odorless. Breaking up
> the
> varnish will release more.
>
> There was a link with pictures of a tank after someone used a blow dryer
> to
> try to air it out after doing nothing more than rinsing it with hot water
> several times. Pretty cool looking but I can't find the link now.
>
> Gerald
>
> On Tue, 3 Aug 2004 10:44:13 -0700 (PDT) Eric Woodall wrote:
>
> > So what is a good way to tell if my tank actually needs to be
> re-sealed.
> > I am just assuming that it needs it because the tank was not connected
> > to the engine when I bought the bus (fuel supply was a jerry can).
> >
> > If I take off the sending unit and the fuel outlet will I be able to
> see
> > anything? I guess just for the extra insurance I should probably just
> > re-seal it and forget it...
> >
> > Hey Gerald, is it a pretty straight forward process on re-sealing it?
> > ----------------------------------
> > Eric "Mr. Electric Wizard" Woodall
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