Fuel Tank Restoration !! Many Pictures

P Moore · 03:08 PM

Thought i share my problems with you !
I have had lots help on here so i have been taking lots of photos of the work i have been doing on the car, I spent all day Sunday on the Fuel Tank and now im ready for the a sealer of some sort,

Here is what i found when i opened it up:

I found this Plastic thing very strong, no problem with HP Washer:

After a bit of scraping:

Look at this for rust !!:

Walko · Walko's Garage

What year is that tank from?

Michael

P Moore · 07-07-2008, 03:16 PM

As i was scrapping off the bubble of rust a Black Sludge stuff was running out.....it came very well after a washing:

With the Plastic removed:

Can i still buy one off these as my finger went through it !!

P Moore · 07-07-2008, 03:20 PM

Here is a close up of where the fuel exits the tank.....mine was clogged up, wire & some carb cleaner done the trick:

ossiblue · 07-07-2008, 04:49 PM

Great shots of something most of us would have never actually seen! Thanks! This thread follows along with another about the uniqueness of the 73.5 fuel tank and the mention of a "swirl pot" which is the plastic thing you show so well.
BTW, with all that rust, are you concerned at all about the integrity of the sheet metal that remains? Is it thin in any spots? From your photos the tank cleaned up well but that sure was a ton of debris you dug out of there--it must have come from somwhere!
Thanks for the shots.

mikeatfhc · 07-07-2008, 05:13 PM

OMG. *hit can it and get another. Interesting look inside btw.

kycarguy 935 · 07-07-2008, 08:07 PM

It's really hard to believe that cleaned up so well. Good job and thanks for taking and posting the pics.

RWebb · RWebb's Garage

obviously a CIS tank, but what year was it??

P Moore · 12:30 PM

Its hard to believe that this tank is ok....trust me the cleaning took half an hour !! Taken the tank out of the car and cutting it took a while alright, If you are going to cut your tank use the STAINLESS STEEL DISKS as they are only about 2mm-3mm thick, and leaves a very nice cut, i scraped the heavy stuff off with a knife !! then i just washed it out with the Washer, Ill post more pictures as im applying the POR 15, then a friend of mine is welding it back together with a TIG Welder,

(The tank is from a 1975 Targa)

brents42gpw · 01-10-2013, 06:05 PM

I see this was posted over 4 years ago. after welding it back up and using it in the car. have there been any fuel related problems?

brent

P Moore · 08-22-2013, 07:34 PM

I forgot about this post !

Some guy mentioned to me that it wasn't actually rust but some sort of a varnish coating that came off the surface ? - it stunk !

I forgot to mention that when the tank was welded back up it was then pressure tested at the time.

There has been no fueling problems in any way...

porwolf · 08-22-2013, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by P Moore

I forgot about this post !

Some guy mentioned to me that it wasn't actually rust but some sort of a varnish coating that came off the surface ? - it stunk !

I forgot to mention that when the tank was welded back up it was then pressure tested at the time.

There has been no fueling problems in any way...

That seems to me the best and most thorough way of rehabilitating a CIS fuel tank with swirl pot. And it did not seem to take much time either. It is really amazing what lurks insde!

prebordao · 08-23-2013, 02:52 AM

P Moore

Happen upon this thread with interest as I recently had some blockage in the tank and I wondered what route the return line took inside the tank. It seems to go through the swirl pot right ?

PS - I actually have a used inline filter in good condition, but I guess you already found one by now

Sunroof · 08-10-2017, 04:14 AM

DO NOT.....I REPEAT DO NOT USE "REDKOTE" for coating the inside of your tank UNLESS you avoid coating the swirl pot, cover and all, which is unavoidable if the tank is not split in half. The swirlpot directs the fuel through the screened filter into the fuel line toward the fuel pump and as such REDKOTE will not adhere to bakelite (swirlpot)

REDKOTE is a DOD approved interior coating used primarily by the US Navy in coating the interior of water tanks, fuel tanks, etc. It was recommended years ago on this thread when I inquired about restoring my fuel tank in my 1973.5T.

I took my tank to a radiator shop to have cleaned by boiling and coated twice with REDKOTE. As the months progressed I noticed thru the attachment point for the fuel level tube streamers of red paint(coating) in the fuel. I drained the tank and found that the screen filter was lightly coated with REDKOTE. The slow clogging would have made driving difficult! I called the manufacturer of REDKOTE and talked to one of their tech folks and learned that the stuff will not adhere (for long) to bakelite. I was advised to use an acetone, MEK or some other solvent wash to remove it, which I did. All is back to normal and lesson learned....................just passing the info on to anyone considering restoring their fuel tank.

I do not know how POR 15 interior coatings work on bakelite, but do your research first. If your going to weld those two halves back together then you have an advantage on coating and avoiding the swirlpot and baffle as well.

Good luck

Bob