I'm installing a new original style fuel tank behind the seat in my 49 chev 3100. Should I , can I or should not seal it with something--outside sealer of some kind or not? Thanks for the help.
If not in the sun it's hard to beat POR15. The POR stands for "paint over rust" but for new steel you can lightly sandblast or use their prep product called Metal Ready. It's a super moisture barrier and tough as hades. Some people also coat the inside, it's required on aircraft, and for that Damon Products "Red-Kote" is one of the best. If the repop is the same as original it's made of leaded steel and should last years as is.
Repop Fuel Tanks YES ! you MUST seal the inside as they're gauranteed to leak as the seams . POR-15 only ! do not skip nor rust the pre treatment steps . I find it hard to belive anyone doesn't take the time to repair the original tanks , " Gas Tank Re - Nu " in your 'phone book , will do it and they're *much* safer . I tried to GIVE AWAY a perfect rust free Advance Design tank here for many years , no one wanted it and folks always complain about the tin foil Chinese crappo ones .
Reviving an old thread... Just pulled the tank out of the truck. Called a local radiator shop and they charge $110+ to boil/pressure test. If I go that route, will I still need to treat/seal it when I get it back or do they do that? In your post above, you refer to POR15 as well as Re-Nu. Not sure what you meant. Is POR15 enough?
I think gas tank sealers are highly over rated & highly over used. My 1951 1/2 ton truck has the original tank still in it & it has never leaked. I recently helped a customer out that had his gas tank "professionally" cleaned & sealed. The sealer that the shop used ended up turning to soft goop & the goop got sucked into the motor . Guy had to do a valve job because the goop made the valves stick in the guides & when they got the head off.... they saw that the goop was stuck to the pistons also ,so they had to clean that stuff off the piston heads & cylinder walls. It was a miracle that the engine did not seize. Because of this ..... I will never recommend sealing a gas tank again. Find a nice used original tank or step up to the plate for a new one. .
I agree with Joe on one that is not properly prepared for sealer; when it turns to mush you're in a world of hurt. Most people don't know how to prepare or won't take the time. We have a tank rotisserie outside that turns a couple times a minute and is about 50 yards from anything else. The distance is due to the gallon of laquer thinner and tumbler media inside which is rumored to be slightly flamable on 90 degree days. Sometimes takes a couple days to make the inside look like it's chrome plated. Once cleaned it is etched, neutralized, and thoroughly dried. Only then is sealer used. So far no comebacks but we use this on only orphan cars/trucks with weird fuel tanks that would be hard to fabricate.
Hmm? I've bought new steel tanks and just bolted them in and used them... never had any leaks? I can see using a sealer on a tank that was rusty and has been refurbished, as coilover discusses above, but on a new tank with welded seams John
Fuel Tank ' fun ' Well ; I agree that if the truck is used daily you needn't coat the tank , my '49 never had any issues with it's original tank but it was also a daily work truck . At least 1/2 the new Chinese repop tanks leak around the seams so that's why I recommend sealing them before use , I try to be pro active instead of reactive . Gas Tank Renu is a service place that opens up your old rusty , pin holed , worthless junk tank and repairs it before welding it back up again then coating it . *VERY* handy when you have a 1923 Rolls Can'ardly and no tanks are available used or new . POR15 is for you to use at home , only 50 % (at best) of the DIY'ers ever bother to do a proper cleaning and de rusting then preparation so naturally the coating fails then it's <magically> the coating's fault . You pays your moneys and makes your choice . Recently the unobtanium fuel tank in my old Metropolitan Nash split whilst it was parked so I had to pony up $400 (GASP) to have Re Nu save it , I hated to do that but no one has new Met tanks , most use the Austin Healy Sprite tank that's too small . BMC is famous for using cheap too thin steel in the Metropolitan's fuel tanks . Evan's solution is close to perfect , I'd use a dilute phosphoric acid mix with the media instead of lacquer thinner , I've had friends wrap tanks in blankets then tumble in an old clothes dryer for hours , the media does indeed clean out all the rust very well and leaves a perfect surface ready to be washed then coated . Lacquer thinner is *very* explosive indeed ! . I tried to give away a perfect unrusted AD gas tank for about a decade before tossing it into the scrap bin , what a waste .
