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Gas tank restorayion

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John Cederstrom
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Gas tank restorayion

Post by John Cederstrom » Thu Dec 29, 2016 9:50 pm

The gas tank from the Garwood Ensign I'm restoring seems very sound ,however, it has quite a bit of fine powdery dry rust inside that readily flows out the fill tube when shaken upside down. Is there a procedure that will allow use of the tank without releasing contaminants into the fuel system? I'm sure this is a common problem that has been discussed in the forum many times. I searched for threads in the forum and in the archives with no success.

John C

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mfine
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Re: Gas tank restorayion

Post by mfine » Thu Dec 29, 2016 10:32 pm

If the tank is solid, you can flush it out with a good solvent. Add a spin on fuel filter to catch anything that does not rinse out. I washed my tank with E85 which is an affordable solvent sold by the gallon at your local gas station.

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Re: Gas tank restorayion

Post by kjhoffman » Fri Dec 30, 2016 11:35 am

I have had success cleaning usable tanks by putting a gallon of methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) in the tank along with a large pack of daisy rifle BB's. 1,000 or so. Put a lid on the tank and drive around with it in the back of an vehicle for at least a week.

Karl Hoffman

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Re: Gas tank restorayion

Post by jbyers » Fri Dec 30, 2016 1:28 pm

A good old style radiator shop will vat the tank to remove all rust and contaminates and line the inside with some sort of protective coating. The charge is reasonable as I recall......... around $100.

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mbigpops
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Re: Gas tank restorayion

Post by mbigpops » Sat Dec 31, 2016 11:05 am

I have tried the radiator shop method and they took all the paint off and I still had fuel issues with debris getting into the carburetor.

You have to ask yourself if saving the cost of a new tank is worth all the potential headaches of fuel issues. My advice is replace the tank now while it is easy to do and eliminate one more potential problem.

Mark
Last edited by mbigpops on Sat Dec 31, 2016 5:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
1953 CC Rocket Runabout "Rocket Man"

jbyers
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Re: Gas tank restorayion

Post by jbyers » Sat Dec 31, 2016 3:29 pm

In my case I did opt to replace the tank........

John Cederstrom
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Re: Gas tank restorayion

Post by John Cederstrom » Sun Jan 01, 2017 8:56 am

I'm going to check with the local radiator shop but based on 2 responses who tried that (and still replaced the tank) i'm dubious. I replaced the tank on a 1941 16' Chris Craft restoration a few years ago but that tank had about 1 1/2" of heavy sludge on the bottom. This one has loose rust. The obvious downside to a new tank is $$$. But it's probably cheaper and less burdensome in the long run. The old adage of "Pay me now or pay me later" comes to mind. I appreciate the help.

John

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Re: Gas tank restorayion

Post by cc-woodboats » Mon Jan 02, 2017 7:05 am

There are several company's that sell fuel tank sealers.
I have used POR-15 sealer kits several times with excellent results.
kits cost about $100.00. kit includes chemicals to clean and etch the tank.
have one boat that I sealed about 15 years ago and it still is working fine.

jfrprops
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Re: Gas tank restorayion

Post by jfrprops » Mon Jan 02, 2017 11:34 am

if the tank seems sound of metal....and if you can get the crud out...the Por 15 is indeed a good product/option.
That said, if you are a "runner" like me.....nothing you can do to guarantee a flawless day on the water will ever equal getting new tank. After getting new twin tanks for my old cruiser I kept the boat for some years beyond when I should have just because I never had any fuel/engine problems after the new tanks. What I am trying to say is: in the cruiser application you will end up with tanks that will outlive the boat....and you. That seems to recommend one consider carefully his use of the boat. Like I said, if you want to run a lot and do so with dependable results. Get the new tank.....in the smaller boat it is so much less expensive and easier. But plenty of boats run well with the newly lined old tankage.

John in Va.
1980 Fairchild Scout 30
19?? custom Argentine Runabout 16'
1954 Whirlwind deluxe dual ckpt 16'
1921 Old Town Charles River 17' (founding Captain, James River Batteau Festival)

George Emmanuel
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Re: Gas tank restorayion

Post by George Emmanuel » Mon Jan 02, 2017 8:05 pm

The tank in my 17' Sportsman was dry when I got it and I let it sit during the restoration. I made a wand out of 1/4" pipe and used a high volume compressor and blew the tank out through both the fill pipe and the suction pipe while having it in the upside down position. That was all that dried white powdery substance. I then adapted a pressure washer wand with 2, 45,degree elbows and a 25 degree nozzle that I could insert into the filler opening and the suction opening and powerwashed out the remaining debris. I could pretty much cover the entire inside of the tank. Once installed there will be a separator/filter installed. It came out really clean and fortunately there was no rust in the tank.

George

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DennyDowning
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Re: Gas tank restorayion

Post by DennyDowning » Tue Jan 03, 2017 6:54 am

I found a company that did a relining on my original 1929 30gal fuel tank. That was 35 years ago. If I recall it was a type of neoprene. They put a few gallons in the tank and sealed it all up. Then they rotated the tank in all directions for a few hours and I think they leave the material in for more then a few hours as it created pressure inside the tank which I was told would seal any small holes. It was not very expensive and so far I have had no issues. Heck even on a new tank you need to use a filter. I recommend just researching in your area and find a place that is good at doing the work. My experience is good.

Denny

John Cederstrom
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Re: Gas tank restorayion

Post by John Cederstrom » Thu Mar 09, 2017 8:51 am

I wound up going with a new aluminum tank from Carr Enterprises, St. Petersburg, FL. Great quality to coast guard regulations and the price was very reasonable.

jfrprops
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Re: Gas tank restorayion

Post by jfrprops » Thu Mar 09, 2017 9:23 am

All of us should replace tanks that way...it is the best money you will ever spend....eliminates a ton of problems and is much more safe etc etc.

John in Va.
1980 Fairchild Scout 30
19?? custom Argentine Runabout 16'
1954 Whirlwind deluxe dual ckpt 16'
1921 Old Town Charles River 17' (founding Captain, James River Batteau Festival)

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Don Vogt
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Re: Gas tank restorayion

Post by Don Vogt » Thu Mar 09, 2017 5:33 pm

I would say amen to that. the ensign tank must be like 1947? or so. God knows that after the war they used anything they could get their hands on to make boats after early postwartime shortages of metals, etc. Why risk it?
1938 Chris Craft 17' Deluxe Runabout "Jennifer II"

joanroy
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Re: Gas tank restorayion

Post by joanroy » Thu Mar 09, 2017 6:08 pm

Some post war tanks were better than others. One of the first things I did after purchasing the JoanRoy was replace the gas tanks. The fill tubes had broken off at their connection to the tank and leaked gas into the bilge. Anyway, I removed the old tanks and decided they just weren't worth the trouble to rehab so I replaced with new CG approved custom aluminum tanks. I was using the help of a couple of my construction guys at the time and told one of them that if he got rid of the tanks he could keep the scrap money. Turns out the old tanks form 1948 were solid Monel and he got $600 dollars from the scrap yard. Good day for him! I still regret the fact that I didn't know the tanks were Monel and that I didn't have them repaired instead of replaced. So yes, some tanks are better than others, especially if their the solid Monel variety. Ouch!

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Don Vogt
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Re: Gas tank restorayion

Post by Don Vogt » Thu Mar 09, 2017 6:30 pm

well, won't you know.
1938 Chris Craft 17' Deluxe Runabout "Jennifer II"

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