Fuel tank lining

[JOKERS IMPALA]

Wasnt sure where to post this but I got a buddy with a 79 superglide that has the tank sealer in his tanks peeling and rust particles building up on the filter. How do you go about fuly removing the old sealer and rust and get it clean for new sealer. Is there a better product or better way of resealing the tanks

[Larbaldi]

Most tank sealers are pretty tough to remove ... I do know that MEK ( Methel Ethyl Keytone ) can be used to cut ( thin ) sealer ( some types ) that have thickened in the bottle. MEK is highly flammable !! http://dhss.delaware.gov/dph/files/methetkefaq.pdf

I would presume that you will have to repaint the tank also because ( usually ) the cleaning of the inside of the tank and resealing is real messy and very hard on the finish. I'm afraid that's all the help that I have. Hopefully someone else will chime in.

[<G Man>]

Seems like I read somewhere about a method involving dumping a bunch of BB's into the tank and shaking the hell out of it (OK I'm simplifying the process to get the general concept across). I'll have to see if I can find where I saw that write-up about the whole process.

[Brberk]

There are a number of fuel tank liner kits available. Do your homework as they all do not work well. I did one several years ago and it failed. It takes many applications of the remover solution to get all the old lining out followed by a water flush--lots and lots of shaking and aggitating. I also used nuts and small bolts to rattle around in the tank to aid in removing the old finish. Also, you will most certainly need to repaint the tank. The paint comes off much easier than the epoxy-based liner and it is impossible to keep the stripper off the paint.

I had to re-line the tank again a year ago and used the Por-15 kit. It has held up very well and was relatively easy to use but you need to be absolutely certain that All the old liner comes out and follow the instructions carefully no matter what system you end up using.

[johnjzjz]

we have used aircraft paint remover with 50 - 1/2 X 18 nuts and shake Caution the paint stripper is not happy about that idea -- in the tank to remove the old stuff its probly kream it was garbage than as it is today and now you have to remove it or throw the tank away
than we use POR - 15 the best we have found, and have seen last for many many years with out any issues - if the shovel tanks are OEM than by all means its correct to try and repair them, but if they are china tanks than just buy a new set as its cheaper in the end with the cost of all the stuff needed to strip and re coat -- jz

[crazy horse 75]

One of the big problems with tank sealers is that they do not hold up well to the ethanol in gas these days. Ethanol eats away the lining. I'm getting ready to do a magazine article on gas tank sealing.
Actually the best way to clean out and seal a tank is to take it to a radiator shop. They boil out the tank then bake in this hard red gas like sealer which holds up to almost anything.
But it will ruin the paint on the tank.
So if you are going to be repainting the tank, this is the best way to go.
If you want to save the paint on your tank, try and find a cream in sealer that holds up to ethanol.
And Eastwood makes these pellets that you can pour into your tank, swish around, and they are supposed to remove most of the loose rust and loose sealer.