Cleaing out a Model A gas tank

[Juls]

Several years ago I decided to purchase my great grandmother's 1929 Model A. Seeing as though I'm a mechanically challenged female it may not have been the best decision. The car is in original condition and I use to drive it around the neighborhood until the rust in the gas tank became an issue. It has been in the garage up on blocks for probably close to 10 years and I'm looking for away to clean up the tank so I can start driving it again. Any ideas?

[Hicktick]

Mam , if you would post where you are located , I am sure some one close to you will help you get it running . THere are clubs almost everywhere .


Pops I dont know so im tole .

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by Juls

Several years ago I decided to purchase my great grandmother's 1929 Model A.

Congrats on the purshase!

Seeing as though I'm a mechanically challenged female

Will all the mechanically chanllenged males on this board please raise your hands...100-102-103

it may not have been the best decision.

The best decision you could have made was to keep the old girl in the family!!!

The car is in original condition and I use to drive it around the neighborhood until the rust in the gas tank became an issue. It has been in the garage up on blocks for probably close to 10 years and I'm looking for away to clean up the tank so I can start driving it again. Any ideas?

Get a couple of gallons of acetone. drain the gas add the acetone. shake the car and drain. filter the acetone through a cloth and do it again until the color is real dark and does not get darker and repeat with clean acetone. This will get alot of the "gunk" off the bottom of the tank and alot of rust as well.

I would then install an in the tank filter.

Also go to the two major Model A clubs and look for a local branch near you.

http://www.mafca.com/chapters_list.html
http://modelaford.org/pdf/RegionList.pdf

[John LaVoy]

You might consider using the product Evapo Rust once you have removed as much of the crud as you can. With out removing the gas tank sealing it with a product is virtually impossible because of the baffles in the tank that would keep the sealer from reaching the outer portions of the tank.

[real550A]

After you get your tank cleaned out, I'd highly suggest NOT to store the car with ethanol/gasoline in the tank. Alcohol absorbs moisture from the outside air, and causes water to build up in your tank.
(we used to add HEET (alcohol) to our tanks to get the water out) That worked when the vehicle was being driven, not stored.

[Mike V. Florida]

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Originally Posted by real550A

After you get your tank cleaned out, I'd highly suggest NOT to store the car with ethanol/gasoline in the tank. Alcohol absorbs moisture from the outside air, and causes water to build up in your tank.
(we used to add HEET (alcohol) to our tanks to get the water out) That worked when the vehicle was being driven, not stored.

Also remember the ratio, a pint of HEET to even a 1/2 a tank was well under the 10% we have today.

[KGBnut]

As a decent temporary fix, you can get a couple of powerful magnets. Just climb under the dash and put a few of them right on the tank in ring around the fuel valve. The larger pieces of rust will be attracted to the magnets and avoid clogging the fuel outlet. The sediment bowl will take care of the smaller pieces.

I like the 'pencil filters,' but they can block the last pint or so of fuel if you are running low. Also, using the magnets doesn't require draining the tank.

Do a Google Search for "neodymium magnets."

[mstover]

Juls:
I just bought a '30 Coupe which turns out had a bunch of rust in gas tank. After talking with several people, it became clear the only sure-fire way to solve the problem was to take the tank off. I'm proud to say that this morning, I successfully performed my first gas tank-ectomy. It really wasn't that hard... just take one step at a time.
- Mike

[JBohannon]

If you do decide to use the acetone method beware it is more dangerous than even gasoline. No smoking or sparks !!!

[Elcastor]

I think the best advice was join a local club and there will probably be LOTS of help offered!

[Tom Cavallaro]

As an Electrician, I used my battery charger to finish the job. I used Evaporust…expensive. I used Vinegar…cheap. I used baking soda to naturalize the vinegar. Then I used the electrolysis. I used a piece of all thread and wood to insulate the rod from the sides of the filler neck. I connected the negative side of the charger to the tank valve at the bottom of the tank, and the positive side of the charger to the threaded rod which goes all the way in the tank but about a half inch off the bottom. 10 amps for about 6 hrs. and keeping a hose running to keep the foam from hurting the paint, and keeping the tank full, to get the rust at the top too. I’m now running off my tank with filters in the tank as suggested above, and in line before the carb. No problems for six months now. For the mix in the tank I used baking soda, two boxes, and a teaspoon of salt, and fill with water. When full, turn on the charger and watch the bubbles. Don’t smoke while doing this. The bubbles are Hydrogen gas. By the way…rust never goes to a magnet!

[RcT]

Originally Posted by Tom Cavallaro

As an Electrician, I used my battery charger to finish the job. I used Evaporust…expensive. I used Vinegar…cheap. I used baking soda to naturalize the vinegar. Then I used the electrolysis. I used a piece of all thread and wood to insulate the rod from the sides of the filler neck. I connected the negative side of the charger to the tank valve at the bottom of the tank, and the positive side of the charger to the threaded rod which goes all the way in the tank but about a half inch off the bottom. 10 amps for about 6 hrs. and keeping a hose running to keep the foam from hurting the paint, and keeping the tank full, to get the rust at the top too. I’m now running off my tank with filters in the tank as suggested above, and in line before the carb. No problems for six months now. For the mix in the tank I used baking soda, two boxes, and a teaspoon of salt, and fill with water. When full, turn on the charger and watch the bubbles. Don’t smoke while doing this. The bubbles are Hydrogen gas. By the way…rust never goes to a magnet!

Right you are about magnets and rust... I had to google this up and, yep, you are correct. So include this one with the old blurb about "magnets on your fuel line will give you better gas milage"...

[KGBnut]

You are absolutely correct, pure ferrous oxide is not ferromagnetic, but the stuff I have found in my tanks usually has a fair amount of unoxidized iron...and that sticks to magnets. On some tanks I have lowered in a bunch of ring magnets on a rope and they come out covered in rusty bits.

Don't get me wrong...this is a temporary band-aid and you are much better off to have the tanks properly cleaned and repaired, but this technique has gotten me home.

[b ramsey]

i took mine out, poured a box of 100 1/2" nuts in there and some water, after plugging the fuel guage hole. shook it like a madman and then cleaned it all out. then washed the insides with swimming pool acid and then cleaned all that out. then coated it with red-kote. not the stuff you get in calif. i got it from a farm store in illinois. no problems since and im happy.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by b ramsey

i took mine out, poured a box of 100 1/2" nuts in there and some water, after plugging the fuel guage hole. shook it like a madman and then cleaned it all out. then washed the insides with swimming pool acid and then cleaned all that out. then coated it with red-kote. not the stuff you get in calif. i got it from a farm store in illinois. no problems since and im happy.

Just curious how you got all of those nuts behind the baffles onto the sides of those baffles and at the top where the rust generally is located? That has been what I have seen when guys try to use this procedure is the center section always looks really clean yet the rust still is in the outer areas because the stones/gravel/BBs/nuts could not get behind the baffles.

[b ramsey]

there is space for them them to get back there. getting them all back out is not hard just takes a few minutes of strategic shaking. whatever rust is still there, was sealed with the red-kote. but the nuts got all the loose scale. im not sayin it looks perfect and brand new inside, but at least it is now useable again, and thats what i was goin for.

[roadster31]

Send it to Brent; he did one for me, it looks brand new inside and out! well worth the $$$ --- gas tank, not a spot to pinch pennies. EL

[RcT]

Originally Posted by b ramsey

i took mine out, poured a box of 100 1/2" nuts in there and some water, after plugging the fuel guage hole. shook it like a madman and then cleaned it all out. then washed the insides with swimming pool acid and then cleaned all that out. then coated it with red-kote. not the stuff you get in calif. i got it from a farm store in illinois. no problems since and im happy.

This reminds me of what I heard long ago about the hot rodders in southern California... they used to take their exhaust manifold, fill them about half full of sand and seal the openings. Then they would fasten the manifold to one of those oil rigs that bobs up and down all day long, pumping oil. Supposedly, the inside of the manifold wouls look like it had been chromed... smooth and clean.

[Tom Cavallaro]

When I cleaned my motorcycle gas tank I used lead shot from about ten shells. That and a pint of gasoline everyday for a week shake shake shake, looked good been running for 15 years now. With the model a, I didn't want to take the tank out because of recking the paint. I want to drive...not keep fixing..LOL. With the electrolysis, everywhere the rust was is jet black. Every place else is shiney.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

I thought electrolysis was line-of-sight only? Is it not?