Hi everyone!

This question isn't necessarily 1st Gen related but since both my cars are 80's I figured I might as well ask here.

Over the weekend I dropped the gas tank from my 83 in preparation for the restoration over the winter. I drained the 10 year old fuel and proceeded to tuck it away in a storage area for the winter until it's time to put it back on again.

But then I began thinking about RUST growing inside the tank. I don't want any surprises in the spring....so I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions on what I should do (if anything) to preserve the tank.


Thanks!
g-man

 

Moisture and oxygen are your two enemies.
Its easy to purge the moisture,just put the tank in a warm dry place for a while and let it dry.Sealing it in a large plastic bag afterwards will probably do the trick,although it cannot completly stop oxidation since there is still atmosphere in the tank.
If you have access to welding equipment,and are super intent on preventing rust,you can purge the air from the tank by pumping in Argon or some other inert gas.Then seal the tank up quickly with a plug,bag it and store in a dry place.The inert gas will displace the normal atmosphere inside the tank,which contains oxygen,and prevent any rusting.This is the same principal as when you fill a cars tank to the top with gasoline before storage.The lack of air in the tank will prevent rust and degredation of the gasoline.....although fuel stabilizer is also a good idea considering the crappy fuel we have these days.

 

- spray a little oil in it, swish it around...

 

I follow you regarding the inert gas...but with MY skillset I'm not allowed to use "welding" and "gas tank" in the same sentence. :-)

I'm thinking I might have to put the tank out in the shed, refill it with the old gas I previously poured out, and then seal it up with some plastic and duct tape.

Are there companies that will clean a/o recondition the gas tanks?

Thanks
g-man

 

My understaning is that allot of radiator shops can/will restore gas tanks. If you don't plan to do any mods to the tank I would have it restored and sealed and bag it.

 

drain it and hang it upside down with oil filler neck open. my collection although Im no longer a 1st gen lover.

 

Since good tanks are getting harder to come by, take your's down to the local radiator repair shop. Many of them also clean and reseal the inside of the tank. In the long run, it's well worth the expense, whether storing or using the tank.

DO Not refill the tank with old fuel for storage. If you can't afford the refurbishing, drain and clean the tank, the pour in a qt. of fresh, never used, engine oil and make sure the entire interior is coated. Once that's done, fill it with an inert gas and tape all of the openings to seal the gas in.

If you can't store it with the sealed gas, then hang it up in a dry place as Wacky said.

 

Git'er done! Its well worth the $500 or so including labor that I spent having the tank refurbished and new fuel pump&filter installed two years ago. I no longer build up trash in the bottom of the carbs which resulted in rebuilds like once every 3 years. Mine is a 79 RX.

 

The tank is in really good condition except for a couple of rust areas starting on the seams. I think I'll look around for a local shop to do the restore. I'm already putting out a lot of money to restore the body so I might as well do it right the first time.

I also have a tank still on my 85 SE parts car - perhaps I'll pull that down too and see if I can get a discount on the work. :-) What are used tanks going for? Maybe I can get my money back by selling one.

Thanks for all the help everyone!

g-man

 

if your going to sell one dont sell the GSLSE tank its a much better tank even more so if you end up going turbo or FI one day. this is bc it has a catch can for the fuel for when you do hard cornering and such.