Fuel Tank Rehab

geekdaddy

geekdaddy

X1/9 Learner's Permit...
Planning to rehab my fuel tank -- or replace it if necessary. See my other thread here where I eventually discerned that my (relatively new) injectors were clogged by too much crud in my fuel system. http://xwebforums.com/forum/index.php?threads/22652/

I will post updates and questions here as I make progress.

Pulled my sender this evening and had a look. It's always been a bit bouncy at the mid/low tank levels. Now I know why. A big pile of rust was floating around in the bottom of the rheostat and sometimes interfered with the signal. Just need to clean it up -- windings look ok. Also need to drain and seal the float. Wondering how I should protect the metal arms etc. so they won't rust any further. Thinking POR15. Is there another paint suitable for this application???
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Initial look inside the tank. Worst part is still under the fuel -- looks nasty and crusty down there. Will take another smartphone shot from the sender access hole after draining it. Also bought a $16 USB cable camera w/LED's to get closer and will try that next week.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/111140842828

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Wow, Bernice was right on...

I see some nasties in the bottom of that tank.
You might have to acid etch and Teflon coat.
Hopefully you caught it before it rusts through.
Keep us posted with your progress...
 
For some reason, specialty radiator shops also seem to do fuel tank repairs and restorations.

Once you get it drained and get a full eyeball on it, I would encourage you to at least check your local rad shops to see if they do tank restos and if so get an estimate.

Not saying that any, some or all of the do-it-yourself options are better or not as good as a shop would do, just saying that due diligence requires at least one professional option.:fart:
 
I did mine, was worse than that! No shop around here would "boil" mine out.
thread
I would do the same again. Drain, acid bath, mechanical swishing of chains or bolts or whatever to "scrub" it. Then the POR15 system. I would use the rest of the POR15 on the sender arm.
Great stuff. Must cure for 5 days but if you do it right, I'm convinced it's the way to go. Mine actually had pin holes by the time I was done, fiberglass on the outside, used por as the resin and it's rock solid and leak free years later.

Float: mine was leaky, heck of a time resealing it, kept failing. I would source a new float, someone recently reported on what works well. Search should bring it up. For a Jeep or something but fit and worked well.
http://xwebforums.com/forum/index.php?threads/22424/
solder to "weld" it back up is also mentioned
 
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Jeez!

That's a cruddy tank. FWIW, if you clean the rust off the sender parts, they probably won't rust again for a long time. Some of what you see is just surface film anyway. The really rusty parts, try soaking in vinegar for a few days, it works wonders:
http://xwebforums.com/forum/index.php?posts/159715/

You can get tank coating compound at aviation supply houses for sloshing your own tank. I did this years ago to my '72 850 Spider. Worked great.
 
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Dunno if mine is repairable. Word to the wise, dont block off the evap system in an attempt to clean up the engine bay. Yes, a 25 year old Bosch fuel pump did that...

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I bet...

I bet if you applied pressure rather than vacuum to the tank you could re-expand it to close to the original size and shape.
 
budgetzagato said:
I bet if you applied pressure rather than vacuum to the tank you could re-expand it to close to the original size and shape.
Click to expand...

LOL, that was after applying 120psi...

But that was while it was in teh vehicle. Now that its out, I can try to expand it more now I can see what I'm doing!
 
Rooster said:
LOL, that was after applying 120psi...
Click to expand...

A air-filled tank that size pressurized to 120psi is a bomb if it ruptures. If you're going to seriously try popping it out, fill it with water before you apply the pressure.
 
Drained more fuel...

Looks pretty nasty down there. I will probably take a shot at cleaning it out before buying a replacement. Will have to see how much success (or, uh, failure) I have before making a decision...

 
The POR 15 will seal it all up even if it isn't very clean. I'm not sure if the kits are worth it but I used the metal ready prep stuff and a quart goes a long way.
http://www.por15.com/US-STANDARD-FUEL-TANK-SEALER_p_64.html

I say throw a ton of nuts bolts screws and a length of chain in there with some mild acid (?) and swish around for a while, drain, dry, prep and seal (let cure). Your good. There's supposed to some sort of mesh strainer down there that's probably long dissolved, if not rip it out as the POR will seal it up, don't need, put a filter on the line as it exists the tank, before the pump, the OEM filter will take care of the rest.
 
That does look a little rough inside

It will be interesting to see if any of that comes out with a good cleaning. For comparison, here is the tank I put into my 78 as part of the carb-to-FI conversion.



Definitely not pristine, but Madd.Matt told me it looked pretty darn good and not to treat the inside with any coating. On his advice (same as Jeff's) I am adding a pre-pump filter to the fuel line.
 
Success!!! Sorta...

I finally had some time to jack-up the X to remove the tank. As others have mentioned, it's a little scary. I had a few cement blocks laying around and purchased a few more Also purchased a few scraps of large pressure treated lumber -- about $15 in materials total. I was concerned that the legs of the jack stands might chip the blocks so I used blocks of wood between the stands and the blocks. Progressively raised the front and then the rear a few inches at a time and raised the jack stands with wood, and then wood and blocks as I alternated from front, rear, front, etc. Also had to use wood/blocks under the jack to get things high enough. I'm very careful working around (and not under) the X but it actually seems quite stable. Eventually got the area under the tank up to ~21" and figured that was enough -- it was.

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Removed the straps. The tank needed some coaxing to come out -- I had to tap the sender access area and fuel tube with a block of wood and rubber mallet but it finally came out. My tank exterior seems very solid (doubt there are any pinholes) but it's got some major dents in it. Wondering if the PO blocked the vent lines at some point in the car's life? I never did. The interior cavity where the tank was mounted is smooth and rust-free. Assume it's probably ok to put back-in with the dents after I clean out the rust? I'd prefer to knock them out but am not certain it's possible...

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Re Jeep Float

jvandyke said:
Float: mine was leaky, heck of a time resealing it, kept failing. I would source a new float, someone recently reported on what works well. Search should bring it up. For a Jeep or something but fit and worked well.
http://xwebforums.com/forum/index.php?threads/22424/
solder to "weld" it back up is also mentioned
Click to expand...

That was me. I didn't originate the idea, though; someone else posted about it. I found one on ebay for about $4.00 and I figured for that price I had nothing to lose. The Jeep unit is about 1/4" longer than the stock FIAT float, but is close enough to fit into the armature and to fit into the tank. I had posted a picture of the two next to each other, but apparently that pic is no longer there in the prior thread. Here it is:

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I don't know off hand from whom I ordered it, but it was a jeep parts repair vendor. The float in question is for a CJ2-CJ3B.

I also bought a Mopar sock to replace the disintegrated one that was on my pickup.

My car is carbureted, so the pickup and sock may be different for the fuel injected cars, but I would think the float and armature for the sender would be the same.

Here is a link to Tony K's thread about sender repair, where he answered my questions and I posted updates about my progress:

http://xwebforums.com/forum/index.php?threads/14295/
 
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Curious how you got the tank out so easily.

Early in the year when we replaced Papa Tony's tank, we removed the straps underneath, but it seemed to be hung up from above and wouldn't budge after lowering it a few inches. As I recall (and it was Tommy Mastracchio working on it) the filler tube needed to have some brackets or other supports removed before the tank finally dropped. It really required someone younger with thin fingers. Reverse procedure putting in the replacement tank courtesy of Bob Brown. BlackTooth is a '79 and the replacement tank was for a FI X 1/9, but I don't think that should have made a difference in the removal and reinstallation process.

Maybe just another one of life's mysteries, or two old goats with poor eyesight who didn't see where the tank was hung up on top.

Mike
 
Required a little persuasion...

Mike -- my tank didn't want to budge from it's position initially, and I was reluctant to use much force since the chassis was perched so high on the stands and I didn't want to damage the tank. So I used a block of wood and a rubber mallet to alternately tap the sender access and filler tube areas from above. After a foot of movement it slid right out.

I hope/expect it was somewhat "stuck" because it was deformed with dents and bulges. I'm looking into options for putting it back into proper shape before fully rehabbing and replacing it. Hope it slides in easier than it came out.
 
When I removed the tank from my '86, there was a large sound-deadening pad fitted between the tank and the front bulkhead. The pad was of the same material that is found under the carpets, sort of shredded fiber affixed to a tar-like material with a metalized face.

There also was a Masonite panel with the same sound deadening material fitted to the opening in the body between the fuel tank compartment and the area of the body into which the left side scoop fits.

I don't see either of those in your pic.
 
Here ya go Dan!

Had the same items around the tank when I pulled it but didn't share photos earlier:
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Did a little cleaning/spraying inside the tank today. Can see down there a little better now. Looks salvagable I think, but sure would like to find a good way to pull the dents and knock-down the bulges a bit. Still lots to do. Photos below of the current inside and most of the rust particles that came out of it.
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