Rusted gas tank...

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71/351c/darkhorse

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My Car
i have a 1971 grande coupe with a 351 Cleveland 2 barrel motor. she was half way fixed up now looking to do the rest.
just another yay moment for me this week. pulled the top of my new edelbrock 600 yesterday and wham rust in the carb. looking at new gas tanks and sending units up to $250. looked for other options and i saw something about putting nuts and bolts in with a mixture of 50/50 muriatic acid and water to break up the rust. also saw that vinegar works as well. has anyone tried any this and if it works. looking to not break the bank on this one i just want that stuff out.

 
I'm afraid I must agree with the guys - rust in the fuel tank is only going to get worse, eventually creating a hole, which will require replacement anyway. Anything you can possibly hope to do in the meantime will only be a 'band-aid' for the short-term (possibly up to another year or so). Not to mention anything you put through the tank and/or fuel lines is eventually going to wind up in your fuel filter, fuel pump, carb, and engine eventually - potentially clogging something.

 
You can clean the tank of rust. You can line the tank with a polymer coating like we used to do on old motorcycle gas tanks, you can use a better fuel filter and if you are lucky you'll extend the tank's life for some time. The pick up should have a filter called a sock on it. if it has fallen off, debris is more easily picked up. Also, all your lines are probably full of the same crap. Blowing them out helps, but it is only a help, not a cure.

Replace the tank, replace the pick up, replace all the steel and rubber lines, add a good fuel filter, treat the ethanol gas every winter and store the car with a full tank of ethanol free gas whenever possible.

If you aren't willing to do it right, then flush the lines and add a fresh filter and come back and read this thread again when you get tired of having the same problem repeated.

 
just another yay moment for me this week. pulled the top of my new edelbrock 600 yesterday and wham rust in the carb. looking at new gas tanks and sending units up to $250. looked for other options and i saw something about putting nuts and bolts in with a mixture of 50/50 muriatic acid and water to break up the rust. also saw that vinegar works as well. has anyone tried any this and if it works. looking to not break the bank on this one i just want that stuff out.
I tried the nuts and bolts once....ONCE! You're not going anywhere with the acid and motorcycle crap and it's not cheap! If you're trying to cheap it put on a really GOOD inline BIG filter.... the fuel injection ones work well. Hell, put on TWO....the final one should be clear so you can see what's going on.....

 
Last edited by a moderator:
+ 1 to stevehcode

all of the above users are correct i had similar problems and just ended up replacing the tank for longevity and peace of mind. I work at a napa store so i get a great deal on all of our parts and replaced it with a Spectra Premium tank i can get you the part number if you need it PM me. However the CJ pony parts kit is cheaper and comes with the sending unit which i had to purchase separately

 
During my rebuild we replaced everything. When we cranked it the first time this summer, we noticed crap coming up through the filter

Our initial reaction was "what the hell"!! We stated running through the list and realized we didn't replaced the hard lines. We attempted for two hours to blow them out with no luck and finally just replaced them.

We were very lucky that it stopped at the pre-carb clear filter and that we were paying attention. Your fuel system is so important, don't go cheap. You'll regret and pay more later.

 
ok well it looks like a new tank here i come. im not trying to be cheap because trust me i want this car pristine when im all done. i just was doing some research and saw that stuff just thought id ask. thanks for all the help guys. anyone know a part# for the SS fuel line that runs along the drivers side pre-pump?

 
ok so now im confused, because my fuel line doesnt have that long u-bend. mine goes just along my drivers side then rubber from drivers side wheel well to the pump. why is it so long?

 
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