I have heard people say that they have "cleaned" the inside of their tanks... How do you go about doing this?

I have looked into buying a new one, but if I can save some dough and clean it, I might go that route......

What does your look like inside? Is it in need of cleaning? Is there any evidence of corrosion? There are kits available http://www.eastwoodco.com/jump.jsp?itemID=382&itemType=PRODUCT
to seal the inside, but this may or may not be required. Sometimes the more you dig into this, the more problems you create/uncover with regard to pinholes, etc. I wanted to repaint the outside of mine and decided that I would first investigate the condition inside. To my surprise when I pulled the sending unit the metal was in great shape. So I just chem stripped the outside and left the inside alone. Hopefully you'll be as lucky.

I just cleaned the tank in my 64 last week. There are a few different steps depending on the condition of the tank. Any obvious leaks or badly rusted spots?
First thing I did was make sure the tank was low on gas. I sprayed the nuts and bolts that hold the tank straps with penetrating fluid and let that soak. I actually sprayed them twice the first day a couple hours apart. The next day I sprayed them again and then used my impact to loosen, but not remove the nuts. I didn't want the tank to fall when the nuts were removed.
I pulled the straps down to where they hit the now loosened bolts, and, by pushing up on the tank, checked the weight to be sure I could hold it up. Then I removed the nuts, and lowered the tank. At this point I removed the clamp from the filler neck and worked the hose loose, again using some penetrating oil, and then removed the hose at the sending unit the same way.
Next I reached over the tank and removed the wire to the sending unit. This wire is not fastened with a nut, just pushed on. Now i removed the ground wire that is fastened to the underbody with a 1/4" head bolt.
Now the tank is loose and can be slid off the straps. I have a tendency to loose things, so i put the ground bolt back in it's hole and replaced the nuts on the strap bolts.
Next I drain the remaining gas, and in my case water, into a couple old gas cans. Then remove the sending unit. Again I spray with penetrating and then, using a hammer and brass punch, I remove the retainer. This is a ring with small tabs sticking up and is removed counter clockwise. Alternate the tabs you tap on to keep the ring from binding. Once the ring is removed you can pull out the sending unit. This takes a little twisting and turning to get out of the hole.
Now to answer the question you asked. I took the tank and ran a garden hose into it. I let this run for a couple minutes then dumped the water almost completely out. Then i picked up the tank and sloshed the water back and forth then dumped it out. At this point I removed the small filter that belongs on the end of the pickup and had come loose. I repeated the flush and slosh a couple times until i saw only clear water only.
Then i used compressed air to blow out all the water I could. In the past i have tied a knot in a shop rag, tossed it in the tank and and rolled it around to absorb the water.
Then replace everything in reverse order including using a wire brush to clean the mounting point for the ground wire.
I didn't replace the small filter in the tank because it looked really dirty and plugged. I did add an inline filter before the stock fuel pump to filter any dirt that gets into the tank.
Added 5 gal. gas with 2 bottles of gas line antifreeze and started her up!
You can remove the tank and take it to a radiator shop, have it chemically boiled out, even have an epoxy liner applied, but these are extra cost that I can't afford.
I hope some where in here there is some useful info. Good luck!

40 plus year old gas tank... Buy a new one... not that expensive... quick, easy and in the long run.. better for your car.

Just my 2 cents ;)

40 plus year old gas tank... Buy a new one... not that expensive... quick, easy and in the long run.. better for your car.

Just my 2 cents ;)

x2...and it'll look better than any resto effort any of us could do.

40 plus year old gas tank... Buy a new one... not that expensive... quick, easy and in the long run.. better for your car.

Just my 2 cents ;)
x3. To have mine cleaned, boiled out and sealed cost more than an aftermarket reproduction unit would have cost.

do you have a tank / company that you could recomend?
Should I buy new straps / sending unit also????

http://www.quantaproducts.com/home.asp


That is where I get all my tanks.. I am fortunate enough to be able to pick up in person when in the area or at one of teh many shows they attend.. saves on tax and shipping cost.

and yes, I would recommend a new sending unit aslo.. one of the most often items that fails is your gas gauge which usually is a result of a bad sending unit... straps can be restored if truly looking to save a buck... but again, new suit, and old sneekers.. not the way I do things ;)

http://www.quantaproducts.com/home.asp


That is where I get all my tanks.. I am fortunate enough to be able to pick up in person when in the area or at one of teh many shows they attend.. saves on tax and shipping cost.

Quanta usually has a "show special" where it's discounted for the show. Bad part is, you need to carry it back to your car. Ask me how I know. :rolleyes:

Try checking some other vendors also as people are finding the same tanks Quanta sells (Spectra brand made in Canada, Quanta is just one of the MANY companies that sells them) at VERY COMPETITIVE prices.

One place I've heard of a number of people getting a great deal is at RockAuto.com.

Additionally, you will probably find the shipping charges from some of these competitors to be A LOT LESS.

Take a look at the straps you have...unless you are going crazy on a restoration, yours may still be fairly clean once you beadblast or lightly sand them. You could then shoot yours with some paint and save some $$ that way. If yours were originally plated then, while they may appear not-so-great upon initial inspection, many times it's just the plating itself that has deteriorated and the underlying metal is still in excellent condition.

http://www.rockauto.com/