Elin great video! I did this for my gas tank and it really works. Strap a dirty rusty gas tank to a cement mixer and put small nuts and bolts or small pebbles in it and let it run for a few hours. It’s really cleans the metal well. It also closes the pores in the metal caused by the rust.
Same tank as mine. I used restom to treat it, degreaser+phosphoric acid (better before a treatment as it cover the metal with phosphat) + resin (if some rust is not remove, seal it). Like new for a long time now.
when I restored the two tanks in my Triumph, I sealed the insides with Woolies Slosh Tank Sealant, that was in the early 1990s, I also used Kunifer pipes and 30R9 Gates Barricade hoses and BMW fuel hose clamps
I restored a 1972 GT6 in the late 90's and I used a gas tank sealer from Eastwood on the tank and never had a problem with it afterwards, It came with a cleaner/ etcher and then I pored in a sealer and had to rotate the tank to cover everything. I sold the car around 2013. POR15 also has a sealer for fuel tanks.
I did same process with white viniger on my TR4A then used a sealer .... came out great thank you for sharing this i always kearn something here thumbsvup
That Spitfire looks great! They did a fantastic job under the hood, You did a great job in the gas tank! I will do the same on my TR6 tank and a spare I have.
Many years ago I had a Spitfire Mk 1 1963. The previous owner installed an ammeter and an oil pressure gauge on a 2 gauge cluster under the dash in front of the driver. I made another bracket for the passenger side with a number plate light and a switch for an interior light/map light. Best wishes from Australia PS I loved everything about my Spitfire (sim color to this one) except the rear suspension and the tuck-in like an early VW beetle. It scared me once when I had to lift off part way around a bend.
Back in the early 80's, I worked at a BMW dealer in New Jersey and they had coated the gas tanks (under the back seat, one on each side) with some sort of plastic. Something we put in our fuel ate away at the lining. The 320 had K-Jet and the injector orifices were really small and would get all clogged up. I'm sure there are more efficient ways, but I would drop the tanks, put some water and gravel in them and shake the hell out of them. Maybe some nuts and bolts would work ? Another one, this one a bit funny, was that the windshield washer fluid would dissolve the German wiper blades leaving black streaks on the windshield :)
Nice! Glad you got the tank clean. Like many others have said here I used nuts and bolts or pebbles in water and shook the tank for an extended period. Any way that works is good. That car is very beautifully prepared and the engine bay is excellent. Thanks for another fine video, Elin!
We put a few chains in a rusty tank, then tie it to a cement mixer and let it turn on different angeles for a while. Then rinse it with some diesel and all the loose debris comes out and that's it. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
Another great video Elin thank you for doing what you do for us ! i think i would have taken the manual fuel pump off and cleaned the screen as well but that's just me
I was thinking the same... maybe check the bowls and jets in the carbs, too. Just in case something really fine got by the filter. However, the car sounded like it was running well, so it's unlikely there is any problem. Owner should buy a couple spare filters, check the installed filter regularly and plan to change them a few times. Once a fuel system is contaminated, it's pretty hard to get it sparkling clean again!
Yes that’s a good tip. With a still good tank, I’ve always used fine new gravel in soapy water sealing off all the apertures and giving the whole thing a really good shaking for five or ten minutes. (Good for your core muscles!) then multiple rinses and leaving in hot sunshine for a couple of days to really dry right out before applying the tank sealant.
After you rinse you can add rubbing alcohol which will mix with the remaining water. Then drain it and the alcohol with make it evaporate quickly. Then add some gas with oil and slosh that around to give it a little cost of rust protection.
Despite being counter-intuitive in a stored rarely used classic, I think the best way to resist internal tank rust is to keep the tank full (and therefore starve the metal of oxygen)..
Wow!!! what a difference this made. 😊 I am owner , just took this for a 300 km drive. The car now accelerates at highway speeds, no lurching , ldles at lights , runs the way its suppose to ...oil gauge dose what I want to (couldnt see idiot light during daytime) . Thank you Elin!!!! Anybody have any ideas for a cup holder and arm rest???
Very interesting Elin but the perceived wisdom involves filling the tank with gravel or nuts and bolts and agitating it to dislodge the flakey material. I have also found that it is best to leave the acid for a couple of hours befor rinsing with clean water and then to neutralise the next day.. Hpe you efforts pay off however.
I used to fill rusted tanks with small gravel an tied them to an concrete mixer for half a hour to get rid of the loose rust then put the acid in. (edit: as Wim suggested earlier ... )
Ok, I made my other comment before the video was half finished. Did you use a new fuel level sender? There may have been crud in the old one. My TR6 sat with fuel for 15 years. The fuel line was very restricted with hardened "varnish" It took me a few days, but I cleaned it out using a bicycle brake cable attached to a drill motor, then washed it with carburetor cleaner. I used both the wire cable part , then the outer sleeve with the coating removed. Your persistence is quite amazing.
Not always an easy job to do , so we’ll done and yes if ever a problem with a dirty tank you must always check & clean out the pipes, filter, pump an also the Carb’s bowl to be sure the dirt hasn’t got past any filters etc as it can & does!
The comments about the starter motor being awkward to remove confused me, till you showed it on video and I saw the obstruction. On the RHD cars without the steering column in the way the starter is dead easy to get in and out.
I get that using the wrong sealent on the inside of your tank can come back to bite you on the ass, but it is worth remembering that petrol is hygroscopic (thats why new tanks are always either treated or galvenised on the inside) and if the tank it not sealed it will re-rust even if kept full. Also im not convinced that the little dirt you got from the line was enough to block anything, however if your theory that the previous restorers left acid in the tank then it would go to say that it would also have corroded the inside of the line, not a problem for copper line but if it is a steel line that would cause rust scale and obviously restric flow.
What a palaver Elin.. Bet you hope you don't see that Spit back again for the same issue. Stainless steel replacement fuel tank would be an instant and permanent fix of course, but at a price.
if you are near a marina, see if they offer "fuel polishing" - basically what you did but with a machine that has a pump and filter element. Or possibly the station where he gets his gas has old tanks?
Elin, have you heard of Evaporust? It is non-toxic and quite a few guys on TH-cam use it. If you had some you could have filled the tank up with it and left it overnight. One of the TH-camrs has a tub of the stuff in which he puts the items to be de-rusted. I haven't used it myself, so I can just talk about what I saw.
Ok Elin, you made your case very clearly why you prefer the old mechanical gauges but let’s face it if your driving along and you’ve got pressure, 45,50,( even 60lbs)- then you’re good to go. If however, it suddenly drops to zero then you’re going to stop the car anyway. Absolute accuracy per/lb per square inch at this level of science is pretty academic don’t you think?
I don’t think there should be air in the fuel filter where it goes to the carburettors? Shouldn’t it be mounted with the carb feed pipe at the bottom, so the fuel naturally prevents air passing through to the float chambers?
Does he get fuel from the same place? Sometimes the inground fuel tanks are " Dirty " or " Leaking Ground Water " and can cause issues.. also check it isn't the Gas Vent? It can cause it to stall out until you open Gas Cap and it gets the air in and flows again....Also check the Fuel pump on car ?? even a New one can be Bad....or has junk in it...
Hi Elin , Enjoy your videos & always look forward to the next one . Have to ask , in this case would the time have better spent ordering ($250 USD) & installing a replacement tank ?
What is all this stuff? Where’s it coming from Elin?? Have you got a rotting rubber connector under the floor maybe?? (Surely it must be the same in all of our cars?)
to keep from flash rusting inside a tank of an old car... not a new car.... you can mix maybe two or three cups of gasoline mixed with two stroke oil - dino two stroke not synthetic two stroke and slosh that around the tank. being generous with the two stroke oil. i periodically put a bit of two stroke oil dino oil in the tank now and then and preventative maintenance.
On your GO-520 Oil pressure gauge you made me curious. It's a variable resistance (rheostat). Very good discussion here: th-cam.com/video/QHHRiXa0IVI/w-d-xo.html
![ร้อยพ่อพันแม่ - WanMai [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/XY2pNYASEbg/mqdefault.jpg)
Elin great video! I did this for my gas tank and it really works. Strap a dirty rusty gas tank to a cement mixer and put small nuts and bolts or small pebbles in it and let it run for a few hours. It’s really cleans the metal well. It also closes the pores in the metal caused by the rust.
Elin, good video; shows what perseverance can accomplish. "Patience is an 'acquired' virtue"!
Enjoy your videos on Spitfires. Very helpful to me with bringing my 66 back from the dead!!
Same tank as mine. I used restom to treat it, degreaser+phosphoric acid (better before a treatment as it cover the metal with phosphat) + resin (if some rust is not remove, seal it). Like new for a long time now.
when I restored the two tanks in my Triumph, I sealed the insides with Woolies Slosh Tank Sealant, that was in the early 1990s, I also used Kunifer pipes and 30R9 Gates Barricade hoses and BMW fuel hose clamps
Great job Elin, that's a lot on time used up for a tank!! all the best Bob
I restored a 1972 GT6 in the late 90's and I used a gas tank sealer from Eastwood on the tank and never had a problem with it afterwards, It came with a cleaner/ etcher and then I pored in a sealer and had to rotate the tank to cover everything. I sold the car around 2013. POR15 also has a sealer for fuel tanks.
I did same process with white viniger on my TR4A then used a sealer .... came out great thank you for sharing this i always kearn something here thumbsvup
That Spitfire looks great! They did a fantastic job under the hood, You did a great job in the gas tank! I will do the same on my TR6 tank and a spare I have.
Many years ago I had a Spitfire Mk 1 1963. The previous owner installed an ammeter and an oil pressure gauge on a 2 gauge cluster under the dash in front of the driver. I made another bracket for the passenger side with a number plate light and a switch for an interior light/map light. Best wishes from Australia
PS I loved everything about my Spitfire (sim color to this one) except the rear suspension and the tuck-in like an early VW beetle. It scared me once when I had to lift off part way around a bend.
Back in the early 80's, I worked at a BMW dealer in New Jersey and they had coated the gas tanks (under the back seat, one on each side) with some sort of plastic. Something we put in our fuel ate away at the lining. The 320 had K-Jet and the injector orifices were really small and would get all clogged up. I'm sure there are more efficient ways, but I would drop the tanks, put some water and gravel in them and shake the hell out of them. Maybe some nuts and bolts would work ? Another one, this one a bit funny, was that the windshield washer fluid would dissolve the German wiper blades leaving black streaks on the windshield :)
Wow! that car is in great shape. You do good work Elin.
Nice! Glad you got the tank clean. Like many others have said here I used nuts and bolts or pebbles in water and shook the tank for an extended period. Any way that works is good. That car is very beautifully prepared and the engine bay is excellent. Thanks for another fine video, Elin!
We put a few chains in a rusty tank, then tie it to a cement mixer and let it turn on different angeles for a while. Then rinse it with some diesel and all the loose debris comes out and that's it. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
Another great video Elin thank you for doing what you do for us ! i think i would have taken the manual fuel pump off and cleaned the screen as well but that's just me
I was thinking the same... maybe check the bowls and jets in the carbs, too. Just in case something really fine got by the filter. However, the car sounded like it was running well, so it's unlikely there is any problem. Owner should buy a couple spare filters, check the installed filter regularly and plan to change them a few times. Once a fuel system is contaminated, it's pretty hard to get it sparkling clean again!
Great information, I hope I never need...I bought a new tank as mine had 75 pin holes in it once I cleaned up the outside of the tank.
Yes that’s a good tip. With a still good tank, I’ve always used fine new gravel in soapy water sealing off all the apertures and giving the whole thing a really good shaking for five or ten minutes. (Good for your core muscles!) then multiple rinses and leaving in hot sunshine for a couple of days to really dry right out before applying the tank sealant.
Well done Elin thank you
After you rinse you can add rubbing alcohol which will mix with the remaining water. Then drain it and the alcohol with make it evaporate quickly. Then add some gas with oil and slosh that around to give it a little cost of rust protection.
Also, rather than loose nuts and bolts, use a length of chain and it will be much easier to extract.
Despite being counter-intuitive in a stored rarely used classic, I think the best way to resist internal tank rust is to keep the tank full (and therefore starve the metal of oxygen)..
Wow!!! what a difference this made. 😊 I am owner , just took this for a 300 km drive. The car now accelerates at highway speeds, no lurching , ldles at lights , runs the way its suppose to ...oil gauge dose what I want to (couldnt see idiot light during daytime) .
Thank you Elin!!!!
Anybody have any ideas for a cup holder and arm rest???
Very interesting Elin but the perceived wisdom involves filling the tank with gravel or nuts and bolts and agitating it to dislodge the flakey material. I have also found that it is best to leave the acid for a couple of hours befor rinsing with clean water and then to neutralise the next day.. Hpe you efforts pay off however.
I used to fill rusted tanks with small gravel an tied them to an concrete mixer for half a hour to get rid of the loose rust then put the acid in. (edit: as Wim suggested earlier ... )
Ok, I made my other comment before the video was half finished. Did you use a new fuel level sender? There may have been crud in the old one. My TR6 sat with fuel for 15 years. The fuel line was very restricted with hardened "varnish" It took me a few days, but I cleaned it out using a bicycle brake cable attached to a drill motor, then washed it with carburetor cleaner. I used both the wire cable part , then the outer sleeve with the coating removed. Your persistence is quite amazing.
like a sump of the system, I had that problem with my Mayflower.
Ethanol laced fuels can varnish over those paper fuel filters, blocking the fuel pressure.
Not always an easy job to do , so we’ll done and yes if ever a problem with a dirty tank you must always check & clean out the pipes, filter, pump an also the Carb’s bowl to be sure the dirt hasn’t got past any filters etc as it can & does!
Elin, to get the final crud out. try to use some chain and some serious shaking
The comments about the starter motor being awkward to remove confused me, till you showed it on video and I saw the obstruction. On the RHD cars without the steering column in the way the starter is dead easy to get in and out.
I get that using the wrong sealent on the inside of your tank can come back to bite you on the ass, but it is worth remembering that petrol is hygroscopic (thats why new tanks are always either treated or galvenised on the inside) and if the tank it not sealed it will re-rust even if kept full.
Also im not convinced that the little dirt you got from the line was enough to block anything, however if your theory that the previous restorers left acid in the tank then it would go to say that it would also have corroded the inside of the line, not a problem for copper line but if it is a steel line that would cause rust scale and obviously restric flow.
What a palaver Elin.. Bet you hope you don't see that Spit back again for the same issue. Stainless steel replacement fuel tank would be an instant and permanent fix of course, but at a price.
if you are near a marina, see if they offer "fuel polishing" - basically what you did but with a machine that has a pump and filter element. Or possibly the station where he gets his gas has old tanks?
They usually use rocks or something like that to abrade the inner tank.
(We don’t have much in the way of acid chemicals available in the U.K. unless you are a licensed contractor) Hence mainly detergents etc..
Elin, Por 15 is the best possible. It lines the tank/ It can be purchased in a kit...expinsive but works. Yoy cant have made any money on this job
Elin, have you heard of Evaporust? It is non-toxic and quite a few guys on TH-cam use it. If you had some you could have filled the tank up with it and left it overnight. One of the TH-camrs has a tub of the stuff in which he puts the items to be de-rusted. I haven't used it myself, so I can just talk about what I saw.
Nice car
Zoom zoom
Ok Elin, you made your case very clearly why you prefer the old mechanical gauges but let’s face it if your driving along and you’ve got pressure, 45,50,( even 60lbs)- then you’re good to go. If however, it suddenly drops to zero then you’re going to stop the car anyway. Absolute accuracy per/lb per square inch at this level of science is pretty academic don’t you think?
Did you think about using rust converter on the rust that remained?
Would a very strong magnet placed in the tank attract and hold the rust particles?
I don’t think there should be air in the fuel filter where it goes to the carburettors? Shouldn’t it be mounted with the carb feed pipe at the bottom, so the fuel naturally prevents air passing through to the float chambers?
I think you should come to Aus and help me with my Healey😅
Does he get fuel from the same place? Sometimes the inground fuel tanks are " Dirty " or " Leaking Ground Water " and can cause issues.. also check it isn't the Gas Vent? It can cause it to stall out until you open Gas Cap and it gets the air in and flows again....Also check the Fuel pump on car ?? even a New one can be Bad....or has junk in it...
The fuel line acts as a ‘P trap’ in the low section I’d call it
Hi Elin ,
Enjoy your videos & always look forward to the next one . Have to ask , in this case would the time have better spent ordering ($250 USD) & installing a replacement tank ?
Did those particles stick to a magnet?
Number 1 again
Start with kerosine & rocks ! Ha
Why not? That makes plenty of sense to me, (I don’t have money to buy all these fancy chemicals, even if I wanted to..)
The tank needs a stopcock. Probably there is corrosion in line.
What is all this stuff? Where’s it coming from Elin?? Have you got a rotting rubber connector under the floor maybe?? (Surely it must be the same in all of our cars?)
to keep from flash rusting inside a tank of an old car... not a new car.... you can mix maybe two or three cups of gasoline mixed with two stroke oil - dino two stroke not synthetic two stroke and slosh that around the tank. being generous with the two stroke oil. i periodically put a bit of two stroke oil dino oil in the tank now and then and preventative maintenance.
You haven't got 'super Beetle' wings on the front. 1302 & 1303 were referred as super Beetles and the front wings were very different
On your GO-520 Oil pressure gauge you made me curious. It's a variable resistance (rheostat).
Very good discussion here: th-cam.com/video/QHHRiXa0IVI/w-d-xo.html
Heavy Particle Decelerator???🤓