Topic: Yet another gas tank cleaning story...

[fmctm1sw]

Picked up a original paint tank when I was back home in PA.  Inside had a lot of surface rust but it looked solid.  I let it sit around a while since I was tentative and didn't want to mess it up.  The first thing I did was water blast it with my garden hose ("jet" setting).  I imagine a pressure washer would have broken up even more rust but I don't have one of those.  I shook the heck out of it with the water in it.  It barfed up plenty of rust.  I worked it over real good with the hose for a while, then dropped in a bunch of wood screws I had laying around.  Same thing, shook and shook.  Rinsed...  I picked up this stuff called "Evap-o-rust" at Autozone today.  I wanted something less caustic than the toilet bowl cleaner I used on another tank.  Toilet bowl cleaner will be a last resort of sorts since it ate pinholes in the other tank I have.  I sealed the bottom with a piece of inner tube and small metal plate as photo'd.  For the top I used a 47-50mm freeze plug I bought at autozone.  Works great.  I grabbed the bolt on the freeze plug and yanked out most of a dent that was in it after someone slammed the cap down (or stepped on it or whatever) I'm letting this evap-o-rust sit in there all night.  Every once in a while, I walk into my garage and move the tank around.  Here's hoping....

*edit*  I forgot to mention... I picked up some isopropyl alcohol at the store.  I plan on dumping it into the tank after all is done to suck any water and evaporate it off.  Again, theory... but I hope I end up with a usable tank...

[thepartyjerk]

I picked this kit up
http://www.por15.com/CYCLE-TANK-REPAIR-KIT/productinfo/CTRK/

I just got finished with it and ill let you know how it works.

[Texwing]

I took the route on My k1 of putting in a handful of nuts and bolts, shaking, then I did the electrolysis process with a battery charger and baking soda solution.  It was a pain to set up, but it was cool watching it work and man it got the inside of the tank shiny metal clean, it really worked well.  Good luck.

[KingCustomCycles.com]

Toilet bowl cleaner WILL NOT pinhole your tank.  The rust pin holed the tank and the toilet bowl cleaner did its job by removing the rust.  Muriatic acid is another story.

[fmctm1sw]

So here's how the whole thing turned out....

I was looking around for my toilet bowl cleaner since the rust remover stuff did not work as well as I would have liked.  I couldn't find it.  Turns out my wife used it for the purpose of cleaning the toilet.  What was she thinking?  So, the next best thing I could find at the moment?  Leftover battery acid from the battery I bought.  Now that stuff went to work instantly.  I drained it rather quickly and rinsed and rinsed.  Later bought toilet bowl cleaner and filled mostly with water and added the cleaner.  There was some really stubborn corrosion at the bottom of the tank.  I drained all that out and flushed and flushed with water.  Then I dumped two pints of isopropyl alcohol into it hoping it would suck up the water and evaporate.  It didn't do as well as I had hoped.  I evntually drained all that and filled it with gas.  It sat for days and I finally started the bike.  Surface rust formed even under the gas.  It's not real bad though.  At least I didn't develop any pinholes in it after cleaning it out.  I may just go with Kreem or POR-15 at some point...