This weekend I re-lined my gas tank because there was rust and corroded metal flakes inside. While I did the research on the forums I noticed a lot of people have a problem with this so I basically followed the directions included with the liner kit and added little things that I thought was a good idea that I got from here and other knowledgeable people. I am still a noob but if this helps out other noobs then it was worth the post. It is drying right now but I think it turned out great so far.
First off I wanna say that I have not tried Kreeme or any other type of tank liner before. POR-15 came recommended and I have heard bad things about Kreeme. The best way to strip it down is probably electrolysis but my tank was not too bad so I did not have to go that far. My first option was to use muriatic acid, but after I found out that the tank liner only sold retail in a three pack deal I returned the acid and just stuck with the kit. It was $50.
As always make sure you have rubber gloves and goggles. Nasty stuff! I am going to strip and paint my tank after so I had complete disregard over spilling onto my tank. You might want to mask off the rest of the tank. I kept it in a separate tub to keep it from leaking onto the ground. You may also want to have a cup of clean random small nuts and bolts, a magnet, acetone, electrical tape, teflon tape, funnel, flashlight, inspection mirror, and shop towels. To plug the gas tank hole I used a 1 1/2" end of pipe plug from Home Depot. I used splicing tape/ electrical tape and rolled it up into a wad that would fill in the gas tank notches and then installed the plug.
Once the plug smashes down on the tape it should form a good seal.
To cover the petcock hole I went to a hardware store and bought a nut with a plug in it and teflon tape for the threads. I had to use what I could but there is probably an actual cap you could find. The thread size is 16mm x 1.5.
If you had to, you could use duct tape or whatever as a sealant but the temperature gets hot inside and things could get ugly with this stuff splashing around.
The first of three parts is Marine Clean. This just dissolves gum and varnish deposits. Mix this 1:1 quart with hot water
Pour in and seal it up. Shake for a minimum of 20 minutes. Think of it like Listerine for your gas tank. I shook and let it sit and repeated for about an hour. Empty into a bucket and rinse with water.
Don't get bummed out if you still see rust inside, that is what the next bottle is for. It doesn't need to be 100% dry but after shaking all of the water you can out of the tank you are ready for the next step.
Part two is Metal Ready. This is the acid prep for the lank liner. It WILL break down all of the rust inside if you do it right. Pour the entire bottle in. I added small metal fasteners to help sand down the surface but you don't need to, it was not in the instructions. I shook the tank for a while in one position and let it sit for a half hour. Every once in a while I would check up on it and give it another shake. Once the 30 minutes were up I flipped the tank and shook it. Let sit another 30 minutes with shakes here and there. Do this to all four sides and do not let it go over 2 hours. I read that someone put the tank in a rotisserie and someone else suggested couch cushions sandwiched to the tank in a clothes dryer, but this is the practical way.
Drain and rinse with hot water several times until clean water is visible. Now you have to remove all of that shrapnel you put inside with a magnet. Now you should be able to see some difference.
It took the zinc right off the fasteners. An hour later they looked even more stripped. Even the tack nail heads were falling off.
In order for the sealer to properly adhere, the inside must be bone dry. If you rush this step you have wasted your time. If you let the tank sit too long flash rust will come back and you will have another rust lined tank. To make sure I had it dry this is what I did but is not in the instructions: Shook all of the water out that I could. Dump in a few cups of acetone (at your risk apparently) to capture the water and shake it all out. Use a heat gun/ hairdryer until it is as dry as possible. My tank was chalky on the inside. Flip it over and blow down the petcock for a while. Flip it back on the gas cap side and look inside with a flashlight and inspection mirror and look for any moisture. If you are 100% confident it is dry move on to the last step.
Open up the can of sealer and stirr it well until it is as close to becoming one uniform color as possible. Close off the petcock and dump the sealer in. Close off the gas cap side and slowly roll until you feel that it is completely coated. I rolled for about 20 minutes. Drain out the excess but don't rinse with anything You want to make sure it has not pooled anywhere.
If you got any sealer on the threads or the tank wipe it off. Let is sit in a ventilated area for four days before putting in gas
I lifted the lid to that more air could pass through but kept the top on so that crap wont fall inside and it keeps the cats out. I don't want to face the firing squad of cat lovers on this forum if I posted the thread " I killed the cats with POR-15"
Let the tank dry for 4 days.
For all of the hazmat I accumulated I left the lid ajar and will "give back" to the atmosphere, haha.
If there are any comments or if there is anything anyone wants to add please share.
I had a bad realization while waiting for the sealant to dry. I am not going to be able to pound in knee dents into this tank now am I? I kept the lid to the sealant so after four days I will bend the metal back and see if it cracks. I guess yes.
