The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop gas tank coating service

looking for a gas tank coating service near southeastern PA

Do your research as to the product your shop uses. As an old time aircraft wrench I saw the FAA ban the use of fuel cell coatings on old privately owned aircraft. The coating would flake off after time and clog the fuel supply system. Not a good thing at 5000 feet. I’m unsure if the problem was caused by the higher octane rating of a a avgas or not.

That would be much better at 5000 feet than 500 feet!

I think most of the coating peeling issues are caused by improper prep before adding the lining. I coated the tank on my '38 over 10 years ago with Redkote and have had absolutely no issues.

I have had tanks coated 2 times & both times the gas turned real red afterwards. I would only use it if a new tank is not available.
George

As one of the unluckys who rode two Huey’s to the ground, any height other than ‘0’ is not good. The issue from flaking on aircraft was not due to inproper prep. I think Jerry will tell you that wrenching on aircraft was not a half-a*s job. I agree, Redcoat is one of the better ones.

What is the reason for wanting to get the tank coated? It's a lot better idea to clean it properly than to try to encapsulate debris under some sort of coating that might (or might not) stay put. I clean gas tanks by putting a couple of shovels full of pea gravel into the tank and filling it with a strong Tide and water solution, then strapping the tank down in the bed of a pickup truck for about a week. A faster way is to ratchet-strap the tank tight to one of the rear wheels of my tractor and go out and bush-hog several acres of pasture.
Jerry

the tank is rusted in side and its on a car that I have a new tank is not available every one on this site has helped me in the past so I was hoping for some help again. The car has not been on the road in 63 years but its running and ready except for the tank. Thanks again for any replys

Good luck with it. Lots of people line their tanks without issue. The link I posted has a pretty good reputation.

The link the Tiny posted is for the proprietary Renu process. I used this a few years ago on my Diamond T, which has no reproduction available. It is pricey compared to buying a new reproduction tank, if it is available.

In a nutshell, this is what they do. First, they cut holes in the tank, about 1 inch in diameter, all over so they can visualize the entire interior. This is especially important when you have baffles, which interfere and defeat attempts to clean a tank yourself. After media blasting the interior they place some sort of plastic material in the interior, and then braise plugs in the holes they created. The tank is heated in an oven. Finally, they coat the exterior with the plastic material and heat the tank again. The tank comes back from them with a black matte finish, not metallic looking.

I did this nearly 15 years ago on my Diamond T and have had no problems. I use a clear plastic filter before the pump and have never had debris in it. I highly recommend this process if you have no other choice. When I did mine I had to ship the tank to California, as no local shop were available. At the time it cost just over $300.
https://www.gastankrenu.com/ You can look for a local shop at this link.
Kent

If you're going to have it sealed, keep in mind the tank baffles! When I was contemplating replacing or sealing the tank on my '41, I studied several youtube videos and what not. They all showed to knock the rust out to use nuts, bolts, chains etc. to shake around in the tank. After pulling the fuel sender unit and using a bore scope, I determined that the nut and bolt method wouldn't work because of the two baffles. They completely divided the tank into three separate chambers with a few small passages on the bottom and top of each baffle. So, I cut three 6 inch holes in the top of the tank to access each chamber and used a pad sander to knock the rust out. Then I used a brush and painted the redkote on the bottom, sides, and baffles; welded/brazed the cutouts back in and finished coating the roof of the tank. The top of the tank isn't pretty, but is completely sealed. I figure since its under the seat, nobody will notice.