The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk 1954 3100 (short bed) YEP ??? Rusty Fuel Tank

Hi All, It has been a while since my last visit. I was working on a 41 bolt and got a lot of help here. Now I am working on a 1954 3100 someone installed a short bed on when they restored it but that is not why I am here. The owner has managed to let the truck sit in his garage and the fuel has rotted. I drained the fuel and removed the tank to discover a lot of rust in the tank. So much rust that it actually clogged the pick up tube inside the tank. While the tank is out I wanted to clean out as much rust as possible and would like to know my options. So far I have used diluted (10 to 1) muriatic acid and let stand over night. After draining and rinsing the tank, a lot of rust came out and I can see more flaked rust still stuck to the inside of the tank. I am thinking another dose but this time a stronger mix. Any suggestions?

Get a new tank and sending unit.

New tanks are relatively inexpensive and your future gas/rust issues will be nonexistent.🛠

Note: Just google 1954 Chevy pickup gas tank. Buy from EBay it will most likely be cheaper than one of the truck restoration parts places.

you can use the old tank, but it will cause you more grief than what it's worth. Even if you "clean it real good", there probably still be rust inside. There are coatings that are available, but they seem to degrade after a time.
If you do decide to use the old fuel tank, put a cheap inline filter next to the gas tank where it is easy to get to, because you will be changing it quite a bit. Then a second filter before the carburetor. Keep at least one, but better to keep two replacement filters under the seat with the tools necessary to change them, because the filter will clog only in the middle of a busy intersection.

Thanks, replacing the unit is also an option but, the tank looks like it was replace when the restore was done 5 years ago and the outside is pristine, not a blemish on it. I have a new sending unit, gasket, rubber flex line and fuel pump bowl gasket ordered. I am thinking some loose nuts and bolts a bit of shaking and another dose of acid will do the trick. Hell the guy pays me by the hour !!! LOL!!!

LOL! Yep been there done that on an old VW I had. I just looked up a new tank at $159.00, that sounds like a no brainer! WHY CAN'T WE FIX STUFF ANYMORE?

You can always have the old tank boiled and cleaned but installing a new repro is the way most go.

This s the biggest no-brainer in Stovebolt history.
Buy a new tank.
Rust blocking the pickup is the least of your problems with an old tank.
Varnish residue on the sides of the tank is the real reason for a new tank. Whatever it is that they are putting in today's 10% ethanol fuel is an excellent solvent for varnish. This will result in migration of dissolved varnish into the check valves of the fuel pump, into the carburetor, and maybe most significantly into valve guides which can cause the valves to seize.

Ok so I am a hard headed old guy mechanic. I spent much of the day with acid and bolts attempting the clean out of the tank. A new tank and install kit is now on order.Thanks to all that chimed in I WAS WRR---WRO---WRON--- MISTAKEN!

You were not ever "wrong"
"The customer is always right."
It is up to the seller to give the buyer all of the information necessary for the customer to be "right."
You are not hard headed either. The truly hard headed never come around.
There is enough to worry about getting these old heaps to run right. Replacing a 60 old tank eliminates one more potential obstruction in achieving that goal.
Carl

One of the biggest mistakes I made when restoring my truck was to try and salvage the old fuel tank. It had a lot of gas sitting in it for 23 years before I got it.
When I drained out the worst smelling gas I ever encountered it also had lots of varnish. I had read somewhere this could be removed by tumbling the tank with some gravel in it.
I strapped the tank to the jacked up wheel on my tractor and let it spin for about 20 minutes with pea gravel in it.
Not only did it not remove the varnish but much of the gravel was firmly adhered to the sticky varnish with no way to remove it. Sure glad new tanks were readily available.

I found a great gas tank cleaning process.
Buy "The Works" toilet bowl cleaner at The Dollar store. $1 per 64 oz bottle. Mix it 1 part "The Works" to 10 parts water. Let it soak for 24 to 48 hours depending how bad the rust and varnish is. Rinse with water, Coat with Ospho, dry with air gun or leaf blower.
It will be clean!