The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Gas Tank

I know there are already a lot of different threads about this, and I have read most of them. But I do have one question:
Has anyone ever cleaned out a gas tank, and then reinstalled it WITHOUT putting a sealer on the inside? Or is this a major no-no?
Some say that the sealer can start to flake off, and make things worse than before.
Just wondering.

I,ve had nothing but bad luck with sealers but I have sent them to "specialty" shops. A good cleaning would be the best way I feel. If a new one is available I go ahead & replace it.

If it passes a pressure test after having been cleaned, you're done. Put it in.

It would depend on it's condition when it's cleaned. If it's just full of old, varnished up gas you'll probably be OK with just a cleaning. If it's full of rust, it'll keep rusting if you don't coat it. I've coated several tanks & never had a problem with the coating not sticking. IMHO the best coating is Red-Kote. Just be sure to follow the instructions.

As stated above the condition is key. In my 49 the old gas had coroded and rusted it to the point when I pulled the drain plug nothing came out. I had to shove a screwdriver in it to break through the muck. I cleaned it myself breaking the rust out by filling it with small rocks and shaking it. Once I got down with that I sealed with some sealant. Don't remeber the brand but it was alcohol restitant a key thing with ethanol being added to gasoline and it has never failed me. Two years and haven't had a problem and it is ran weekly.

Bottom line if its like my tank and you put it back on without sealing it expect to rebuild the carb and fuelpump weekly and blow out the gaslines and if it is in good shape then why drop the 50 odd bucks but it is insurance that you won't have to remove that tank for a long time.

I'm not looking in it but if its not rusted I would say a good cleaning and new filters would do the trick. I cleaned and sealed my 37 tank with POR15's kit and its been over 7 years and still looks very good. Not long ago there were a few threads about this stuff flaking and some talk about it not being good. I did some research and found that the POR15 does not flake and some good research to back it up. Wish I had a quick link to that info. Lots to consider here. Is it rusty, is a repop expensive, do you have the time to use a "kit" and do it GOOD? Gather all the info and I'm sure you will make the right decision for YOUR tank.