Gas Cap Off and Looking in Inside

[BLB27]

The inside looks good to me. What do you think? What should I do to it? The wet spot is penetrating oil used to get the cap off.

[TRDxB2]

"The envy of gas tanks you have " said Yoda

[Kevin Pharis]

The tank in my ol ‘27 roadster looked exactly like that... almost good as new! However... a pressure test revealed a leak. There is a rectangular tar paper anti squeak pad between the firewall and the front panel of the tank that held water, and caused the front panel of the tank to rust thru. Now would be the time to check, and fix if necessary... before you put fuel in it!

I would rig up a rubber plug with a sensitive low pressure gage and a Schrader valve, and see if the tank will hold 1-2 psi for some period of time. If there’s a hole... it’ll bleed out right away, and you’ll know that the tank needs to come out

[BLB27]

I forgot to mention I have the tank out of the coupe and outside looks good.

[ironhorse]

Looks clean and good, since it is out and dry I would go ahead and use a sealer as future insurance.

[Allan]

I would still use the POR 15 tank treatment to clean and seal the tank. We do not seem to have the fuel quality/mixes you have in the USA, so this may not be applicable for you. Others will chime in.

Allan from down under.

[jiminbartow]

I sealed my ‘26 coupe cowl tank with POR 15 (www.por15.com). They have a great tank sealing kit. I bought the quart kIt. First, grease the inlet and outlet threads. Seal the outlet with a pipe plug, pour in a quart of the sealant then tighten the gas cap, slosh it around inside turning the tank every which way, until the inside is entirely coated, including the baffles, then remove the cap and outlet plug, turn the tank at an angle toward the outlet and let the rest of the sealant flow out into the quart can it came from. It will take awhile for all that was not used, to flow out from the regions of the tank furtherest from the drain. I recall that, about half a quart of sealant came out of my cowl tank for re-use. Once it is all out, be sure to clean the outlet threads and the male and female inlet threads. Jim Patrick

PS. Alan beat me by a minute. LOL!

[BLB27]

I think I know what sealing a tank does, but would like to know more about it. Also, I assume there are no cons to doing it.

[jiminbartow]

The main advantage is that it prevents water condensation from corroding the interior of tank. Also prevents old sticky gas residue from adhering to the interior of the tank, making the flushing of the tank easier. I suppose there are cons, especially if the tank is not prepared properly, or the wrong lining is used, causing the lining to sluff off. Have not encountered those problems so, for me, there are no cons. Only pros. Jim Patrick.

[Allan]

The Por 15 kit I used was a 3 stage product. First step was a cleaner/solvent to get rid of any contaminents/residues. Then a second treatment prepared the bare metal for the sealant. Once the tank had dried out, the sealant was added and the tank thoroughly sloshed. I have 3 tanks I have treated in this way, and am completely happy with the results. They claim the sealant will cope with sealing pin holes too, but I soldered a couple on the outside anyway, before adding the sealant.

Allan from down under.

[TRDxB2]

I would study several videos and read a few articles before attempting to use the POR-15 kit. Like anything else following the directions and hope for the best. Also remember that yo tank has baffles in it, so when you shake it understand how they might effect your cleaning and application of the sealer
https://ridermagazine.com/2012/03/02/po ... it-review/
Video's
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPdia-aYKwM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IIgDj_Pq-E

[Oldav8tor]

My tank didn't look as good as yours but POR 15 cleaned it up nicely and the final step produced an excellent protective coating. I think you'll be happy if you treat your tank....it will all but eliminate the chance of future problems.

[JohnM]

That tank looks D--- good for 90+ years. Will that sealer last for 90+ years? If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Someone years from now will thank you.

[TRDxB2]

That tank looks D--- good for 90+ years. Will that sealer last for 90+ years? If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Someone years from now will thank you.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it I agree 100%. Why run the risk of screwing up a tank with no issues. Have any of the PRO-15 supporters used it on their new vehicle gas tanks?

[Allan]

Frank, why would anybody use a sealer on a new, galvanised tank showing no rust or bare metal? Sealing previously previously rusted spots, mechanically cleaned by agitating a heap of Tek screws in the tank to remove that rust, and treating them to seal against moisture, makes perfect sense to me, the caveat being, as long as the treatment system will not compromise future use. That is why I included a reference to the fuels you have to contend with.
The POR product works perfectly for me. One treatment is now 13 years old and shows no sign of deterioration so far.

Allan from down under.

[TRDxB2]

Frank, why would anybody use a sealer on a new, galvanised tank showing no rust or bare metal? Sealing previously previously rusted spots, mechanically cleaned by agitating a heap of Tek screws in the tank to remove that rust, and treating them to seal against moisture, makes perfect sense to me, the caveat being, as long as the treatment system will not compromise future use. That is why I included a reference to the fuels you have to contend with.
The POR product works perfectly for me. One treatment is now 13 years old and shows no sign of deterioration so far.

Allan from down under.

As you are aware there have been many complaints about ethanol gas and its effects - was wondering if those complaints were limited to Model T tanks.

[JohnM]

Obviously, if it's your car you can do whatever you want. I just have an eye toward preservation, provided there are no leaks or problems not shown in the picture, with minimal care that tank should serve for many more years.

[BLB27]

When I posted the pic of the inside of the tank, I was having trouble posting more photos. I will now post a couple more.

[BLB27]

One more inside the tank.

[Humblej]

Beautiful !!!! I would leave it alone.

[Quickm007]

I did the same with my both car, using POR 15, working really well so far with Canadian Gas which is the same than USA. Hope that help

I would still use the POR 15 tank treatment to clean and seal the tank. We do not seem to have the fuel quality/mixes you have in the USA, so this may not be applicable for you. Others will chime in.

Allan from down under.

[BLB27]

I have decided to "use it as is". What should I use to flush it out (gasoline ?)?

[Michael Peternell]

I have decided to "use it as is". What should I use to flush it out (gasoline ?)?

You made the right decision! Very few original tanks look that good! Dump some heavy ratio two cycle gas in it. Good to go!