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Hello, new member to the site but friends with a few VCCA members that got me into the classic Chevrolet hobby. I have a 1926 that I recently pulled from a storage unit and I am in the process of getting it running. The gas tank is at a level of rust on the inside that I have never seen so any pointers would be appreciated.

I also have a 1969 Chevelle for the days that I need to go a little faster in life. small block 4 speed car.

Phr, welcome to the Chatter, and we're glade you joined us. I have not had to de-rust and seal the inside of a gas tank. Hopefully someone who has will respond and give you some advise.

Hello pbr, and welcome! Quite a few of us have reconditioned some REALLY badly rusted gas tanks, so I'm sure others will chime in. My most successful method has been to remove the tank from the car, wash/degrease and dry the interior, remove the gas gauge and then blast the interior with glass bead media using a flexible hose to direct the media stream around the inside of the tank via the filler neck and the gauge opening. Others have placed a handful of old bolts, screws, nuts etc into the tank, mounted it to the drive wheel of a jacked-up garden tractor or lawn mower and let it tumble for a few hours. (I haven't tried that one). And there are some chemical rust removal products that would work -- you just have to be sure to neutralize the chemicals when you're done.

I have also cut an access hole in a tank and then welded it closed on completion of the cleaning. That's not a great way to proceed, but may be necessary if your tank is not accessible. It means a lot of body work when you finish the job to hide the seams.

Once the cleaning is done, there are several products on the market which can seal any pinholes or leaky seams in the tank. I've used one from Bill Hirsch with good success, but if you search here on the forums you'll find quite a few discussions about which product is best.

There are also several vendors listed on the internet who will recondition an old tank for you.

Once again, welcome and best of luck with your project.

All the Best, Chip

pbr,
That's quite a range of transportation options you have there. Welcome to chat.
I had a tank to clean for my 1936 Chevy truck. I had an electric motor with a gear reduction on it. I made a box frame to hold the tank and put in about a pound of 1 inch roofing nails. It was not genius on my part. I got my tumbling rig set up and looked around for a media. The first thing I saw was that can full of nails. I could tilt the fixture one way then the other and the nails would find their way past the baffles in the tank. They did a great job and were easy to remove when the job was done.
I didn't seal the tank when I was done. This proved to be a mistake, but that is another story.

Mike

Hi I have a 1941 chevy pick up that I am restoring. As far as the gas tank goes another good thing to try is vinerger, Fill the tanks and let it set, also research this method on line it work for us and cost was cheap.

I done my tank many years ago and used crushed stones but don't remember what I used a the liquid. Maybe just water. I then sealed it with a product from Bill Hirsch and have never had any problems.

i have this rusty gas tank problem on my 35 , is i better to try to restore the tank, (dip it and reseal it) or go with what i see on ebay?
the rank sounds solid on the bottom when banging on it, i can pour something in it to see if it leaks.
would like to save the original tank if i can
Perry

Hi Perry,

I suggest you might get better responses if you start a new post on this issue in the forum for the year of your car.

You also can search for prior posts about gas tank rust and restoration. There have been many.