Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

Artiegee · Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 2 Location: Guernsey

Hi everyone.
I found this forum whilst searching for information about restoration and am most impressed.
I have just aquired a 1929 Singer Junior that is in quite good condition but it has not been driven for more than 6 miles in the past 8 years. The result is that the inside of the petrol tank is rusty and full of partiicles which continually block the carb. I have tried to swill it through but to no avail. It seems the only answer is to remove the tank and treat it --- but with what?

How does one get the inside of the tank clean please.

47Jag · Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 11:32 am Post subject:

One idea I saw on another forum was to put some gravel and water in the tank and shake. This guys method of shaking was to strap the tank to a small cement mixer and let it spin for an hour or two.

Art

47p2 · Joined: 24 Nov 2007 Posts: 2009 Location: Glasgow

Art,
That was Greeney that used the cement mixer method on this forum

Here is the link
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PAUL BEAUMONT · Joined: 27 Nov 2007 Posts: 1281 Location: Barnsley S. Yorks

I tried nuts and bolts, gravel, broken glass, slosh sealers etc. eventually replaced the tank!!

PAUL

47Jag · Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 6:48 pm Post subject:

John,

So it was. I had the Jaguar forum in mind but wasn't sure. Clever trick nevertheless.

Art

47p2 · Joined: 24 Nov 2007 Posts: 2009 Location: Glasgow

Gravel isn't good, it breaks up and goes to a mushy paste
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Mog · Joined: 30 Dec 2007 Posts: 661 Location: Sydney

Put another fuel filter in the line in a hidden place.

Mog · Joined: 30 Dec 2007 Posts: 661 Location: Sydney

Rust converter has , I think, phosphoric acid in it. This gets rid of the rust without attacking the metal. You could pour some of this in and dilute it. Swirl it around and wait a couple of days. Another thing that I heard was good for removing rust was molasses but you need to let it stand for a week or two.

P.S. My mate Andy had a Singer Junior we went from Brum. to Wales, for a long week- end, in the 60's. I did offer to get out and walk up one of the big hills !!

Richard H · Joined: 03 Apr 2009 Posts: 2148 Location: Lincolnshire, UK

I have a cheap inline filter fitted which I used to replace once a week but am now replacing once every 2-3 months. About £1.50 each from my local spares shop. To fit it just involves cutting a 5 inch section out of the fuel line and securing it with pieces of rubber pipe and jubilee clips. Mine is out of sight under the drivers footwell.
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Mog · Joined: 30 Dec 2007 Posts: 661 Location: Sydney

Just thinking a little bit more on this problem. In the dim past I had two Landrover petrol tanks repaired. What they did before starting work was to put the tank into a large bath of boiling water. It was completely submerged . I don't know what was in the boiling water, but I would guess it was detergent and perhaps something caustic. Boil for an hour or two and you could have a clean tank !!

Rick · Site Admin Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 22438 Location: UK

When I had the Dodge's tanks re-furb'd, they cut inspection holes in them, sandblasted the insides, then re-welded them up again. Inside they applied a ceramic-like coating, and the exterior was finished in a hard rubberised coating (not really suitable if the tank is visible as it doesn't look very vintage). Don't Frost do a product for sealing the inside of fuel tanks?

R
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PAUL BEAUMONT · Joined: 27 Nov 2007 Posts: 1281 Location: Barnsley S. Yorks

Mog, I suspect that the bioling water and detergent were to get rid of the fuel as going anywhere near a petrol tan with a naked flame, without thoroughly cleaning it first could be severely injurious to health!! Laughing

Rick is right, Frost and a few others do what I referred to earlier as slosh sealers. You pour some inside and slosh it around and it is supposed to coat the inside of the tank and seal up the crud. I was lucky, dropped on a near perfect s/h tank, but I spent a year suffering fuel line blockages etc. I got so I could remove the tank in my sleep!

Good luck.

PAUL

Richard H · Joined: 03 Apr 2009 Posts: 2148 Location: Lincolnshire, UK

I have heard bad things about some of the products that are supposed to seal tanks, I'm not saying Frost's product is no good, but I've heard tales of the coating peeling off after a few years and completely blocking fuel lines etc Confused

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Rick · Site Admin Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 22438 Location: UK

The Renu process comes with a lifetime guarantee, but it isn't something you can do at home, it has to be done by an approved garage

R
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Jim.Walker · Joined: 27 Dec 2008 Posts: 1229 Location: Chesterfield

All these desperate remedies! As I've posted before, my remedy (25 YEARS ago) was to hang a magnet inside the tank, removing it fairly frequently at first to wipe off the accumulated rust scale. That quickly became when I thought about it and after a month was no longer necessary. As a tank will not rust unless left empty of fuel I have had no further trouble for 24 years and 11 months! AND I have no filters in the line.

Just done the same on my son's classic car. No problems now.
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