Need Help!!! How To Clean My C10 66 Gas Tank

["El Jalapeno 66"]

today i finish with all the engine work, engine start and runs great but the bad new is that my tank is super dirty and rusted, apparently was more than 6 years without the cap, i take out a lot of water and garbage

WHICH IS THE BEST WAY TO CLEAN IN THIS CASE?

[j.kirn]

I took mine to the local radiator shop

["El Jalapeno 66"]

I never thought about it!!

how much did you pay?

[BMERDOC]

I paid $125 to have mine cleaned and sealed. If you enter "clean gas tank" in the search box a lot of threads come up that discuss cleaning. Seems Muratic acid is the best. Droppin a chain in or pressure wash to remove the scale. Between the cost of chemicals and my labor sending it out was the best option. New tanks are as thin as new cars.

["El Jalapeno 66"]

Thanks!!!

The problem is that i live in calexico by the border to mexico and here are no radiator shops and i cant take it to mexico because we cant pass car parts so i going to do it myself

[theastronaut]

Here's what my tank looked like after a being cleaned at a radiator shop. Most of the rust was gone but it still had a thin coating of rust inside.








After cleaning with muriatic acid and rinsing with water/baking soda mix to neutralize the acid.







Water/baking soda mixture rinsed out, then used PPG DX series Metal Cleaner to get the hazy rust off from the water/soda rinse. I poured the PPG Metal Cleaner out, then rinsed the tank with PPG Metal Conditioner and dried it with a heat gun aimed into the sending unit hole. We've done a few tanks this way and the one in our '57 VW that we did a few years ago still looks like new inside. The PPG Metal Conditioner leaves a coating that prevents rust, and won't come off and gum up the fuel lines and carburetor like some sealers can.





Outside wetsanded and painted.

[1963c-10]

Nice job on the tank.

[BMERDOC]

Very nice job on that tank!

[ajgriffin]

Originally Posted by theastronaut

Here's what my tank looked like after a being cleaned at a radiator shop. Most of the rust was gone but it still had a thin coating of rust inside.





After cleaning with muriatic acid and rinsing with water/baking soda mix to neutralize the acid.







Water/baking soda mixture rinsed out, then used PPG DX series Metal Cleaner to get the hazy rust off from the water/soda rinse. I poured the PPG Metal Cleaner out, then rinsed the tank with PPG Metal Conditioner and dried it with a heat gun aimed into the sending unit hole. We've done a few tanks this way and the one in our '57 VW that we did a few years ago still looks like new inside. The PPG Metal Conditioner leaves a coating that prevents rust, and won't come off and gum up the fuel lines and carburetor like some sealers can.





Outside wetsanded and painted.

This looks awesome! It's hard to imagine having any problems after a cleaning this good. Can you give more detail about the process? Specifically, what source did you use for the muriatic acid? How much did you put in the tank and for how long? Same questions for the water/baking soda and PPG products. Also, what kind of mix did you do for the water/baking soda? Also, did you do this with the sender still installed or did you pull it? Etc etc
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[ozzyman]

Ask a pool store for muriatic acid

[theastronaut]

Originally Posted by ajgriffin

This looks awesome! It's hard to imagine having any problems after a cleaning this good. Can you give more detail about the process? Specifically, what source did you use for the muriatic acid? How much did you put in the tank and for how long? Same questions for the water/baking soda and PPG products. Also, what kind of mix did you do for the water/baking soda? Also, did you do this with the sender still installed or did you pull it? Etc etc
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Posted via Mobile Device

I bought the muriatic acid from Tractor Supply, but any pool supply store will have it. Only put enough in it to slosh around and fully coat the inside, slosh it regularly to keep the inside coated until all the rust is dissolved. Leave the sender out, and plug the hole with a steel plate to seal the tank. Mask the filler neck off with duct tape. Once all the rust is gone, dump it out and add baking soda and water until the soda stops fizzing up like a science project volcano. Make sure you also neutralize the acid that you've dumped out! I had to do the soda/water mix a few times to fully neutralize the acid. The inside of the tank will get a hazy coat of flash rust inside when flushing the muriatic acid.

For the PPG Metal Cleaner, pour it in and slosh it in the tank to fully coat the inside and leave it in until the hazy rust is gone, then dump it. Put enough PPG Metal Conditioner in the tank to flush out the Metal Cleaner, and dump that. Add more Conditioner and slosh to keep it wet for about 15 minutes to get a good buildup of zinc phosphate. Dump it, let it drain, then aim a hair dryer or heat gun in the sending unit hole until the tank is completely dry. If it's going to be awhile until you use the tank use an air hose to blow in WD40 to lightly coat and protect the inside.

[ajgriffin]

Hey guys, I'm getting ready to put the truck back on the road and wanted to clean the tank first, but can you guys tell me where you bought the PPG cleaners from? I see the PPG DX579 (cleaner) for $45 at an online retailer and PPG DX520 (conditioner) for $60 on Amazon. That's at $105 without the muriatic acid or the trip to the radiator shop. LMC truck has replacement tanks for $150, why not just go that route?
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[theastronaut]

I get the DX cleaner/conditioner locally for a little less than $20 bucks a quart each. No need to buy the gallon size. I bet there will be oversize shipping charges on a new tank.
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[ajgriffin]

I knew there was a catch. I'll try Napa today to see if they have the smaller sizes.
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[jayoldschool]

A brand new tank cost me $159, shipped.

If you want to clean yours, Home Depot has the stuff you need, down the aisle with paint thinner, etc.

[AcampoDave]

As a pool service guy I just gotta warn you guys that muriatic acid is pretty caustic stuff. It fumes heavily in humid conditions and can be leathal when mixed with certain chemicals. (Like chlorinated compounds.) It does remove rust but will also eat clean metal too if given time. If you go this route I would not seal off the reaction in any way that could trap pressurized gasses in the tank. And be smart wear goggles, and keep a water hose within reach. Don't mean to be a mother hen here, but I use this stuff every day and its powerful stuff. It's safe in a pool but....you know what I'm sayin' here right?

[akqj9]

is there a screen at the pickup tube? IF so can it be eliminated with out too much trouble? My truck quit and I blew air back into the tank then it started. I'd rather not have something that can clog in the tank. I prefer an inline filter that I can see and replace.

[AcampoDave]

My thinking is that if that screen is repeatedly clogging, the inside of your tank is pretty nasty. I realize money doesn't grow on trees, but band aid fixes often wind up costing more than we think when we do them. At 149 bucks a new tank would likely solve your problems for decades to come. You could put in a new rubber sleeve on the fill spout while you're at it and relax in the knowledge that you have solved that particular problem once and for all.
https://www.classicparts.com/1960-66...yABEgI4tfD_BwE extra capacity tank
https://www.speedshopstore.com/tanks...utm_medium=cse standard tank with free shipping. I've done buisness with Tanks inc. before and I liked them.

[richards72chevy]

If that cap was off for over six and you poured water out of it I would just replace it.I wasted a bunch of time trying to clean out my original tank.

[vince1]

Thanks for the reminder. I've just posted two on Kijiji for a dollar.