Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

I paid about $500 to get my Packard tank removed, cleaned, tested, painted, and reinstalled. There was no metal work or repair required on the tank. The job included installing a new fuel gage sensor and fixing the old wiring. I think your low estimate is about what I paid through another shop to the radiator shop.

An old friend had a car with crap in the tank and he had numerous breakdowns because of plugged filters, carbs etc. It is not worth it to go cheap on such a critical job. The dirt in the tank does not go away with time.

I've not (yet) used the POR-15 (U.S. Standard) Tank Sealer, but I've had generally good results with POR-15 Rust Preventative Paint and their topcoats that I've used over it. It seems that their tank sealer has a lot in common with their rust preventative paint - mainly, that the tank sealer needs to be applied over bare, "seasoned" metal.

Almost all of their product pages have a link to a PDF of the relevant tip sheets. Here's a direct link to their Fuel Tank Sealer PDF:

qr.absolutecoatings.com/QR-assets/downloads/POR15/FuelTankSealer.pdf

Marine=Clean is a potent, lye-based, cleaning solution. It should be used to remove all traces of grease/oil and other solvents, but I have to wonder how well it will attack the age-old varnish in the tank. Perhaps the use of hot water, in this case, is the key.

Yet, the tank sealer tip sheet later notes that their paint stripper must first be used to remove any previous tank coating. This goes back to the requirement for application over bare metal, and probably should have been stated first.

The "Metal Prep" (aka - Prep & Ready, nee Metal Ready) is a metal conditioner that removes rust (and etches shiny metal) to provides some solid tooth for the tank sealer; it's also used in conjunction with their rust preventative paint. I think it's a bit stronger than the typical autobody metal conditioning mixes, but not as powerful as some of the other rust removing chemicals that I've seen in hobby use.

For their rust preventative paint, they recommoned using a wire brush to first remove any loose rust or scale prior to cleaning. Now, that's not feasible for the tank interior, but I'd rather NOT resort to any other stronger chemical and risk some compatibility issue with their sealer. Instead, I'd dump some loose nuts and bolts - maybe even some dog chain, as well - in the tank and manually tumble it around for a good while (as I've seen recommend with other sealers). However, you should probably give the tank another wash with Marine=Clean after that.

Bottom line: surface preparation is key. Any trace of previous coating, loose rust/scale, grease/oil, or solvent will likely result in the failure of any subsequent tank sealer/coating.

Not much personal experience to contribute here. One of the top caliber restoration shops I visit frequently uses the Bill Hirsch tank sealer system, and my 34 gas tank was done with the Hirsch product about 1885 (EDIT - 1985), well before the current ethanol-laden gasoline and no issues yet.

I used the eastwood kit, and no matter what I tried (acids, chains, rocks, bolts) I could never get the inside of the tank clean enough. The problem is that it is very difficult to get the underside of the tank top clean, and the sloshing fuel would break off debris that would clog my fuel filter after even a short drive. Unless the entire inside of tank is surgically clean and properly etched, the "pour-in" sealers will eventually fail. So I went with the Gas Tank Renu process.

gastankrenu.com/how.htm

Have this done to the tank and your will never ever have another problem. The tank is coated inside and out and the coating is baked on. Since they media blast the tank inside and out, no chance of the coating peeling off and clogging fuel lines from improper prep. Also the coating they use cures rock hard, not rubbery like the pour in types.

Several of us here on the website have had this done, and no reported problems since then. The process has a lifetime guarantee at any of their franchisees and they secure a little serial number to the top of the tank.

Quote:
That certainly was well before the current gasoline problems!

Sorry Dave... Just couldn't resist

JD, thanks for picking up that error, I've edited the post to correct it! And I agree with Kev, if you can't get the inside of your tank scrupulously clean and down to bare metal, your lining will probably fail - RenU is the way to go in that case.

My gas tank was rusted inside from condensation after being parked a couple of years. I dropped the tank and took it to my local radiator shop. He is going to dip it, clean it, and re-line it for about $150 (no repainting the outside). A great deal, and will be done right.

A good thing to have done over the winter.

Someone else in one of the Packard Forums talked about cutting his tank open and cleaning it out and then wielding the tank back together. Does anybody remember this? It sounded like he did a real good job. Just be very careful.
Wes

Gentlemen, thank you all for the feedback and inputs! I plan to drop the tank this weekend and take a peek inside. Maybe try some stripper and see if the old liner will come off, and go from there. I'll try to snap so pics along the way.

-Mark

I watched a segment of "Wheeler Dealers" on the Velocity channel last night. In this episode the boys were working on a Triumph TR-6. One of the problems was a hole in the top of the gas tank. The shop that repaired the tank used steam to evacuate fumes from the tank so the hole could be soldered. It obviously worked because he used a gas torch to melt the solder. Personally, I have no experience repairing leaking gas tanks, just thought I would pass this information on. Probably the best way is to leave the work to those trained in this job.

(o{}o)