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

Chemical dipping is the only way to go. The inside and out are clean when they are done. The radiator shops introduce water, steam or whatever and it ends up not cleaning everything and it will re-rust quickly. At this point you can't put the sealer in to stop the rust from forming due to the line not having been cleaned. Even though you did one cleaning process, I would still find a chemical dipping company and use their services.

A technique used often in my dark distant past was to put a 18" or so lenght of heavy chain on a cotton rope, put it in the tank and shake it around. Put the tank on a set of saw horses or a table so that you can move it around. Then flush it out with a garden hose and leave it out in the hot sun to dry. If nothing else, it's lots of fun to annoy the neighbors clanging the tank.

Won't clean out the pickup tube.

Rust is primarily on the bottom where water sits, it is heavier than gasoline. Have seen a pickup tube with a portion f the tip rusted off due to sitting in water, only effect is the tank will have some rule left in it but yoiu will run out of gas.
Have never run into a pickup tube clogged with rust but and have never cleaned one but I would think a poking through with a speedo cable would do the job

I used a piece of welding wire to clean out my pick tube initially.

no luck yet getting the tube open. Have a small dribble, I used a speedo cable this morning. It goes in about same as the coat hook did , but not quite far enough to open the blockage. The end of the pickup line looks rusted together. Its soaking again with CLR this time, I thought I would give it a try.

Finally got the pickup tube open, keep using the speedo cable. Whatever was plugging the end of tube was packed, I bet dried varnish and dirt. A lot of pushing and pulling the speedo cable with it on the drill. If you ever do this keep the drill slow and steady and not much slack in the cable to drill. I use about 3 to 4 inches slack from end of drill head to tank inlet. Now on to the power brakes.