TIME FOR A NEW FUEL TANK?

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AdamPBG
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Joined: Sun Mar 17, 2013 9:21 am
Your car is a: 1982 Spider
Location: Palm Beach Gardens, FL

TIME FOR A NEW FUEL TANK?

Post by AdamPBG »

2nd clogged fuel filter in 11 months.
Good thing the ship has finally sailed from Europe a week ago with new tanks (according to Vic's. ETA 3 more weeks)
Been Jones'n since November.

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1982 Spider
Tobi

Re: TIME FOR A NEW FUEL TANK?

Post by Tobi »

I washed a whole jar of rust out of my last tank and used it for years after that. I did replace it as soon as I got my hand on a better one though.
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AdamPBG
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Your car is a: 1982 Spider
Location: Palm Beach Gardens, FL

Re: TIME FOR A NEW FUEL TANK?

Post by AdamPBG »

Yup, I hear you.
The car had a new fuel pump when I got it last year.
I'm concerned how much damage the rust particles do to the pump which is prior to the filter.

Maybe I should replace the pump when I do the new fuel tank?
1982 Spider
narfire
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Your car is a: 1980 124 spider
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Re: TIME FOR A NEW FUEL TANK?

Post by narfire »

80 FI spider
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BEEK
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Location: clermont fl

Re: TIME FOR A NEW FUEL TANK?

Post by BEEK »

you do have another option than replacement if the rust is not real bad. take the tank out and send it to a radiator shop, have them hot tank it, when you get it back, use "tank slosh" or the equivalent. and that will seal the tank internally and you are good to go, the only place where this can be trouble is a efi tank where there is an internal strainer. i havent tried coating that type of tank yet, but if i did, i would hook up compressed air blowing back thru the built in pick up until the coating was dry, to make sure the pickup screen did not get sealed shut.
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OffThaHorse

Re: TIME FOR A NEW FUEL TANK?

Post by OffThaHorse »

what does hot tanking normally run?
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4uall
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Your car is a: 1980 Fiat Pininfarina Spider 2000 F.I.
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Re: TIME FOR A NEW FUEL TANK?

Post by 4uall »

Jay

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ITZEBTZE

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azruss
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Re: TIME FOR A NEW FUEL TANK?

Post by azruss »

I took mine to a radiator shop. Paid $120 for the clean and coat. I put gas in it and let it sit closed up for a couple of years while i was working on the car. Drained the tank and all sorts of junk came out. i could take my finger and wipe stuff off the inside of the tank. bought a new tank from AR to save me more grief.
ride65

Re: TIME FOR A NEW FUEL TANK?

Post by ride65 »

DO NOT coat the inside of a fuel tank with any of that stuff they sell for it. I've dealt with the after effects of most of the brands out there while working on older Harleys. None of that stuff stays stuck to the inside of your tank for very long and when it lets loose , it's the stuff nightmares are made of. It sometimes comes off in pieces, other times in rather large sheets that move around and gets sucked into you fuel strainer/line and then you're wondering what the hell is going on with the fuel system. Get the tank boiled out at a radiator shop (if it's not too far gone), paint the outside and keep it full of fuel, it's the best way to prevent rust.
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Ptoneill
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Your car is a: 1979 Fiat Spider 2000
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada

Re: TIME FOR A NEW FUEL TANK?

Post by Ptoneill »

I have to disagree with not using a tank coating. I have used the POR tank cleaning process on several very old motorcycles and cars with excellent results. You MUST follow the directions exactly as provided for the time provided and you will get good results. Like most products the person doing the work will control the outcome.

That being said...no product can work miracles...if your tank leaks, is dented or has other major defects I would reccomend getting a new one, they are not hard to find and the price while not cheap is reasonable.

If like me you live in a climate not conducive to driving your sports car all year please remember to you Sta-bil or another fuel stabilizer to help protect your system.
Stay Safe,

Pat
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htchevyii
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Re: TIME FOR A NEW FUEL TANK?

Post by htchevyii »

I have used the slosh and seal tank coating in three or four rigs with no issues. A few have been in use for 10+ years. The Fiat ones are a bit difficult because of the baffles inside, but I have sealed them too. I had to make a plate to block off the sending unit hole while I applied the sealer.
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ride65

Re: TIME FOR A NEW FUEL TANK?

Post by ride65 »

Maybe the 75-100 or so bike owners, or maybe even the person at the shop where they had this process done didn't follow instructions properly, regardless, my experience fixing the issues caused by using these products described have prejudiced me against using them under any conditions. Imagine the look on an owners face when I tell him that he has to take a tank (that he just spent 4-500 bucks getting painted) and have it boiled out so I can weld up the seams to stop the leaks that he thought were fixed?, or that I'm gonna' charge him 200 bucks (+parts) just to clean out the fuel line and carb? I would recommend a new tank over using this stuff any day, a stop gap measure to fix something, in my opinion, is not fixing it properly and WILL bite you in the rear one day. Myself? I don't care for the bite marks :D
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RRoller123
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Re: TIME FOR A NEW FUEL TANK?

Post by RRoller123 »

At 170 bucks, doesn't the new tank make the most sense?
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ride65

Re: TIME FOR A NEW FUEL TANK?

Post by ride65 »

RRoller123 wrote:At 170 bucks, doesn't the new tank make the most sense?
A new tank to me is necessary when after getting the tank "boiled"out, it's full of pin holes or rotted beyond welding repair, I usually charge the guys that come to me 50-100 bucks if it's just a quick weld job (no patching) and I'm pretty straight forward when it comes to those I won't touch, because it'll look like crap no matter what you do. But when it comes to the classic pan head split tanks from the 50's and early 60 that can't be had for anything, I'll work with them to try and give them what they want or well make a set of newer tanks look like the old ones with the shut off valves on top. But one thing that is for certain, I won't touch one of those tanks that has been "coated" sometimes, even after getting it boiled out, that crap can be persistent in the weld seams even after getting cleaned out and 90% of the welding I do on the old "Fat Bob" tanks is along the seams .
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