tank info needed

[Davestune]

i have a tank with liner shit in it, but it has a nasty dent, how i get dents out is with dent puller and the spot weld rod tool thingie. i forget the name. I also heat the tank so it pulls out smoother.
but wat about the tank cream shit? I guess this will burn it. how you remove the tank liner shit or what me do
i got to start on my 39 flathead roller

[Tattooo]

MEK works GREAT.........................

[hillcat]

fuck it cut it open clean it out fix the dents weld it back together

[47str8leg]

i have a tank with liner shit in it, but it has a nasty dent, how i get dents out is with dent puller and the spot weld rod tool thingie. i forget the name. I also heat the tank so it pulls out smoother.
but wat about the tank cream shit? I guess this will burn it. how you remove the tank liner shit or what me do
i got to start on my 39 flathead roller

From your post is it safe to assume this is an O.E.M tank that's worth saving ( due to the willingness to repair a nasty dent ) ?
It's a process to get the shit out that I've dealt with a few times but have been successful without cutting it open. Not saying it's quick but it works. Just seeing if it's worth the effort that you're willing to go through the effort of both the repair and the liner removal.

[47str8leg]

i have a tank with liner shit in it, but it has a nasty dent, how i get dents out is with dent puller and the spot weld rod tool thingie. i forget the name. I also heat the tank so it pulls out smoother.
but wat about the tank cream shit? I guess this will burn it. how you remove the tank liner shit or what me do
i got to start on my 39 flathead roller

From your post is it safe to assume this is an O.E.M tank that's worth saving ( due to the willingness to repair a nasty dent ) ?
It's a process to get the shit out that I've dealt with a few times but have been successful without cutting it open. Not saying it's quick but it works. Just seeing if the tank is worth the effort , not some standard replaceable chopper tank.

[Davestune]

From your post is it safe to assume this is an O.E.M tank that's worth saving ( due to the willingness to repair a nasty dent ) ?
It's a process to get the shit out that I've dealt with a few times but have been successful without cutting it open. Not saying it's quick but it works. Just seeing if the tank is worth the effort , not some standard replaceable chopper tank.

tell me 47 what me need to unfuckery do, share teh wealth

[confab]

I don't know what to think about this, exactly? But one of the people I've been following on youtube uses old and presumably diluted Muratic Acid on tanks for internal rust.

Maybe this would work? Perhaps someone with more experience could advise?

Example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKyOewdJOHc&list=PL-BX_Pc-GUyROwM_YXDoKtHLCOK6svt6n&index=46&t=0s

At about 8:50 - They show an oil tank with internal rusting which has resisted a commercial cleaner..

At about 12:50 - They show adding the acid. (It is old and reclaimed, being used many times before.)

At about 18:00 - The result.. Which looks pretty good, considering.

???

[DoomBuggy]

For rust, Coke works well also!

The nasty tank sealers are another matter. I have a pair of 3.5 tanks that I tried all kinds of things to gett them clean. Ended up with a couple of fist fulls of drywall screws and a lot of shaking. Got 90% of the crap out of there and anything left was held on pretty well.

I switched to a Sporty tank, but if I ever decide to reuse these I may take them over to the radiator shop and try dipping them in their tank.

[47str8leg]

O.K Dave here we go.
A couple of things before we get started. I usually do this over a few days not as my main focus as in " it has to be done NOW , TODAY " !!
More like "o.k., let's see how the tanks coming along today " , do some shit to it and move on to other things.
And.
I may change the medium I use on the inside of the tank but I'll give my thoughts on that at the end.

A gallon of MEK costs about $25.00 , works well and is re-useable to a point. Some guys have used it and claim the whole bladder has come out in one shot. That has never happened for me and if it has I would suspect that the original bladder was never installed correctly to adhere itself properly to begin with. I have lined two tanks in the past . 1 let go after 11 years and the other is about that age now.

Caveats here ;
1) MEK will destroy a nice paint job very quickly. If you want to save the paint job cover your tank appropriatly and use your petcock or suitable ball valve with a hose attachment to drain it back into its original can.

2) Do this outdoors it's odor is very powerful and flammable.

That being said get a gallon and a wide mouth funnel that will fit in your tank. One screened and one unscreened if possible. Plug the petcock hole(s) and pour the MEK into the tank . Put cap back on and let it sit there overnight , occasionally moving it into different positions over the day to soften the tank liner without it coming out the gas cap hole .

Next day drain it back into its original container with your screened funnel to catch shit starting to come out. See how it looks inside . If a decent amount still looks really stuck repeat the process.

If it's looking like its really softening up I usually bring it to the slop sink and run the hottest water I can handle in it and rinse it out a few times to see if more shit comes out. I'm not worried about flash rust at this time just doing it untill it seems It's not coming out anymore .
This accomplishes two things , it gets the insides ready for the next step and waters down the residue of th flammable MEK.
Then I blow out the tank with compressed air and let it air dry real good. Sometimes I hang it above my oil burner from a wire for the night. You do whatever you feel comfortable with.
When all dry I pour in about a 1/3 -1/2 of a bag of pink fish gravel from the pet supply store depending on tank size. I put a clean pillowcase sheet around it and then wrap that with pillows and a comforter or blankets and wrap it with blue painters tape and make it big enough to just fit my dryer.
I wrap it up so that it has what I call the " birthing canal method.
I wrap into I can reach in and pull it out through the center of this without taking the entire mess apart again.
Then I turn the heat down on the dryer to its lowest temp and use it as s machine shop tumbler for an hour.
While nuts , bolts and washers are good for flash rust they aren't good for a tank bladder removal.
The gravel acts as an internal sandpaper with the capacity to scrape the entire tank walls much better for this process.
Remove from dryer and dump the shit out into appropriate container with unscreened funnel or into garbage pail , whatever.
If there is still shit in there , repeat the process with the remaining fish gravel and back into the birthing canal for another go round.
If it looks clean then it's time to get the residual pink shit out of there.

[47str8leg]

You've determined everything looks great so now it's time to get the remaining fish tank gravel out. I use pink because it's easier to spot with a light , mirror etc..
Tapping around with a rubber Mallot loosens it up ( stuff gets stuck in seams , under the fill hole usually . Shake out what you can get like that and use compressed air , you'll here if get less and less. I'll use warm water in the slop sink again after I'm convinced it's gone by shining a light through the pet cock and fill holes with an inspection mirror. Then I'll blow it out with my compressor and give it its final drying over my burner. If I'm not going to use the tank for awhile I'll put in a cup full of Marval and swish it around occasionally to keep flash rust from forming. Then I'll drain it out before installing . Marval mixes with gas so it's my choice.

Not thrilled with the pink fish gravel ?
Well I've been thinking about using a larger gravel like the white rocks used in gardens. So it's a little easier to get out.
The smaller flatter gravel probably works better though.
Probably a 1/2" size rock would be the largest I'd use though anything bigger defeats the purpose I think.

That's what have done . Tedious but it works well.

[hillcat]

That sounds iffy.
First, I would use the laundromat if going that route. Also I have heard of an automatic baby swing being used.
Second, you'll never know if you got all the gravel out. Better off using small nuts & bolts that you can count before putting in so you know when you have them all removed.
Third, how is this better than cutting open the tank, cleaning properly with visual inspection, addressing the dents and welding back together?
You'll always wonder if there is smegma floating around your float bowl.

[shank1kole]

There was on old thread on strapping it in a baby swing(HELLCAT said ^).I used stainless polishing media (available in different sizes online) I had some from reloading.Cleans the old brass cases best,walnut just polished but still left carbon residue on large cases so I tried it for removing liner for my pals panhead worked great.

[47str8leg]

That's the way I learned and it works for me.
You guys do what you want but I've done it 5X without issue. The inspection mirror and lights help you see what's left inside.
Your petcock screen would stop anything worth worrying about.
The dryer works great , just have to make a giant ball around the tank as mentioned so it's not banging around in there. Not everyone has access to a baby swing but they do a dryer unless they are living in a cardboard box.
I'll look into the stainless media when I do it next time. Cheap enough so it can't hurt trying.
Cutting and rewelding a vintage oem tank leaves you open to devaluing a vintage tank and potential leaks or metal warpage . Not to mention the problems associated if you're trying to save a paintjob.
Not everyone can weld or has a friend that knows what their doing at their behest . Cost being another issue.
Like I said, it's what I do. Don't like it ?
Have at it.