Fuel Tank Help

[johnson350]

Hey guys,

I've been working on an 86 Pontiac Fiero 4 cylinder lately. We got this thing a few years back for really cheap, just finally starting to mess with it.

Well it hasn't ran for about 16-17 years. Cleaned it up today and got it jacked up and took out the fuel tank. It was about half full. Of very smelly old gas and crust.

Lots of crust. I would just order a new tank, but these tanks I'm almost positive no one reproduces. It's the wildest thing I've seen. The gas tank is shaped like a big torpedo and goes in the middle of the car underneath the center console!

So...with that in mind, I'm pretty sure the tank isn't rusty inside (actually can't really tell), just really really crusty. Anything I can put inside to maybe eat all that crust away?

 

[Mike P]

Well being as no one has replied, I'll give it a shot. I've run into a lot of cruddy/rusty tanks over the years and here is what has worked for me.

If you can find a radiator shop that's willing some will "boil out" a tank....but these are getting fewer and farther between especially with all the aluminum radiators out there now.

An alternative for the crud is to get a couple gallons of acetone and pour it in the tank and let it soak for a couple of days.....a hand full of nuts and bolts bolts thrown in and shaken around also helps to beak the worst of the stuff up. If it's rusty, pour a couple of gallons of vinegar in and let it soak (could take up to several days if it's real rusty but the vinegar will eventually dissolve the rust).

 

[johnson350]

Thanks for the reply Mike.

I think I may try the acetone idea, I just hope I can get all the crud out. Pretty positive there isn't any rust after further investigation yesterday. There are some plastic baffles inside and there seems to be a plastic lining down in the bottom of the tank. Not sure how much crud is underneath the plastic lining and if I can get it out.

I did manage to find a clean used tank in good shape up in Alabama, for a hefty $450! That is my last resort though.

 

[johnson350]

Update-

We decided to cut open the tank at the seams. Figured it would be tough to get all the crust out from underneath the plastic lining in the tank. We know a good welder in town that can weld her back up once clean.

Also you can no longer get the sending unit I believe, so we have that soaking in a mixture of molasses and water, hopefully it'll get rid of the crust. Also ordered a new electric fuel pump, those are easy to find and cheap.