Best way to clean up a Gas tank

[Canadian1968]

So I dropped the tank in my 68. I am replacing the trunk floor.

I started to clean up the tank itself. Sprayed with some degreeser and then blasted it with jet stream from the power washer.  The side that that was facing the ground actually came out not to bad, down to the metal with the pressure washer.  The top side is a different story.  There is still some undercoatin/ grime what would you suggest to remove the rest. 

Sand paper will clog up way to fast,  Steel wool ??

[tan top]

 is it factory undercoat on the tank ? have you got a picture ,  if original tank  whats the inside like ?

[Canadian1968]

As far as I know it is an original tank. Not to the car though. The inside is spotless, the tank is in good shape except for a couple dents that I am not worried about .  I would say yes original undercoat left on top portion of the tank

[Canadian1968]

a couple pics

[Canadian1968]

more

[Canadian1968]

more

[Canadian1968]

more

[Cooter]

Gas will losen that undercoating, but be prepared for a NASTY job.

[1974dodgecharger]

Buy another gas tank? There made in Canada....

[myk]

Buy another gas tank? There made in Canada....

I have to agree with that one.  It'd be easier to just install a new, beautiful tank, and when you factor that it won't have any of the 40 years worth of gunk and garbage in it like the original tank, it's a no-brainer IMO...

[Canadian1968]

The inside of the tank is spotless. I think I may try some paint stripper

[bill440rt]

Typical way of removing undercoating is heating it with a propane torch & scraping it off, which is would NOT DO on a gas tank!
You could spray it down with solvent & let it soak (mineral spirits, wax/grease remover, Goo Gone, etc), then scrape/scrub with steel wool, etc.
Eastwood also sells a spray undercoating stripper.

Looking at the tank it's dented/creased the full width across it. If it were my time & money I'd do like others have posted & pick up a repro tank. They are not that expensive.

[tan top]

Gas will losen that undercoating, but be prepared for a NASTY job.

or paint thinners etc  

Typical way of removing undercoating is heating it with a propane torch & scraping it off, which is would NOT DO on a gas tank!
You could spray it down with solvent & let it soak (mineral spirits, wax/grease remover, Goo Gone, etc), then scrape/scrub with steel wool, etc.
Eastwood also sells a spray undercoating stripper.

Looking at the tank it's dented/creased the full width across it. If it were my time & money I'd do like others have posted & pick up a repro tank. They are not that expensive.

yeah  that's the plan I would go with too , especially if the inside of the tank its rusty etc  what the other guys say

[Dino]

Get a bag of dry ice.  Stick the tank in a big box lined with plastic.  Wear a ridiculous amount of clothing for protection (you will get frost bite and possibly loose that appendage if you are not careful).  dumb dry ice in the box with the tank.  Seal the box and leave it.  Come back a few hours later or next day, pull the tank and remove the undercoating by tapping on the tank and scraping.  The dry ice will let the undercoat be released from the substrate because of contracting metal. 

This method works extremely well for any undercoating and it will release it in big chunks, but it does not work well if the undercoating is real thin and looks smudged. 

Same method works on the car itself, throw a bunch of dry ice on your floorboards and cover the car.  The coating in and under the car will go bye bye by hitting it with a mallet.

[kab69440]

Wow, Dino... That is useful information, right there! I would not have considered that at all. I did my undercoationg with a paint scraper and mineral spirits.I was there for quite a while with that method.

[Dino]

Wow, Dino... That is useful information, right there! I would not have considered that at all. I did my undercoationg with a paint scraper and mineral spirits.I was there for quite a while with that method.

Been there, done that, did not like it one bit!   

When I was just starting in restoration, probably a little over 20 years ago, we tried this method for the first time after a retired resto guy told us this would work.  The setup demands precision and care for safety but boy was he right!  We actually used this method first on a 1940's car that somewhere in its life had its floor boards covered with undercoating.  The floors were in real nice shape so we 'only' had to remove the tar and do minor repairs.  We covered the car's shell with thick plastic, made a little opening and threw the dry ice in so it covered the floor.  The next day we took a mallet to it and the undercoating simply shattered.  Almost nothing was left on the floor.  To our surprise, there was also a ton of the stuff under the car, neither of us had expected that as the old man never told us it works on both sides of the metal, makes sense but it was a bonus for us!   

Again people, if you want to try this then try it with a small amount and be real careful.  Do not, under any circumstance have your skin touch the dry ice.  Once you know how it works, you can take it up a notch.

[cudaken]

Why are you even worried about, undercoating is Good! Spray it down again and stuff it in!

Cuda Ken

[Canadian1968]

Why are you even worried about, undercoating is Good! Spray it down again and stuff it in!

Cuda Ken

I know! But I like to make things pretty !! hahah

The car has been in the family since 1969. It was driven for one winter, my grandfathers moto, oil, grease, oil, and more oil !!!  This worked very well for the sheet metal on the car, everythign is original except for bottome part of the rear quarters.  Unfortuantly I think it was more of a curse than blessing for the undercarriage, after the trunk floor and frame rails are replaced, the only original frame/ floor will be the passanger side frame rail, rear seat floor and cross member. The rest of it rotted 

All the grease means even changing the air cleaner is a dirty job!!! ( well not really but you get the idea !! )

The car will never see the white stuff again. As I am rebuildin I want to keep things protected obviously but they so it can also be worked on without needing a skin graph after I am done ,to remove the dirt on my body !!

[Canadian1968]

I am from canada obviously, where can I get one....................you guys talked me into it !!

[bill440rt]

Quanta and Spectra are the two popular names that are offering tanks. Check them out.

[70 Charger RT]

I tried buying from Spectra direct.  No go.  You need to buy from one of their distributors.  I think Napa is one.  Bumper to Bumper will have better prices if you know someone with an account there.  Or if you're a business you may be able to set up an account with Spectra.