Old outboard gas tanks

[55bigtwin]

Well, I thought I had enough old style pressure tanks to go around, but on closer inspection...One that I've had since I was a kid in the 70's, has about 1/4" of black grit on the bottom and the inside walls. I pulled the handle/pump assembly and scraped what I could and rinsed it out with diesel fuel, amazingly it's kinda shiny where it's been scraped, but a lot is hard to get at. Any ideas what that black stuff could be? Another tank that I recently got with an old engine, had some recent gas in it, but the whole inside of the tank was coated with what looked to me like a 'red lacquer' substance...??? Still another tank that I've been using lately and looks really good, (no rust) developed a tiny hole, like maybe a fatigue crack, right on the middle of the bottom. Now I'm wondering if these are worth messing with or if I should look into converting to fuel pump set ups. Also does anyone know of availability of gaskets for the tank handle/pump assembly? Thanks.

 

[GTS225]

Re: Old outboard gas tanks

Ok....I got ahold of a tank at an auctioin that turned out to have old fuel deposits on the inside. It looked like rust, until I started scraping it. From that point, I got a drill bit extension, and a small handful of wire brushes for the extension, and went at the inside with a drill. Got it cleaned up pretty good, too.
The "red laquer" might be something called "Red-Kote". It's a tank sealer, (somewhat expensive), that works pretty good. It's supposed to be able to seal up pinholes as large as 1/16" inch, so it might be worth it to seal that cracked tank, and make use of all of them.

BTW....those old pressure tanks are getting hard to find, and could be worth decent money to a collector.

Roger

 

[JimS123]

Re: Old outboard gas tanks

Google Laing's outboards in North Tonawanda, NY. He has all the parts for the old tanks. Last time I rebuilt one, as i recall I got a "kit" with every gasket and o-ring for about 12 bucks. He carries double line hose too.

Sometimes the tanks ARE hard to find, but then again you just need to look. Last Summer I found 3 of them at different garage sales and only had to give 5 bucks for each one.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Old outboard gas tanks

to restore fuel tanks, I usually use one of the POR-15 kits

http://www.por15.com/CYCLE-TANK-REPAIR-KIT/productinfo/CTRK/

the black stuff is probably degraded oil and fuel. gaskets and rebuild kits are still available.

 

[rolmops]

Re: Old outboard gas tanks

Sorry to answer this late,but there is an easy way to clean these old tanks.
Dump a quart or 3 of thinner in the tank and a few handfuls of roofing nails. Close it and shake it real good for a few minutes. Let it sit for an hour and do it again. Do it a few times a day for a day or two and then drain the thinner, the gunk,and the nails out through a cloth. Pour the thinner back in,swirl it around and drain it again. Repeat as needed.

 

[EddiePetty]

Re: Old outboard gas tanks

Sorry to answer this late,but there is an easy way to clean these old tanks.
Dump a quart or 3 of thinner in the tank and a few handfuls of roofing nails. Close it and shake it real good for a few minutes. Let it sit for an hour and do it again. Do it a few times a day for a day or two and then drain the thinner, the gunk,and the nails out through a cloth. Pour the thinner back in,swirl it around and drain it again. Repeat as needed.

And if it's really crudded up, strap it to the rear wheel of your garden tractor/riding mower and allow it to tumble. I use this method when I encounter fouled tanks on antique tractors.

 

[tomhath]

Re: Old outboard gas tanks

And if it's really crudded up, strap it to the rear wheel of your garden tractor/riding mower and allow it to tumble...

Clever idea. I was trying to think of a way to tumble a couple that I have.

 

[55bigtwin]

Re: Old outboard gas tanks

Clever idea. I was trying to think of a way to tumble a couple that I have.

Thanks for some really good ideas, as usual, I have been side tracked, working out of town lately. To date I have 6 outboards with the 2-hose set up, (5.5hp, 10hp, 15hp, 18hp and 2-25hp). All together I have 4-6gal and 2-4gal tanks, including the ones that need repair. I have one each really decent 6 and 4 gal. that I use regularly, which is fine cause I can only use one at a time. But if I wanted to sell any motors, it would be nice to have a tank to go with it...