MG-Cars.net

Welcome to our resource for MG Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG TD TF 1500 - Gas tank cleaning

I've acquired a tank that spend 20 years 1/4 filled with old gas. Its got a mix of shellac and corrosion inside, but still seems solid.

Any tips on cleaning it? It seems to me a 3 stage attack is needed, getting out the shellac and crud, then the corrosion, and then treating it so it won't rust any more. Tank will be repainted so no need to baby it.

Howevr I have been burnt by a number of products over the years (it seems thee is a secret laboratory where scientists are always at work to come up with a new generation of gas addatives that will dissolve the last generation of tank sealants).

kylemorley

I don't know how well this works over the years as I just did it about 5 or 6 years ago. As you stated one of the formulas that those secret scientists came up with was one that would dissolve the aircraft slushing compound that had protected my tank for 20+ years. The result was that the dissolved slushing compound migrated to the fuel pump and the carburetors, gluing the check valves in the fuel pump and the needle valves in the carburetors solidly to their respective seats. My solution was to have the tank dip stripped to remove all traces of the slushing compound (and with it all the remaining traces of paint on the tank) and had the entire tank treated with a heavy layer of zinc phosphate. I have been told that the rather toothy surface of the zinc phosphate absorbs the oils in the gasoline, which helps keep the interior of the tank rust free. Perhaps, if I am still around in 20 years, I can give a progress report on how all of this plays out. Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

I just finished my tank a couple of weeks ago. I used a product from Caswell. They provide decent instructions ie fill tank with sheet rock screws agitate to remove scale.
If you use it be sure to thin it the maximum they recommend and work quick.
Mark Butler

I used a mixture of household vinegar...one gallon...to salt..one cup. Took all the gunk and the inside to shinny metal. Nothing nasty to dispose of...won't harm the paint either...but perhaps that is not a concern with the tank you are prepping. There is a lot of info on the web. Regards, Tom
tom peterson

This thread was discussed on 17/11/2013

MG TD TF 1500 index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG TD TF 1500 BBS is active now.