Clean & derust the gastank

Hello again,
Getting time to work on my 85XJ700 is hard to come by lately, well at least when I have $ to put into it. Question for today is: How do I get the rust out of the tank? It barely rubs off on a industrial sized Q-tip, but it hasnt had gas in it for so long there is NO gas smell at all. One suggestion was toss a bunch of nuts in the tank and some water and slosh it around., I dont like that idea, maybe some Seafoam, but I am sure someone here has had to derust a tank, thanks for the help I know is coming.

 

I recently derusted my tank (outside was rusting, but it cleared all rust). I used electrolysis and it worked REALLY well. Just tank a big waterproof plastic or non-conductive bucket of some sort, put a big piece of iron or steel (NOT STAINLESS STEAL!) with the positive lead from from a 12V battery charger and suspend the gas tank in the bucket with the negative lead attached to it. Fill the bucket with a mixture of water with half a cup of washing powder (not baking soda, but commonly made by arm and hammer) per five gallons of water. Plug in the battery charger and the rust on the tank will start bubbling. Worked wonders for me, just make sure to grind off the rust from the sacrificial anode (steel rod) whenever the amperage drops below two or so. Do a google search, its much easier than it sounds and will safely derust anything without removing metal, just be prepared to soak it for a day or two.

 

Let it be known that while electrolysis is a GREAT way to remove layers and layers of rust, it will leave the inside of your tank as bear metal. You will need to coat the inside with some sort of metal protectant and sealant. The only thing I recommend is POR-15.

Read about it off of google and if you have any more questions ask away. It's worth your time, do it!

Electrolysis and POR-15 is the RIGHT way to do it. It will ensure that your tank will be perfect for a long time. That's the point of restoration, right? Doing it right?