De-stinking Penelope

[chuck hahn]

Did the liner catch fire when you were doing the patch job?? Just curious as to how it reacted when the welding started..

[rustybronco]

Andre, I bought a Quart of MEK to use for stripping the liner out with, followed by Etch And Prep to remove the rust and relined with Caswell's fuel tank sealer.

[chuck hahn]

Dale...i went to the dollor store and got the tooth brush looking brushes with the metal bristles..works a dream in the nooks and crannies.

I will keep an eye on your posts when it comes to the removal of the liner as I am a complete ignoramus when it comes to tank lining (and many other things as well).
Keep those pictures coming!

[rustybronco]

Andre, As you can see through the petrol level gauge hole, I'm going to have to derust the tank and reline it after I remove the dents. So if there are small pin holes or areas that have the potential to be a leak source, hopefully my liner job will take care of them.

I still may boil the tank after I get done stripping it in order to get the paint removed from all those hard to reach areas. We'll see how the elbow grease method works first and then decide.

Good start there Dale!
I found a small leak under one of the front "U brackets" which was plugged with epoxy and painted over. After the caustic soda bath it was easy to braze up both brackets as it had cleaned out the seams as well.

[chuck hahn]

Glad to see the progress..ive check several times a day to see if there were any new posts

[rustybronco]

Chuck, I'll reline it as soon as I strip the old liner out of it and repair the dents it has.

I had to redo the repair I made to the petcock opening because the drill caught and ripped the metal as I was trying to drill the new opening. Yes, that thin metal was a pain in the pittute!

[chuck hahn]

Gonna do a liner to assure no micro leaks?? That thin metals a B%%ch aint it!!!

[rustybronco]

I didn't get much accomplished today as I was sick. I did manage to start stripping the Skunks fuel tank.

[rustybronco]

I can't say it was the best work I've ever done, but with a bit of epoxy primer on it and a good blocking out, it will work out just fine.

I still need to find a small loom retainer to replace the one I removed and get it welded in place.

[rustybronco]

Chuck, I'm not worried if the paint gets damaged or not as I plan on repainting it. I already have the decals from reproduction sitting here waiting for me to get the tank ready for paint. I even picked up a quart of MEK today so I can strip out the liner.

Andre, after I get the liner removed I might try your method of paint removal if the paint stripper I have doesn't cut the mustard*.

(not satisfactory or right for the situation.)

[chuck hahn]

Even if the top side is perfect..or near that..the heat is gonna migrate when you torch the plugs in. IF you get away without any damage up top I think you will be very lucky. But hey go for it and if it ruins the paint, then throw it on the barbie and cook the liner out.

Dale, my tank was cooked in half a 44 gall drum in a solution of caustic soda over my "braai". It removed everything! OK I did not have a liner inside.
Go for it!

[chuck hahn]

Your gonna repaint anyway...so why not? It really does a great job of removing gunk and paint. If you plan on saving any of the paint on top, you will need to enclose the tank in some kind of plastic bag like i did with the C tank. The MEK or Acetone will melt the paint right off if it so much as touches a drop on it. I got MEK at Ace Hardware in the paint section.