Cleaning a WC51 fuel tank with "CLR" brand stain remover?

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thunder37
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Cleaning a WC51 fuel tank with "CLR" brand stain remover?

Post by thunder37 » Sat Dec 02, 2017 3:44 pm

Guys,

Corrected: After reading the Material; Safety and Use Sheet I think this product will damage your Gas Tanks and all metals except Stainless and Chrome, as one MV guys has said also.
http://clrbrands.com/sds/SDS-CLR-CALCIU ... EMOVER.pdf



I got several great ideas from guys on the forum concerning best way to clean the inside of my WC51 fuel tank.

Its actually in pretty nice shape, surface rust on inside but doesn't look too flaky or pitted from what I can actually see.

I had this ideas: I have used CLR (Calcium, Lime and Rust) brand remover on many things around the house and it works great. (Correction) The product has lactic acid and I don't know if it will hurt anything, but it attacks rust, mineral and calcium deposits, etc. with a vengeance.

Just thought I would ask. I am pulling the tank tomorrow and gonna try several things that were suggested to me in my other thread about fuel tank issues.

Thanks!

Brent
Attachments CLR brand cleaner.JPG
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CLR brand cleaner.JPG
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Last edited by thunder37 on Mon Dec 04, 2017 5:16 am, edited 2 times in total.


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Re: Cleaning a WC51 fuel tank with "CLR" brand stain remover?

Post by D.R.H. » Sat Dec 02, 2017 4:58 pm

I can share my experience with a steel fuel tank. It was from an M-3 O'keefe and Merritt generator. It had bad fuel, varnish on the sides mixed with rust patches. I removed the tank, filled it partially with fresh gasoline and 200 1/2" split lock washers. I counted them before I put them in so when I took them out, I knew ALL of them would be in my hand.
I then sealed the tank up as best I could, picked it up and sloshed everything from side to side vigorously. It was quiet the upper body workout, but elbow grease is the best tool for getting some things accomplished effectively. After what seemed like hours, I emptied the gas and washers, (that's right - all 200 of them), then repeated the process with a little bit of Dawn dish soap, washers and HOT water to remove any petroleum residue.
After a good rinse, the end result began to look promising. Last step was to fill the tank with 1 gallon of C.L.R. and water. I let the tank sit for 5 days then rinsed it well and used a welding torch with a rosebud tip to heat and dry the tank out. I kept the flame a good distance from the tank out of fear of melting any soldered joints. All this worked very well and the tank came out clean inside. A light coating of Marvels Mystery Oil inside to prevent fresh rust from forming and the result was indeed very nice.
Hope this helps. D.
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Jeff Jensen
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Re: Cleaning a WC51 fuel tank with "CLR" brand stain remover?

Post by Jeff Jensen » Sat Dec 02, 2017 5:22 pm

I would try it.
I cleaned the gas tank on my Ward Lafrance with electrolysis. It took 3 weeks to do it but no holes sawed into it like tank renew will do, had to change out the electrolyte like every 3-4 days and make some curvy electrodes to get around baffles,It looked brand new when done,then sealed it with tank sealer.
Jeff

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Re: Cleaning a WC51 fuel tank with "CLR" brand stain remover?

Post by signsup » Sun Dec 03, 2017 9:54 am

I'm not known for my OSHA safety procedures around my shop, but pouring gas and then metal washers into a sealed containder and then shaking it by hand? MAYBE diesel or kerosene or something less "hot"? I have visions of you completing your restoration from behind the pearly gates.

Also I do not know the internal workings of the gas tank you are working on, but on the GPW tanks, there was an internal screen attached to the pick up tube and if you pour in a tank sealer and slosh it around, you will seal up the screen and you will have to cut open the tank to repair it. If you have any threaded connections to the tank, tape them off or they will seal up as well.

Good luck with them. I am tankless on my G506 project and I know how scarce originals are.
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Re: Cleaning a WC51 fuel tank with "CLR" brand stain remover?

Post by kelley » Sun Dec 03, 2017 12:21 pm

I've used this...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Por-15-49239-A ... SwqiVaHaP0
a couple of times with great results.
Kelley

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Re: Cleaning a WC51 fuel tank with "CLR" brand stain remover?

Post by thunder37 » Sat Dec 23, 2017 4:31 pm

Guys,

I found the best solution for the repair and cleaning of the fuel tank issue.

I remembered an old radiator repair shop where I used to take all my Willys and Ford GPW radiators over the years. This is an old school shop and the guys are all old timers like me.

They will acid clean, braze a few bad spots, pressure test and line the tank for $125 !!!!! If there are large holes they will cut them out and weld a patch plate in for more money based on the damage.

The guy who owns it says he caters to the vintage vehicle restorers and they are always satisfiewd with his work.

I know they did a super job for me on my radiators in really bad shape.

That's the solution for me, anyway.

Below is the contact info, if you want to try them. Or look for an old time radiator repair shop near you. This guy says most of them also do fuel tanks since there are many similarities to radiator repair.

The shop is :

Cookeville Radiator Shop
435 W. Broad Street
Cookeville, TN 38501
931-526-2013

Brent


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