| dklawson |
| Total Posts: | 5709 |
| Last Post: | 05-15-08 |
| User Since: | 06-05-00 |
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Posted: May-12-2008 06:05PM
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Mark's right, if you can find a radiator shop that still does this work I'm sure they'll do a great job cleaning and lining your tank. However, on other message boards, members have noted that fewer and fewer radiator shops appear to be willing to do this kind of work. One guy said his local shop would do the job but only if the tank was for a car that there was no new tank available for. Be prepared to call around. Doug L.
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| helpmymini |
| Total Posts: | 2244 |
| Last Post: | 05-15-08 |
| User Since: | 04-26-05 |
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Posted: May-12-2008 04:29PM
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I'm telling ya, hit the radiator shop. There could be no better cleaning.
Mark Looman, Ada Michigan
1967 Austin Cooper S
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| ve9aa |
| Total Posts: | 6081 |
| Last Post: | 05-15-08 |
| User Since: | 09-30-02 |
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Posted: May-12-2008 03:57PM
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On my series Land Rover tank I have LOTS and LOTS of rust. DO you think tossing a length of chain in there and rolling it around would help at all or are chemical strippers like MArine Clean my best option to remove rust and crud before coating with POR15 or similar ? A new tank landed here is around the $360 mark, so reconditioning is a consideration. ~ 30 minutes in a Mini is more therapeutic than 3 sessions @ the shrink. ~ Mike  NB, Canada
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| Elf |
| Total Posts: | 205 |
| Last Post: | 05-13-08 |
| User Since: | 09-14-03 |
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Posted: May-11-2008 10:24PM
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I asked the same question a few months ago. This is where the answer is :
http://www.minimania.com/web/threadid/89255/InfoID/1/SiteMessages/6/msgthread.cfm
Or search this forum for "removal of fuel tank sender"  Good luck
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| jerseystyle1 |
| Total Posts: | 116 |
| Last Post: | 05-14-08 |
| User Since: | 02-01-06 |
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Posted: May-11-2008 07:36PM
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Sounds good guys, now how do I go about removing the sending unit? Allan / 08 Magnetic Black 350Z NISMO (#0831) / 08 Montego Blue 335I E90 / 76 Maroon Austin Mini 1000 SPECIAL (export)
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| dklawson |
| Total Posts: | 5709 |
| Last Post: | 05-15-08 |
| User Since: | 06-05-00 |
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Posted: May-11-2008 06:36PM
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The Eastwood kit is similar to the kits by Kreem that other vendors sell. It is not as good a coating/kit as POR (I've used both). As stated, knock the pickup tube filter off before starting the coating process. I use long pieces of electrical wire coated with Vaseline inside the pickup tube and the vent tube to prevent them from plugging during the coating process. Likewise, you'll need to make a disk (or duck tape) patch to cover the sending unit hole. If all you have is "rust in the upper portion of the tank" as you said, you really don't have a lot to worry about. ALL uncoated tanks are going to have surface on their upper surfaces as they don't stay covered in gas for very long. That rust is not a problem. Tank lining and coating is necessary when heavy rust develops on the bottom of the tank from water condensation in the gas. This can and does lead to pinhole leaks through the bottom of the tank. The Mini tanks I've coated suffered from this. If there were no pinholes I would not bother lining the tank. If you forgo the lining kit and just want to try cleaning, get some liquid paint stripper and slosh that around the inside of the tank first. Mix in some nuts and bolts to slide and scrape the sludge off as you slosh the tank. Rinse this out and replace with a caustic cleaner. Marine Clean from POR is good, Simple Green is much weaker but OK. Repeat the sloshing (including nuts and bolts) with the cleaner. Rinse this out with water. If you see lots of rust and it bothers you, buy the tank lining kit. It will have the phosphoric acid and coating you need to complete the job. If there is NOT much rust and you feel OK with your cleanup, drain the water and put in some alcohol. Slosh the alcohol around then dump it out and blow the tank dry with a little compressed air. The alcohol will have picked up most the water and the resulting tank will be "dry". Any surface flash rust that results from the water rinsing process will be inconsequential. Ignore it. Doug L.
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| Elf |
| Total Posts: | 205 |
| Last Post: | 05-13-08 |
| User Since: | 09-14-03 |
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Posted: May-11-2008 05:59PM
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That's a good point about the filter on the fuel feed pipe inside the tank. Before using the POR tank repair kit you need to get a long screwdriver inside the tank and knock the filter off (make sure you put an inline filter in the fuel line somewhere else though) Also when you use the coating put a peice of wire thick enough to just fit inside the fuel feed line and the breather pipe so that the POR doesn't fill and block either of these pipes. Just don't forget to pull them out before the POR sets Also, of course, remove the sender unit.
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| helpmymini |
| Total Posts: | 2244 |
| Last Post: | 05-15-08 |
| User Since: | 04-26-05 |
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Posted: May-11-2008 05:48PM
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I pulled both my tanks, brought them to a radiator shop, had them boiled in acid. There was NO WAY I was going to try to get mine clean. I had nearly full tanks when it went into storage for 24 years. HOLY SLUDGE. The shop removed the outlet line and replaced it. There was a filter on the end with no chance of clearing out. The POR product is highly recommended for coating the inside. I primed mine, and painted the outside. Not one single problem since. I spent around 200 for the fiasco.
P.S. I started with a gallon of Marine Clean. That put a dent in the sludge. But nothing compares to the boiling.
Mark Looman, Ada Michigan
1967 Austin Cooper S
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| Elf |
| Total Posts: | 205 |
| Last Post: | 05-13-08 |
| User Since: | 09-14-03 |
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Posted: May-11-2008 05:04PM
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As spitz says, the motor cycle tank repair kit is all you need for a mini's fuel tank.
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| jerseystyle1 |
| Total Posts: | 116 |
| Last Post: | 05-14-08 |
| User Since: | 02-01-06 |
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Posted: May-11-2008 04:59PM
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Excellent, gonna order the kit now. Thanks for the help! Allan / 08 Magnetic Black 350Z NISMO (#0831) / 08 Montego Blue 335I E90 / 76 Maroon Austin Mini 1000 SPECIAL (export)
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| Spitz |
| Total Posts: | 6027 |
| Last Post: | 05-15-08 |
| User Since: | 01-22-03 |
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Posted: May-11-2008 04:45PM
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I used the motor cyle tank repair kit from POR15. Comes with all rou need to clean it out, and coat it. A FATHER CARRIES PICTURES WHERE HIS MONEY USED TO BE 1130cc, 12g295, SW5 cam, LCB, HIF38, CA spec.
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| Elf |
| Total Posts: | 205 |
| Last Post: | 05-13-08 |
| User Since: | 09-14-03 |
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Posted: May-11-2008 04:41PM
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It may not be necessary to replace your tank - it depends how bad the rust is. POR make a fuel tank repair kit. I used it on my tanks (since they were out anyway) as a preventative to give the inside a coating to stop rust in the future. But I know some on this forum ahve used it to repair small rust holes. As with other POR products, this kit is good quality.
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| jerseystyle1 |
| Total Posts: | 116 |
| Last Post: | 05-14-08 |
| User Since: | 02-01-06 |
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Posted: May-11-2008 04:29PM
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Well I pulled out the tank and emptied it but noticed some rust in the upper portion of the tank. I guess I need to purchase a new one. Allan / 08 Magnetic Black 350Z NISMO (#0831) / 08 Montego Blue 335I E90 / 76 Maroon Austin Mini 1000 SPECIAL (export)
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| tvanderh |
| Total Posts: | 579 |
| Last Post: | 05-15-08 |
| User Since: | 08-21-05 |
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Posted: May-11-2008 04:07PM
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I would be careful hosing it out if you are talking about a garden hose. The metal could rust instantly and problems as such. If you run a carwash with soap, the metal won't rust in my experience. The tank is pretty easy to remove. Maybe take it out, dump out the crap and spray in some carb cleaner and dump it out. No rust issues that way.
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| jerseystyle1 |
| Total Posts: | 116 |
| Last Post: | 05-14-08 |
| User Since: | 02-01-06 |
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Posted: May-11-2008 03:50PM
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I actually looked in the tank via the filler and there is a bunch of junk in there. I guess I will just remove it and hose it out real good. What about a blow dryer with no heat setting? Would that work in drying it out? Thanks. Allan / 08 Magnetic Black 350Z NISMO (#0831) / 08 Montego Blue 335I E90 / 76 Maroon Austin Mini 1000 SPECIAL (export)
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| Willie_B |
| Total Posts: | 746 |
| Last Post: | 05-13-08 |
| User Since: | 12-01-02 |
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Posted: May-11-2008 03:41PM
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Why do feel you need to clean your tank? Are you seeing stuff in your fuel filter? Eastwood.com has a cleaner/sealer kit. I took my tank out just because there was something loose and rattling around in it, so I cleaned it out with soap & water and used a leaf blower to dry it out. Make sure you remove the sending unit before any cleaning. "How can anything bigger be mini?"
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| jerseystyle1 |
| Total Posts: | 116 |
| Last Post: | 05-14-08 |
| User Since: | 02-01-06 |
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Posted: May-11-2008 03:17PM
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Any way to clean the fuel tank out with out removing it? If not, and I remove it, what then? Never had to clean a fuel tank before. What do I use to clean it? More fuel? Sorry about being a noob! Allan / 08 Magnetic Black 350Z NISMO (#0831) / 08 Montego Blue 335I E90 / 76 Maroon Austin Mini 1000 SPECIAL (export)
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