Gas tank restoration

Kinja'd!!! "Chairman Kaga" (mike-mckinnon)
01/05/2015 at 17:34 • Filed to: None

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Having some weird issues with my GTV6 that I suspect is related to gunk in the fuel system. Has anyone had experience either restoring a tank DIY-style, or taking it to a radiator shop for a professional job? The Alfa's tank has some complex baffling that some have indicated makes it hard to not only clean, but also dry.


DISCUSSION (6)


Kinja'd!!! bob and john > Chairman Kaga
01/05/2015 at 17:50

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pine sol .LOTS OF PINE SOL


Kinja'd!!! Steve in Manhattan > Chairman Kaga
01/05/2015 at 18:03

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This may not be the issue, but can you have the inside of the tank plasti-coated?


Kinja'd!!! Chairman Kaga > Steve in Manhattan
01/05/2015 at 18:21

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That would be part of the restoration process if I had it professionally done. Although old-fashioned pickling would be far cheaper. I wonder which is safer now, with ethanol in the fuel? I know it wreaks havoc with rubber stuff.


Kinja'd!!! Buick Mackane > Chairman Kaga
01/05/2015 at 19:42

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There a a few new products out there that are a must have to protect an older car from the destructive effects of ethanol fuel. I would think Sta-Bil 360 is probably the best product for the old Alfa Romeo or any classic car since it releases a gas that protects the inside of your fuel tank from rusting.

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Kinja'd!!! orcim > Chairman Kaga
01/06/2015 at 04:12

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How about doing what you can for cleaning, but adding a user serviceable extra filter that catches gunk in-line? At some point, it's gotta come clean, yes?


Kinja'd!!! Chairman Kaga > orcim
01/06/2015 at 10:08

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I think I'm going to do that. The way the GTV6 is set up, there's a sort of mesh in the banjo fitting in the tank, then hose, then pump, THEN filter, the idea being that the old electric pumps didn't have enough power to draw fuel through an actual filter. However I think I can use a pump from an e36, then add a smaller, less restrictive filter in line between the tank and the pump. I know a guy who has done something similar and reports it works well. FAR easier to swap filters than it is to drain the tank and disassemble the output assembly.