Gas tank resealing gone bad!

[obx71super]

I resealed my gas tank using the por15 kit and followed ratwell's instructions on the process and thought I was going to end with a nice product. I sealed it a week ago and it looked great for days then last night I was showing a buddy how nice it looked and......it didn't look nice any more! One side of the tank along the bottom is peeling off in sheets. This really sucks because most of it is still sticking extremely well. Any ideas on how to remove and or proceed from this point. Really wish I could have just bought a repop two weeks ago I'd have the bus back together and running and driving by now....
_________________
71 super auto stick basically original minus a couple resprays
73 Westy automatic with a 2 liter gex, soon to be a 1.8 liter Headflow masters
Newest Addition!! Solid straight 74 thing totally disassembled!! YEEEWWWW

[SGKent]

replace the tank might be easier at this point. You might talk with the POR15 people or those who sold it to you and see if they can tell what went wrong. If the product was defective - and I am not saying it was - they might help with the clean up. POR15 is pretty nasty once it hardens.

I did some quick research for you. Apparently the peeling is a known issue when it is appled to clean metal. You cleaned the old rust off too well.

[Glenn]

Get it "hot tanked" at a radiator shop.
_________________
Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"

Member #1009

#BlueSquare

עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי

[skills@eurocarsplus]

fwiw, POR-15 is trash and i have stopped using it. i used to swear by it but it has been nothing but problems for me. i think they changed the formula to comply with VOC issues, and that's when i feel it went down hill
_________________

[busdaddy]

I've always been happy with Randolph #912 sloshing sealer but it appears it's NLA (fekkin enviromentalists ), some of the places that used to sell it now show the Bill Hirsch sealer as an alternate, if it's the same white stuff it works great and is easy to remove if there's an issue.

See what the rad shop says about getting the old stuff out, if that fails maybe try some paint stripper in there? but be really careful about fume buildup.
_________________
Rust NEVER sleeps and stock never goes out of style.

Please don't PM technical questions, ask your problem in public so everyone can play along. If you think it's too stupid post it here
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!

Слава Україні!

[Wasted youth]

This is wonderful news! I just treated two gas tanks this week using the exact same process...made sure the tanks' metal was really clean and rust free!

Now what?



I guess I'll postpone install for a couple of weeks to see if they start peeling...

[busdaddy]

[skills@eurocarsplus]

years ago i used an eastwood product that was like thick milk. after about 6 months, it pulled away from the tank and clogged up the sock.

since then, i have parted out a bus that had this red shit in the tank, looked like a candy apple coating. that tank too is pulling away.

i know we all want to do whats best for the bus, but i have never seen or heard of anyone having luck with the DIY crap. i just use a dose of muriatic acid, a hand full of nuts and bolts and shake it around till the heavies are gone. after it is rinsed out, i will take a quart of ATF and slosh it around to coat the inside.

3 tanks later, and none of them have crud in the filter. ymmv
_________________

[obx71super]

Thanks everybody, unfortunately the radiator shop is not an option here on the Outer Banks. Hell, the one transmission shop we had closed a couple years ago now the closest one of those is over an hour away. You are pretty much on your own out here when it comes to old vehicles, especially VW's. I was thinking maybe a acid and water bath like I used to get the rust out might do the trick. If I get this stuff out of the tank should I just use it as bare metal and forget sealing it? It sure was clean and pretty before I put this crap in it. Thanks again🍻
_________________
71 super auto stick basically original minus a couple resprays
73 Westy automatic with a 2 liter gex, soon to be a 1.8 liter Headflow masters
Newest Addition!! Solid straight 74 thing totally disassembled!! YEEEWWWW

[obx71super]

Thanks skills, that sounds like a good idea to me. Hope I can get this crap outta my tank. I'm getting ready to put new 40 idfs on and I'd like to only have to pull this tank once...... What a PITA!!!
_________________
71 super auto stick basically original minus a couple resprays
73 Westy automatic with a 2 liter gex, soon to be a 1.8 liter Headflow masters
Newest Addition!! Solid straight 74 thing totally disassembled!! YEEEWWWW

[obx71super]

[img]

[/img]
_________________
71 super auto stick basically original minus a couple resprays
73 Westy automatic with a 2 liter gex, soon to be a 1.8 liter Headflow masters
Newest Addition!! Solid straight 74 thing totally disassembled!! YEEEWWWW

[busdaddy]

Hmmm...what's the metal under the peeled part look like?

I agree with Skills, if it doesn't have holes there's no need for sealer. Acid won't get that stuff out, you need a chemical to dissolve it, that's why I suggested paint stripper. The white stuff rinses out with MEK but I don't know about the POR stuff, if it is a urethane of some sort it'll take some strong stuff to cut it.
_________________
Rust NEVER sleeps and stock never goes out of style.

Please don't PM technical questions, ask your problem in public so everyone can play along. If you think it's too stupid post it here
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!

Слава Україні!

[SGKent]

one option you have is to toss nuts and bolts, a chain or CLEAN crushed granite etc into it and slosh it around really good. Knock loose what has delaminated. Then drive it and see what happens. It may be that once you knock the loose stuff off the rest never delaminates.

FWIW the radiator shop here uses polyurethane as I recall. I just had him apply diesel or atf and went with no coating for this very reason. No way to know what will be in future gasolines the way chemistry and environmental laws are going.

Within a couple of years someone will be making repop gas tanks for bays and this whole issue will go away.

[Fiatdude]

I had some very serious issues with the POR15 using E85 when I called the manufacture they acted like they never heard of such a thing -- yeah right -- asked what would remove it, they said it was permanament HA -- -- cost me a oval tank and a set of pistons on a turbo engine when it leaned out

[obx71super]

Thanks again everybody. Wish I would have just cleaned this thing and ran with it. Bus daddy it is slightly rusted, like a little flash rust, which the directions said was normal. Thanks again guys, gotta find some napalm to get this crud outta my tank so I can hit the road and go camping for the beautiful late summer and fall season here on the coast!
_________________
71 super auto stick basically original minus a couple resprays
73 Westy automatic with a 2 liter gex, soon to be a 1.8 liter Headflow masters
Newest Addition!! Solid straight 74 thing totally disassembled!! YEEEWWWW

[obx71super]

What do y'all think about brake fluid? I know it screws up every painted surface it gets on?
_________________
71 super auto stick basically original minus a couple resprays
73 Westy automatic with a 2 liter gex, soon to be a 1.8 liter Headflow masters
Newest Addition!! Solid straight 74 thing totally disassembled!! YEEEWWWW

[Mr. Unpopular]

I got a sweet old Dodge K-car from a friends mom who barely drove it. Since she barely drove it, she barely put more than a gallon or two of gas in it. The top 3/4 of the tank was rusty because it never got washed in gas.

I did the muratic acid and chain bit, then filled it with gas, and keep filling it with gas when it's low. No issues.

Same with our bay tank. I was scared to use the POR15 because I heard it doesn't like the new E10 gas we are forced to live with. So I keep it full and don't have issues.

Oh, and get a fuel filter from an early 90's 300zx. It's big, metal, and has 5/16" in/out.
_________________
"In any racing engine, the nearer you are to it disintegrating, the better it's performance will be"
-Keith Duckworth, creator of the Ford/Cosworth DFV

[SGKent]

I have read that paint stripper will bubble it and take it off. You might try some of that - maybe the hardware store can give you a small sample you can try before buying a gallon of it.

[busdaddy]

Fish out some of those peeled off chips and try them in an assortment of chemicals, the one that wrinkles it up or dissolves it is what you want to put in there. Brake fluid touches some paint but not all. Paint stripper and even oven cleaner may be candidates as well but do be careful with the fumes. Sounds like there was some leftover acid residue involved in the desticking.
_________________
Rust NEVER sleeps and stock never goes out of style.

Please don't PM technical questions, ask your problem in public so everyone can play along. If you think it's too stupid post it here
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!

Слава Україні!

[Chrisstieh]

Toss a chain in the and throw the tank in the back of a truck bed for a week. It'll be clean
_________________
Mine. 1969 beetle. Factory ac. 1679 Turbo motor
Sons. 1968 Baja. 1679 dual kadrons
Wife's. 1961 1 owner beetle. all original