MG Car Repair: cleaning fuel tank, radiator shop, nuts and bolts

Question
i have heard that it is opssible to remove the rust in an old fuel tank using white vinegar.  what is the procedure?

jim

kent, ohio

Answer
Hi Jim,
I don't know but I doubt vinegar has any effect on rust. It may take the varnish the gas leaves. In the dealerships I worked in we use to hang a tank up by ropes and put several hand fulls of nuts and bolts   and put them in the tank with a couple of quarts of kerosene and then shake it back and forth to loosen all the rust scale. Then flush it with water and hang the filler neck over an exhaust pipe and run the car to dry it out. This will take the loose rust out of the bottom but the only way we could be sure a tank was rust free was to send it to a radiator shop that also cleans tanks. Many do.
Howard