When it comes to rebuilding a hot rod, there's always a starting point. And more times than often, square one is getting your future pride and joy to fire its engine and head out on the road. But when your ride has been sitting in the back of some little old lady's house for the past 20 years, things can get a little difficult. Engine parts could be frozen shut, brake drums warped and corroded, and of course the tank that holds your 87-octane could be the home of more foreign objects and corrosion than you ever thought imaginable. And the worse part about it, if your engine can't get good clean gas, your car just ain't gonna run.
Just like anything, when gas tanks sit, they rot and corrode. Years and years of rust and other forms of harmful substances resting in your gas tank can only mean one thing for you: trouble. Whether its debris floating in your tank, corrosion build up, or possibly even rust holes, Mattson Radiator in Stanton, California, has just what the gas tank ordered. Just like radiators, gas tanks can be restored and become good as knew. Through a thorough process, damaged gas tanks are cleaned and repaired at Mattson's in-house gas tank Renu. The Renu substance coats the inside and outside of the tank, ensuring no leaks, corrosion, and most importantly good clean gas. So we here at SUPER CHEVY, paying no attention to the "curiosity killed the cat" motto, had to get a closer look.
We found a gas tank out of '65 Chevelle that had been around the block a few times. On a side note, the Mattson process works on any and all different makes and models of gas tanks. But anyways, we took our decripit tank to Mattson's to see what the process is all about. And to put it bluntly, if curiosity killed the cat, satisfaction brought us back, because our Chevelle tank did not look like the same tank we sent in.
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The process started by removing the hose fittings, and the sock.
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Here you can see how wear and tear has affected the sock over the years, notice how the so
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Next the tank was taken outside where the remaining 15-year-old coffee-like gas was poured
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Using a pressure washer the tank was rinsed.
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Sudsing soap was then poured in the tank. In this case, Dawn dish washing soap. Some secre
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The pressure washer was used once again to clean the tank. The sudsing effect cleans the i
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Several holes were then drilled to empty containments, and also for a later sandblasting p
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The tank was then taken out back, and poured out.
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Using a torch and several different sized scraping tools; the tank was heated and scraped