Another Tank Prep Question

Hi KZR Family,

Yes another silly tank prep question again I know (DOH!) :sick:

So here is the deal, getting ready to swap the tank on my GPz and am about to prep my replacement tank from the donor GPz. I need to have the inside of the tank cleaned out from the flash rusting and scaling and other nasty deposits then need to have a few dents pulled. I have done a lot of reading and research on this so I am familiar with many different methods to accomplish this. However I am considering a hybrid of a few different methods and wanted to run it by y'all and see what I can find out with the brilliant minds here.

I have a few gallons already donated to me of "The Works" that has hydrochloric acid in it, and if possible would like to use that instead so that I don't have to go out and spend money on "Prep and Etch" if at all possible. I liked Nessism's method of the Prep and Etch, then top off with water, let sit for a few hours shaking every 30 min or so then dump and rinse.

My question is, can I do this same method that is setup for the Prep and Etch, but substitute the Prep and Etch for "The Works" cleaner instead? After the works goes to town and finishes it off, I would then neutralize and clean out the tank and then leave a small coating of Navel Jelly to act as a barrier and mild rust inhibitor and can then hand it over to the body shop to pull the dents.

Will this work? Are there any changes I would need to make using the The Works stuff instead of Prep and Etch? Would I still top off the tank with water for anything that didn't get filled up with The Works cleaner? It may not seem like much but if I can save $20 by using what I already have I would like to, single income family so even small amounts like $20 adds up over the course of a month.

Thanks all,
Brett

That Works stuff uses HCl acid which is more harsh than the phosphoric acid in the Etch and Prep. The HCl will need to be neutralized with baking soda whereas the phosphoric acid doesn't. The phosphate sauce also leaves a rust retarding coating which is less prone to flash rusting (but still will). I've heard of guys using the Works stuff with decent results, I'm just a little leary of it.

Regardless of what you choose I would not leave Navel Jelly (phosphoric acid) inside the tank. After you rinse out the tank with water (and baking soda if using HCl) then follow with some alcohol to help dry the tank and then leave it be.

I used brown vinegar to derust my tank. Very cheap and worked a treat. Neutralize afterwards with soda ,then spray in a mist of WD40 and youre done.
It might be an idea to let the tank pullers do their thing first,then clean it out afterwards. You never know what might get into the tank while its out of your sight.

Thanks gang, did a bit more digging and reading and really seems that HCL is not the right corrosive to use with steel and that the benefits of the phosphoric acid and the natural rust inhibitor that is left behind is the right answer. Would have been nice to use the existing stuff but I would rather do it right and not have to do this again, than be a cheapskate and try to squeak by.

Thats what I needed to know gentleman, thank you again for your time and attention on this matter

Brett

Picked up a bottle of the Prep and Etch after work this evening, looking likely for Sunday to be the day to be when I get it cleaned out then off to the body shop. Considered doing it after but tank will be sealed up when I give it to them and I know the shop and it's ultra clean. Even so will check it again when I get it back to make sure the inside is still pristine. Then just swap over the sending unit, put in the new/rebuilt petcock and the working and restored tank LCD display that works. Almost there

Brett

Nessism wrote: That Works stuff uses HCl acid .

I used muriatic acid (HCl) from Home Depot. My dad was a chemist, he said, it was a weak acid, it doesn't dissolve metal and rust, it just separates them. Worked perfect, everything was clean in 20 min. You have to turn tank to remove rust from top.
I remember now, I used 1 gallon of acid and filled full tank with water.
So it was 1:4 acid/water solution.