Treated the gas tank

No work last week due to the John Kelly Couple's Ride, and watching the Winter Olympics. This week I decided to treat the inside of the gas tank. In Hawaii, if I leave that thing sitting around empty it will be rusted through without treatment.

Last Monday was President's Day. I took the Lotus for a spin and it was such a nice day I took my camera and grabbed a few shots out the window.

Redline Automotive stocks POR-15 U.S. Standard Fuel Tank Sealer. I stopped off on my way to the shop and picked up a can. It is expensive, about $50, but that is a lot cheaper than making a new tank.

The procedure is basically the same as for regular POR-15 paint: clean and de-grease with Marine Clean, treat with Metal-Ready, and protect with tank sealer. The instructions called for hot water cleaning, but there is no easy way to get hot water at the shop, so 80 deg. "room temperature" was as good as I could manage. I was surprised how much dirt came out!

The challenge is doing all three steps through a single two inch opening. The first thing I did was remove the sending unit. The book says to use two crossed screwdrivers ... I expected to be told I would need a special tool. Before trying that I sprayed some rust disolver lube around the edge, to avoid shredding the rubber seal. I taped over this opening and used the filler pipe because it is in a better position.

While I was waiting for the tank to dry between steps I did a little work on the rear panel. Mostly filling in the remaining low spots.