rusty

Started working on cleaning and lining my gas tank. I decided to replace the vent lines (see Sport Z premier edition article) while I was at it.
Not sure if the JC Whitney $30 fuel tank liner kit was a wise investment. I've had the acid in the tank for a day now and I can still see surface rust in some spots.
I haven't given up yet, but I'm wondering if I should have sent the tank to the radiator shop. Oh well. I'll keep you posted on how the whole thing goes.
Let me know if you have any tips to share...I could use 'em.

rusty

Well so far so good. I put the liner into the tank last night. The kit is definitely designed for motorcycle and lawn mower tanks. Twisting and turning the 240z tank to ensure the liner coats evenly is tricky. The hardest part is draining as much of the excess liner as possible. The design of the tank is such that you have to shake out the last of the excess liner.
The use of the phosphoric acid and MEK to clean and prep the tank is fun! (not) If you decide to use the kit make sure you request MSDSs for the chemicals. (safe handling and disposal tips)
Two notes on the new vent lines. In the Sport Z article a list of items are provided. The part code for the 1/2" and 5/8" ID lines are mixed up. Secondly, I called MSA about the preformed 180 degree bent vent line...$45 bones. WOW! I opted to buy the hose from McMaster Carr and order a 7/16 OD SS continuous length spring. The spring idea worked great! Just slide in the hose and your done.
I'll install the tank and the vent lines on Sunday...waiting on the liner to dry.

rusty

I can't take credit for the tips. They came out of the Sport Z magazine. I did have to clean out the return inlet on the tank. Some of the liner gummed up the hole. The other holes work fine. The liner goes on thin so there isn't much of chance that it will gum up all the holes.
I put in a second coat of the liner. It doesn't look pretty but it should keep rust away. Hell, it's gotta be better than what I had! I had some serious junk in there and two of the vent lines were loose and cracked up.

rusty

Just finished installing the tank and hooking all of the vent lines. I'll connect the fuel lines tomorrow. The spring worked perfectly!
No problem on the part numbers. I'll post a listing of the part numbers and any final thoughts tomorrow.

rusty

Finally! Ok here is the list of items you need:
#5645K12 1/4" ID HOSE 6 FT
#5645K24 3/8" ID HOSE 6 FT
#5645K15 1/2" ID HOSE 6 FT
#54595K21 3/4" ID HOSE 1 FT
#9665K46 SS 20" SPRING 1 EA
#5645K162 5/8" ID HOSE 6 FT

You will have more than enough hose for all the lines with some left over to run new fuel in and out lines from the tank to the steel lines running to the engine compartment.
Over all the job wasn't that bad. The Sport Z article suggested buying 4 FT of the 1/2" ID hose. I ordered it and it wasn't enough; 6 FT will do the trick.
The cleaner/liner kit was messy but it should provide a trouble free fuel supply for quite a while and at a fraction of the cost to boil a tank out at a radiator shop. The upside is that the liner should stop the rust from ever coming back.
Two more tips. If you do decide to clean and line the fuel tank yourself, you can install the fuel sending unit back in the tank during the cleaning and lining. The MEK left over from the cleaning will clean the liner off the sending unit so it can work again. (cheap, cheap) Also, get a set of various sized rubber vaccum plugs to close up the smaller vent and fuel lines on the tank during the cleaning/lining of the tank.
Z YA



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rusty

One option is to buy from MSA. There web address is www.zcarparts.com. Expensive but OEM parts. The other option is to take measurements of your current vent lines and buy them through McMaster Carr. I think they have a web site as well. Both MSA and McMaster have catalogs they'll send you for free. LOL.