Electrolysis – Model “T” Truck Fuel Tank

A neighbor is working on a 1925 Ford model “T” pickup truck and asked me if I’d use electrolysis to strip the rust from the inside of the fuel tank.  Besides being able to contribute to a really cool project, I was happy to help.  Surprisingly, the tank wasn’t particularly rusty, I’ve seen much (much) worse fuel tanks in 35 year old motorcycles, let alone a vehicle that’s well over 80 years old.  The tank has a baffle in the middle which can create a challenge as electrolysis works by line-of-sight.  Fortunately there were openings on opposite sides of the tank and on opposite sides of the baffle, which worked out perfectly.  That is, I had to plug the fuel filler opening, insert the anode through the outlet fitting, complete the process on one side, flip the tank over, plug the outlet opening and insert the anode through the filler hole. This ensured the rust would be removed on both sides of the baffle.

The entire process took about 10 days, but it was good and clean when the process was complete, leaving behind a thin black oxide coating on the raw metal.  It didn’t leak either, always a bit of a risk when removing rust from and old fuel tank.  Occasionally I’ll come across a fuel tank that the rust was the only thing preventing the unit from leaking (really).

When finished the tank was drained and I ran a shop vac in reverse with the hose rigged to blow-dry the tank.  I then plugged everything up, added a small amount of common motor oil and rolled it around to spread the oil evenly on the inside of the tank.  This is to prevent rust eventually reforming as I’m unsure how soon the tank will be put back into service.

The three photo below illustrate the project, the first is the tank itself, the second is the anode while in process (the anode gets wired brushed clean at least once a day) and the last photo depicts the anode as the process is about complete.

T Fuel Tank 1

T Fuel Tank 2

T Fuel Tank 3

 

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