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It can be fatal or disfiguring to use a vacuum for cleaning out a fuel tank... There are / can be fumes present even with an empty tank. Fumes explode... Be careful and choose the advice given on this forum very very carefully as your life or a family members life can depend on it..

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The shop vac post has been deleted by the poster........
 
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My two cent on rusty gas tanks... Pulling the tank is not that hard... Reinstalling it is the real headache. Take the time and see what you can do with it in place first.

With my '30 Coupe, we dropped a length of chain in and shook it like crazy. Then drained, filtered, and refilled... three or four times. That got 90% of it out. I still see rust in the glass bowl, and once or twice a year I have to blow a speck out of a carburetor jet but that is the extent of the rust hassles. It really has been very little trouble.

For my daily driver, I don't think I would pull the tank unless it was leaking.

Good luck and have fun.

Ken
 
FWIW: One Method for "Safe" Rust Particle and Debris Extraction:

The older model vacuum cleaners had exposed internal electrical sparks that could dangerously ignite fuel fumes extracted from a fuel tank.

"If" one already has an air compressor, one can get a syphon blast gun for about $30.00 at Northern Tool to "safely" extract rust particles out of one's Model A gas tank.

The air compressor blows air across a plastic tube to create a venture effect which creates a vacuum in a second tube whereby the fuel fumes are only exposed to harmless air.

Doesn't matter if one has hand grenades and DET Chord in the tank ..... harmless procedure.
 
H. L. Chauvin said:
FWIW: One Method for "Safe" Rust Particle and Debris Extraction:

The older model vacuum cleaners had exposed internal electrical sparks that could dangerously ignite fuel fumes extracted from a fuel tank.

"If" one already has an air compressor, one can get a syphon blast gun for about $30.00 at Northern Tool to "safely" extract rust particles out of one's Model A gas tank.

The air compressor blows air across a plastic tube to create a venture effect which creates a vacuum in a second tube whereby the fuel fumes are only exposed to harmless air.

Doesn't matter if one has hand grenades and DET Chord in the tank ..... harmless procedure.
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I have one of these air powered vacuums that I use all the time. Didn't get it at HF, but probably the same kind anyway. First learned about that unique device when I was working in an Aircraft Repair Facility. Works really great.
 
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Mitch//pa said:
Be careful using a shop vac to clean out a fuel tank... There are / can be fumes present even with an empty tank. Fumes explode... Be careful and choose the advice given on this forum very very carefully as your life or a family members life can depend on it..
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Not a truer bit of advice is given. It seems more & more people here give erroneous advice that unless you know better seems very plausible. I personally have just about quit trying to correct the myths and non-factual advice.

Another one is reading how folks claim they put rocks, gravel, screws, BBs, chains, etc. inside of a Model-A tank and with a little shaking they were able to clean their tank. I probably restore more Model-A gas tanks than anyone, and my experiences with what I have seen totally counters their claims. When you understand just how the baffles are installed inside of the tank, and can visually see the baffles installed, you quickly realize how most of the free 'how-to-do-it' advice just is not doable. I wish you the best in however you do it, and encourage you to act prudently & safely in all you do.
 
The car looks great. First get it running and then work one area at a time. Finish that area before you start the next if possible. If too much is taken apart at one time the task will overwhelm you and you will loose interest.

Charlie Stephens
 
mshmodela said:
Welcome, your car looks great as is!
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Thanks! all the body needs is a little attention in a couple place to prevent a couple spots from rusting under the paint, and a good bath

Charlie Stephens said:
The car looks great. First get it running and then work one area at a time. Finish that area before you start the next if possible. If too much is taken apart at one time the task will overwhelm you and you will loose interest.

Charlie Stephens
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That's the plan. first step is fuel tank, then carb, then brakes, then cooling, and then attempt first start up... I'm not going to start on a new section until the previous is complete. I want to make sure everything is good before I try and start it because I know once it is running, I'll want to go for a drive.
 
Per Mr. Brent's sincere advice in reply #25, many Model A Forum myths are read, believed, repeated over & over and never tested, and have become similar to Model A Religious Cannon Law.

I posted caution not long ago where a friend of mine loss a shed, a rental house,
expensive tractors etc.; plus body burns all over his body after he followed "trusted" advice to use a "vintage" vacuum cleaner to remove fuel from a fuel tank.

To make a long story short, his Religious Cannon Law's innocent vintage vacuum cleaner "violently" exploded after being transformed into a 155mm Howitzer type of "Canon" as opposed to following the rules of Cannon Law.

Naturally, no pun intended.

And, in addition to losing his expensive rental house with contents and expensive farm equipment, he also suffered the lost of his vintage vacuum cleaner .... in fact I think he never found it ..... talked to him last night.
 
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c.b. I didint see anyone else mention the pencil screen that goes into the valve under tank yet, before I was told about that I could only go a mile or two before it pluged up completly no problem since. it looks like a nice car you got there! good advice is to always push your car outside when working with gas or first starts I know 2 people that lost there garages
 
Welcome to the hobby and best of luck with your car. We are here ready to be "picked".

The tank does not have to be "factory" clean in order to hold gas and deliver it to the carb, but if it is not, then you will have to make allowances for the rust flakes by way of filters and plumbing changes.
 
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