wingski
Senior Member
Ok, here’s another one.
One of the A’s that I bought as a kid had a lot of rust in the gas tank. This was back in ’57 or ’58. Dad told me to remove the tank and he’d show me what to do. I did. He had me collect a pile of sharp stones, not river rock, that were small enough to easily fit into the tank’s openining, and more important easy to get out.
The tank had been flushed several times with 25 cents a gallon gas and had the living daylights shook out of it each time and then drained. When the gas started coming out fairly clear, Dad had me put all those rocks into the tank with about two gallons of gas. He then had me support the tank with rope from a big branch of our Bing cherry tree. The cap was on securely and the gas outlet was plugged.
For about two weeks that tank was yanked, twisted, shook, and moved around so those rocks made one hell of a racket. This must have been done hundreds of times because it became sort of a game for everyone in the neighborhood to give that tank a yank everytime they walked by it. Mom, Dad, my sister, me, and a bunch of others all gave that tank a good shake whenever they walked by. It was a weird sound to heard that thing being shook by someone. Sometimes, we even heard it at night. Dad re-adjusted the tank every once in awhile so it was sometimes right side up, sometimes upside down.
After about two weeks, Dad had me lower the tank to the ground, turn it over so the gas cap was facing down, remove the cap, and raise it back in the air. Gas and rocks formed a big pile under the gas tank. We shook that tank until everyting came out. Boy, was there a lot of rust. After we had everything out, Dad had me use a water hose to really wash the inside of that tank. I drained it, and Dad hooked up our Electrolux vacuum cleaner so it would blow and stuck the nossle into the tank opening and let it run for half an hour. I remember hearing a big WHOOSH bcause Dad threw a match on that pile of rocks and rust and watched it safely burn. He told me he didn’t want the chance of anyone throwing a cigarette into that gas. I still think he just liked the sound of that WHOOSH.
After I put the tank back on the car, Dad told me to keep that tank as full of gas as I could to keep rust from forming again.
I never had any problem with rust from that tank again,
Mike
One of the A’s that I bought as a kid had a lot of rust in the gas tank. This was back in ’57 or ’58. Dad told me to remove the tank and he’d show me what to do. I did. He had me collect a pile of sharp stones, not river rock, that were small enough to easily fit into the tank’s openining, and more important easy to get out.
The tank had been flushed several times with 25 cents a gallon gas and had the living daylights shook out of it each time and then drained. When the gas started coming out fairly clear, Dad had me put all those rocks into the tank with about two gallons of gas. He then had me support the tank with rope from a big branch of our Bing cherry tree. The cap was on securely and the gas outlet was plugged.
For about two weeks that tank was yanked, twisted, shook, and moved around so those rocks made one hell of a racket. This must have been done hundreds of times because it became sort of a game for everyone in the neighborhood to give that tank a yank everytime they walked by it. Mom, Dad, my sister, me, and a bunch of others all gave that tank a good shake whenever they walked by. It was a weird sound to heard that thing being shook by someone. Sometimes, we even heard it at night. Dad re-adjusted the tank every once in awhile so it was sometimes right side up, sometimes upside down.
After about two weeks, Dad had me lower the tank to the ground, turn it over so the gas cap was facing down, remove the cap, and raise it back in the air. Gas and rocks formed a big pile under the gas tank. We shook that tank until everyting came out. Boy, was there a lot of rust. After we had everything out, Dad had me use a water hose to really wash the inside of that tank. I drained it, and Dad hooked up our Electrolux vacuum cleaner so it would blow and stuck the nossle into the tank opening and let it run for half an hour. I remember hearing a big WHOOSH bcause Dad threw a match on that pile of rocks and rust and watched it safely burn. He told me he didn’t want the chance of anyone throwing a cigarette into that gas. I still think he just liked the sound of that WHOOSH.
After I put the tank back on the car, Dad told me to keep that tank as full of gas as I could to keep rust from forming again.
I never had any problem with rust from that tank again,
Mike
