gas tank redux
I've decided to abandon the new-old fuel tank that I bought from the junkyard, and just use my existing tank. Buying the panel truck has put a new perspective on Peanut -- she will just be the daily driver she once was, instead of getting all fancy with things like the gas tank relocation. I will look one final time to see if I can mount the existing gas tank under the bed, but if that doesn't look too straightforward, it's going back in the cab after some serious cleaning. The replacement tank is too small, anyway.
I spent Sunday weatherproofing my girlfriend's fence, and used the time as well to start de-gunking the inside of the gas tank. I had previously purchased POR-15's gas tank kit, which includes de-gunking chemicals ("Marine Clean"), de-rusting chemicals, and sealer for the inside of the tank. The first run of the Marine Clean took about 12 hours (2 hours to a side, 6 sides on the tank), so it was a good thing I was up until 1:30 doing homework anyway. On the plus side, the Marine Clean wasn't too nasty-looking when I poured it out, so just one more run of the stuff should be enough.
I also just ordered a gallon each of Marine Clean, de-rust, POR-15, and primer from the POR-15 company (about $200). This will be used for the outside of the tank, as well as cleaning out the floor of the cab under the gas tank mounts. Not sure exactly how I'll drain the chemicals out of the cab, though -- I seem to remember there's a hole in the middle of that area, but I can't recall just now.