View single post by Greg Fletcher
 Posted: 10-20-2005 08:53 pm
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Greg Fletcher



Joined: 03-11-2005
Location: Lake Nacimiento, California USA
Posts: 430
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I think I'd stay away from DIY tank sealers, at least for the inside. From what I've seen the hobby stuff doesn't give me much confidence, I've heard and seen some scary things- where it can disolve at an alarming rate and gum up fuel lines and fuel pumps. There is a entire industry devoted to tank sealing and new chemistry for it which changes all the time, much of it defense and aircraft related. You can be sure that companies that seal aircraft tanks want to use better quality stuff. The places that I've seen that specialize in this all appear to have their own particular way of doing it and they never want to sell the end user the products directly as correct application is a half the battle. The reconditioned JH fuel tanks we sell in the Club Store get cut open in six places for the sealer application (this coating is guanteed for life), all rust removed (not covered up), and a bunch of other things, so the end product is fairly expense as there is so much labor involved.

I'm sure one our JH chemical engineers, could elaborate much better than I, but I'm remembering that aluminum rust is really alumimum oxide (white and completely different from iron oxide) and that aluminum oxide creates a sacrificial barrier which is a good thing since it's fairly hard. What's bad is when the aluminum oxide is depleted too fast, like when you take a 907 block apart that had only water inside (and no antifreeze) for years and half the engine is eatten away!