OK, I have stripped the outside of my tank and found that it is in surprisingly good shape. I used an "aircraft paint stripper" to get the old paint and primer off. I found two large patches of body filler/Bondo on the sides but I can live with that. Most important, there is no rust thru or holes.
Now I have to work on the inside of the tank. My question is: When I do the POR process, should I leave the petcock and sender on or remove them. My intuition tells me to remove them but how do I seal the holes?
Thanks,
David
best thing to seal the holes would be something sheet aluminum. cut it to the shape & bolt it in place. you can use a piece of cardboard for a gasket (like the back of a note pad). you'll want to leave the petcock hole open while cleaning the tank, and open after using the metal prep to dry it out with a hair drier. seal them back up for the POR stage.
two notes:
DO NOT shake the POR, stir it. shaking makes bubbles that will weaken the sealing process.
save some por aside to use on the filler cap. take it apart, make sure the little bit of valving is clear, & clean out any corrosion, then paint the metal parts with POR. reassemble when dry.
i've used lids from butter dishes too