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I just came into 4 gas cans dated '43, '45, '52 and '53 All are in decent shape, though one looks like it stored used gummy motor oil for fifty years. What I would like to do is clean 'em out and use them, at least one on my truck and one on my trailer. Any suggestions for cleaning out the insides, is there a over the counter fuel tank liner like Renu?

If they don't leak, you could always wash and rinse them out in a parts washer.

Muriatic acid will also clean out the insides.
You could also have them hot-tanked if you've access to one...
A gentle media blast on the outside and a fresh coat of paint and viola! one new can!

I would avoid using a splash in or paint on inner liners. Unless the interior receives a very good caustic type cleaning and proper etching for application of any liner material the liner material will not stay adhered well very long. Even well prepared and coated tank liners can have short lives if their liquid levels are not kept full. The shedding of these liners 2, 5, 8 years down the line create a lot of grief and work that is rarely worth the cost of the lining,

My suggestion is take it to a radiator shop and have them boil it out in their tank/vat just like they do a radiator.
I came into a lot of 12 from a gentleman who only wished some L-50 chewing tobacco. He wanted 1 pack. It was $7.85 a pack. I bought him 2 packs.
Phillip

creinemann wrote:I just came into 4 gas cans dated '43, '45, '52 and '53 All are in decent shape, though one looks like it stored used gummy motor oil for fifty years. What I would like to do is clean 'em out and use them, at least one on my truck and one on my trailer. Any suggestions for cleaning out the insides, is there a over the counter fuel tank liner like Renu?

Gas Tank ReNu is the best refurbishment out there; it is guaranteed for life once the process is completed. There is no over the counter substitute for that process. Vatting at the rad shop is good for initial clean out if rust and such hasn't already set in. It doesn't remove surface rust, it doesn't properly prepare the interior for coating, and it doesn't last for very long before it needs more attention. Cuz is right in that it doesn't do a good enough job that any type of sealer will hold up over the long haul.

Tanks and cans for fuel storage need to be right up to par or you will be plagued with further issues such as clogged vehicle fuel lines, clogged filters, and ruined fuel pumps. It's sort of like "pay me now or pay me later." Pay the folks at ReNu to fix it right once, or cut a corner on something else only to find aggrevation and more expense later as a result is usually the way of it.

Sounds like good advice, hate to dump some gritty rust down the tank. Have to look for a Renu place near me.

creinemann wrote:Sounds like good advice, hate to dump some gritty rust down the tank. Have to look for a Renu place near me.

www.gastankrenu.com will point you toward your nearest dealer. Our nearest is in Rockville, MD, but easily worth the ReNu process and shipping cost to get a product that you can use with confidence and know you never have to worry about again. Personally, I like to fix it once and be done.

On the last note, Many states don't allow transporting Gas in OD containers. They will often require the red cans. So check with your DMV first. If you're in a red can only state then use the OD can for display only and don't waste the money on it and buy a couple of new red cans for when you must travel with the extra gas.

Is Wisconsin a red can state?
On a side note, while cleaning my garage out the other day, had my m37 out in the drive way, one of our local police drove by and pulled up and commented on the cool truck, then noticed the new WI MV license plate, he hadn't heard there was a new category of plates out .. guess it'll take a while to trickle down.

After having used and refilled my OD cans many, many times in a 15 year period, Illinois changed the rules and I had to paint my cans red in orde to use them.

Whatever your state requires now, don't be surprised if the rules get changed. It happens with every election, I think. Something that's been legal for eons suddenly becomes unacceptable according to the law. Once in a while, something that's been illegal for a long time might become legal. (I was an "interested party" when Illinois repealed its mandatory helmet law for motorcyclists.)

We've used GI cans of all colors here in Alabama for years but that doesn't mean it's legal. Probably no one cares and the police are not looking anyway.

I mostly want to preserve my cans against eventual rust out from the inside. I don't really put gas in them at all any more. I got some of the red NATO civilian type cans a couple of years ago.

ARE YOUR CANS RUSTED INSIDE AND RUST PARTICLES COME OUT WITH THE GAS? MY YAMAHA USED TO DO THIS A LOT. I WOULD CLOG MY FUEL FILTER AFTER DRIVING 80 MILES AND MY BIKE WOULD DIE. I DID ELECTROLYSIS TO THE INSIDE OF THE TANK USING CLEANING SODA, WATER AND A CAR BATERY. THE INSIDE SHINED LIKE NEW AGAIN. THEN I USED A QUART OF A TWO PART EPOXIC CAR PRIMER, AND DUMPED IT IN THE CLEANED AND DRYIED TANK, TUMBLING IT AROUND FOR A WHILE AND THEN DUMPING OUT THE EXCESS. LEFT THE TANK TO DRY. NO PROBLEMS SINCE. I THINK IT HAS BEEN ABOUT 5-6 YEARS SINCE I DID IT. THE PRIMER STILL HOLDS, AND I NEVER CHANGED A FUEL FILTER AGAIN. EASY PROCEDURE, AND NOT MUCH COST INVOLVED OTHER THAN THE PRIMER, GIVEN THAT YOU HAVE A BATERY OR EVEN BETER A BATTERY RECHARGER. GOOD LUCK