fuel tanks

1988 Jag
I just did the two tanks on a 80 XJ6, the whole kit was available at my local Harley Davidson dealer. It was an easy job and the tanks cleaned up real nice. One of the filters was bad and the other one(filter & holder) slid down the reciving end of the intake tube when I pulled it off ( they just pull & twist off )I didn't notice that had happened and when I coated the interior of the tank it stuck the the filter holder in a lowered position not allowing the filter to fit all the way in place. I solved this by puting a in-line filter in the trunk next to the spare tire.
Art Hurlbut

I discovered acid cleaning by accident on my E-Type tank when preping it for painting. Light rust started to disolve when I sprayed my wife's bathtub cleaner on the exterior of the tank to clean it. I said whoa what's happening here and then read the lable and saw phosphoric acid listed. So I sealed all the openings and hung the tank by rope from a tree branch and poured the rest of the bottle inside, added a little sand and gravel and shook the whole thing around and upside down. Flushed it out with water and dryed it in the the hot dry Arizona air - might have used a hair dryer. The acid chemically neutralizes the rust. I was amazed at the results. Then I found out that auto bodymen use this acid all the time as a metal prep prior to painting. Its been over 15 years and the tank is still rust free. You can get the acid at any auto paint supply house. If the rust is light I wouldn't use the coating just the acid. I had an '85 XJ6 and had tank problems but replaced it with a used one. If I remember correctly the filter just pulls off or unscrews but check a good shop manual before you try it. The hard part of XJ6 tank R&R is getting the small 1/4" vent hose back on near the filler cap.

Stew Cleave
JOCO Chief Judge
'69 E-Type 2+2
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