Tankfull of rust

Hello. I ride a 79 Vespa Ciao. I bought a 78 Ciao, assuming I would use it for a parts bike. Well, I didn't end up taking anything off of it, so now I am going to get it started. The gas tank is VERY rusty, and I read a week or 2 ago to use vinegar. So this is my plan. I'm going to totally fill the tank with vinegar and let that sit for 2-3 days. Then I am going to drain the tank and spray it out with a high pressure hose (car wash). Let that dry, run plenty of gas through it (to get out any remaining vinegar or water), and call it good (with an external fuel filter of course).

What does the army think about this? Sound like a good plan? Is there anything I should do different? I'm hoping for some feedback from somebody in case I'm about to make a huge mistake. Thanks in advance, this forum is the best!!

Re: Tankfull of Fun

Forget the vinegar, either sand blast it or chemically clean it out. Go back a ways in the Forum, there were some pretty good tips on dealing with rusty tanks short of mounting a plastic gas can on your luggage rack and running a fuel line from it.

Re: Tankfull of Fun

I did search the old posts, but only found lots of the same questions and half answers. Im hoping someone who had this problem in the past found a good solution and lets me in on it. The guy at the radiator shop told me to use the high pressure hose, since the tank is part of the frame they cant dip it.

Re: Tankfull of Fun

Hey,

I had the same problem with my ped. GO to any motorcycle shop and buy an acid bath kit. Its a 3 stage kit that step one is acid. It burns out the rust and when u empty it the tank looks like new. The 2nd stage is a cleaner. Gets ride of any water/acid left in the tank. And three is a coating that lines the tank with a plasic like layer to prevent rust from forming again. I got mine for about 30 bucks.

Hope this helps,

Trac Man

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