got a question for the best. Just bought a 1979 el camino with 36,000 miles on it. but one problem. it has been in storage for the last 12 years. what or how to you clean the gas tank out with to get all the sludge out of it. i dropped the tank and it has around a 1/2 inch of stuff in the bottom. what's the best way to clean it out? :-P

1982 elcamino
2004 ssr

thnaks john

The most pain free (except to your wallet) method that I can think of is to take it to a radiator shop. They can boil it out. I believe that the cost should be reasonable. I'm sure that they have a standard rate, give one or 2 a call.

If the sludge is that thick, home remedies may not get it all. And what do you do with the mess?

Have you thought about removing the sending unit ass,y ? this will give you a larger opening to remove the remaining fuel,water ect, than maybe while the ass'y is still removed wash out the tank with some fresh fuel or even water as long as you get it all out.It would be wise to add a little dry gas to your tank just in case there's some water left.

I just cleaned mine with a pressure washer - shot through the filler neck and the sending unit hole with simple green. Then set it in sun for a few days to dry (hard to dump all liquid out). This could be accelerated by drying out with a towel. I checked for rust with a telescoping mirror. After dry I rinsed with a little gas.

took off the sending unit cover and man does it smell bad. i'll try your all idea's on it. the stuff inside feels like a puddy and it is real sticky. i'll try the pressure washer and some simple green inside. thanks for all your help


82 el camino
79 el camino
04 ssr

all black

fat rat 96 / john

" feels like puddy and is real sticky"
Sounds like someone added a little sugar into the tank!
You might check the fuel lines,filter and carb for the same mess.
Its likely the fuel that was left in the carb all those years has evaporated and left a dried mess also.

The gasoline evaporates over time and leaves that residue. It is called varnish and it will be in all componets of the fuel system. I have operated a radiator shop for 20 plus years and my advice to anyone with this problem is to replace the fuel tank. They are not very expensive and then your problems will be over. You will have to clean the carb also.

Here's an trick to get/keep the varnish out of the fuel system. Put in a pint of automatic transmission fluid per 20 gallons of gas. Your problem may be too far gone for this but the ones that keep their Caminos in storage over long periods of time can do this. The high detergent in the fluid will keep the varnish out. You may have a hell of a time if it has been sitting for that long. When the gas evaporates and is gone, not only do you have to worry about the varnish but also the air that is in the tank and lines when the gas is gone. Empty taks draw moisture from the air and will rot the whole stinkin' mess! Keep tanks FULL when storing for long periods of time and use the trans fluid or some sort of fuel stabilizer. For you, replace the tank, fuel pump, fuel lines (if possible) and for sure rebuild the carb. Otherwise, keep a good supply of fuel filters on hand. Good luck!!

thanks for all the help. i already replaced the carb and but a clear fuel filter on it. i got it running yesterday with a remote fuel tank. it runs sweet. i going to try and clean it out and if it don't work i'll go get a new tank. all the member on this site are great. they know everything

thanks

79 el camino
82 el camino
04 ssr
04 lightning

I just replaced the tank on my 68 and it was a snap and pretty cheap too. Mine was leaking fuel from the filler neck. I removed it took and it to a radiator shop for a boil out. I discovered not many radiator shops will do this anymore but I finally found one that would boil it out and solder my filler neck back on. As it turns out, the tank was so rotted, it was not repairable and they didn't charge me anything. 8) I bought a new one from OPG for about $150.00, re-used the anti-squeak tape and straps and bingo.......problem solved.

When i pulled my entire fuel system off for a body off restore the one tip dad had was to seal the fuel and dont let any water in it or ull never get it out and itll rust before im ready to use it so i didnt but i got lucky there was no varnish. The fuel lines i poured acetone through then shot a string through them and pulled a cloth up through them to clean them of anything and see how dirty they wear, then i repainted the fuel lines and installed them on the frame.