Dear All
Have recently bought a Zigolo brought in from Holland which has not been used for many years. The inside of the fuel tank is very rusty indeed.
Has anyone any suggestions about de-rusting , sealing etc… to make it useable?
Thanks in advance
Martin
I have been recommended to use Tapox from Caswells, about £30 to treat a tank.http://www.caswelleurope.co.uk/gastank.htmThere are plenty of other tank lining products, just make absolutely sure it is suitable for ethanol.
Martin, have you tried the handful of nuts and bolts and bloody good Shake method. I did it with the Cardellino. I shook it every day for 2 weeks and even though it originally looked rusty, very little came out and the inside of the tank cleaned up a treat.
Yes, might try it Steve. Hope your new purchase is good and that you got my recent email?
If the tank is really rusty the best way to shift it as mentioned above is to agitate it. You can use nuts and bolts but gravel or even aquarium stones work best. Dont overfill the tank, four or five cup fulls maybe and add some warm water and detergent. Tape up the filler cap with gaffer tape and the tap and wrap the tank in an old duvet with bungee chords…Now pop the bundle into a cement mixer(if you can get or borrow one)Don’t forget to tie secure it inside the mixer… and let it ‘mix’ for a few hours. Turn the tank every few hours so the stones will reach all areas of the tank inside. This will polish the inside of the tank…
To be honest if the rust isn’t too bad and you can shift it using this method I wouldn’t bother with a sealer. The two stroke mix in the petrol will stop rust in the future. It sounds like your one was lying up for a long while empty. My Zigolo tank is spotless and 40 years old now. If its used regularly rust wont be a problem… If you do want to seal it after ‘kreem’ is very good. I use it here a lot and you can get it on ebay. The kit comes with three bottles. An acid to loosen rust, a wash and sealer.
Motivlack2013-07-27 11:15:38
I like this idea Sean, it is pure “guzzi”. It is the first time I have heard of a cement mixer or aquarium stones being used in bike maintainence.
Steve