Rusted fuel tank

[zimbo]

Greetings all, my family have a 1970 or so Primavera thats been in the shed for years and the fuel tank is all rusty to the point that not a drop of fuel comes out, I stripped and cleaned the Dellorto carb which was caked with gum. The problem now is how the heck do I remove the fuel tap retaining nut in the tank to replace the tap/ flush the tank??

[Rudi]

hi,
i think you need this:


www.scooterworks.com/Tool-Fuel-Tap-Wrench-P3454.aspx

[sirscootalot]

where are you zimbo, i,m in manchester and i've got a petrol tap spanner

[bryno]

You can remove the rust with chemicals, gravel etc but it will come back, if its a problem in the future you can now get repro smallframe tanks for £50 I believe..

[paddedjohn]

Hi Zimbo, i had a rusted tank problem a wile back and used a 2 pack sealer which stopped the rust returning. It was easy to use, all you do is block the fuel tap and pour the mix into the tank whilst turning it around so the mixture coats the inside of the tank. Hope this is helpful.

[bryno]

Problem with using something like petseal on a vespa tank (unlike a Lambretta) is that you cant do a proper job with the tap out and get the tap back in and the nut done up without cracking the sealant which will then lift in time..

[Rudi]

I'm not sure rust can develop in parts that are almost always covered with gasoline (tap area), especially a mixture with oil...
I think the problem is more at the upper part of the tank which is sometimes empty for long periods

[bryno]

Agree, that's why I keep my tanks topped up all the time.

Problem with the sealers are if it does crack or does not take 100%, the petrol gets under it, it lifts, it flakes, it clogs everything up..

You can buy sealant remover as well, which to my mind tells me something about the usefulness of the sealer!