I have my tank dropped to change the fuel pump, any thoughts on what is used for paint on these, it seems to be a flat grey type of paint could it just be primer? I have some minor surface rust on the rolled seams I will be taking off so I need to paint it with something, Eastwood sells something containing zinc? I think is that really necessary? I'm thinking some regular old rustoleum is the way to go on this one....

Get a can of zinc chromate from a boat repair shop and after removing the rust, brush it on.

Lots of people use a product called POR 15, too. http://www.por15.com/

I used just plain old flat primer (works great).Use extreme caution with chemical products such as POR 15 and zinc chromate,they can cause a chemical reaction with fuel and can be potentualley explosive (never use POR 15 inside the fuel tank and is potentualley dangerous around fumes).

Plain old Rustoleum should work, as long as the tank is nice and clean.

I used cold galvanizing paint on mine

I used the rustoleum black rusty metal paint, still looks fine after a year+ and a nice salty winter....(cleaned up all the surface rust first obviously)
Shame it didn;t work as well on my oilpan grrrrrr (PINHOLES)

quote Originally posted by James Bond 007: ...(never use POR 15 inside the fuel tank and is potentualley dangerous around fumes).

POR15 is the company name ...they actually sell a gas tank repair paint in their catalog..its called "fuel tank sealer" you can find all the info at por15.com. I just needed to correct this information, because I like this product. John

I use rustoleum also.

Just to clarify my question is what did the factory use, to paint the outside of the tank, the inside of mine is completely clean, it was stored for 7 years with gas inside it seems, I got it 99% cleaned out and there was no gunk or anything weird that came out.. I just want to redo the outside, the POR 15 stuff it OK, I think the eastwood stuff for rust treatment is better, plus they are local so I buy their stuff but I don't think this needs that, I just will clean up with wirebrush and use the closest rustoleum I find....

As I undersand it, they didn't paint it unless your car was undercoated by the dealer.

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Kendall (Icelander) Whitlatch
'85 Fiero 2M4 - 5spd Isuzu
'67 LeMans/GTO clone 6.5 litre TH400
All the rest aren't Pontiacs, so what does it matter?

I believe you're right. At least, my gas tank appears to be galvanized. But it definitely isn't painted. Also note that galvanizing is a light grey color.

The product I used is called Zero Rust, the color matches well. Here is there site:

http://www.zerorust.com/

Jack

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If you can not run with the big dogs, stay on the porch!

You can also buy a special coating for the inside. You pour it in and tip it on all sides. Completely seals and rustproofs the inside.

Like mentioned above you can use sealant inside the tank. If you are interested, I used the POR-15 gas tank kit because I had seapage around the straps. Been 2 years without any problems. On the outside, I just grabbed some Tremclad (rust paint) I had hanging around. Wasn't worried about the colour. Who sees it anyway. It's John Deere green.

Rust oleum or one of its less expensive clones is great nothing fancy on a gas ank that may have chemicle reaction,the rustoleum will resist salt snow water and is inexpensive and SAFE it is the preparation that results in a good job and then you only have to woory about interior rust!ha ha however let it dry a day before install,spray tank hold bolt and hold bolt"holders"make sure area above tank is good a small rust patch could be a hole next year,there use to be special tank spray not needed,don,t forget new tank hose rubber fuel injetion grade even if hose looks good also main hose that goes to fuel pump,now is also time for gage wire clean easy t0 do i..i just did this in the grass! oh joy.place a small amount of petroleum jelly on large fill hose i did not do this it can be a real pain to reinstall.also a small amount on vent next to fill hose will make your life easier i know,loose fuel filter makes job easier install main feed hose before install tank,cut main hose longer than needed and cut to size,,start engine before full install pull vent hose behind batt thru hole before full install,guess who has made these mistakes??

Paint application is a little something that I have learned about over the years. I have been restoring 30s and 40s vintage airplanes for some time. We found that zinc chromate primer provides little protection for steel. It is excellent for aluminum, such as in airplanes, but for steel, a good quality paint over a clean surface provides better protection. On steel components where we wanted a 'life time' coating, (such as the fuselage tubing in an old tube and fabric airplane) we always used a two part epoxy. That is of course overkill for our fuel tanks (or maybe not). But I would avoid the zinc chromate.