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I have heard of a couple methods for removing rust from rattling a chain/sand/rocks with diesel fuel in the tank to doing an acid treatment. Is this something I should attempt to do, pay for a professional repair, or just replace all together?

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what type of car is this? – NoCarrier Mar 9 '11 at 3:15
I dealt with this on an old motorcycle once, but it could apply to a car or truck. Also, old/rare cars that may make finding a replacement difficult could be a case. – Troggy Mar 9 '11 at 3:18
Make sure you actually have a rust problem first. Borrowing trouble rarely ends well. – Mark Johnson♦ Apr 12 '12 at 5:34

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Motorcycle folks seem to do this a lot, presumably because the gas tank is easy to remove and small enough to manhandle (personhandle?).

A Google search produces a lot of results for how to do this, and any of the ways you've heard will probably work well. Here's one detailed list: http://www.mopedarmy.com/wiki/Removing_rust_from_a_gas_tank

You have to decide what your expectations are. If you just want to remove a lot of rust and be done, use chain / rocks / screws / ice cubes. If you want a pristine gas tank that will resist rust for a decade or more, you'll want to get ALL the rust out and then coat the inside so it won't rust again. In that case, try POR-15.

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