New Steel Tank - Paint And Coat Or Don't?

My new JP1A steel tank arrived in the mail yesterday. My old tank had enough rust in it that it would choke a filter when it got to around 2-3 gallons remaining. I'm soliciting opinions...

-Should I paint the exterior and coat the interior?
-Coat interior only?
-Paint exterior only?
-Leave it alone and install as-is... they're relatively inexpensive (~$60) anyway

I'm not trying to build a show rig here - just repairing/replacing what makes sense. Jeep is down to a rolling chassis at present, and probably will be for the next 5-6 months.

I live in a part of Missouri that sees little snow, so little salt... though it's unlikely to see much/any winter duty.

What has worked or not for you folks?

Thanks

 

Paint the outside and keep it full of treated gas.

 

Paint outside.

Use Seafoam additive in your fuel, to remove moisture and ethanol by-products.

 

Having heard that the quality and longevity isn't all that great on replacement tanks, I used a sealer kit on mine. It isn't cheap and a bit of a process, but easier to do now than having to replace a tank or well...leaking gasoline is just bad. Hopefully it will extend the service life, but who knows?

I have had good experience with KBS Coatings products. I used their large cycle tank kit and followed the instructions VERY carefully. I was worried it might not be enough sealer, but after fully coating it, there was nearly 2/3 can of sealer left over when I drained the excess. It was very nicely and fully coated too...confirmed with an inspection camera once cured.

Gas Tank Sealer - Large Motorcycle Tank Sealer Kit - Fiberglass Tank Sealer

 

I have replaced many over the years in assorted projects. Never had an issue with just painting the outsides, and leaving the inside well enough alone. Some coatings don't hold up well to long term ethanol use, (despite claims) and as you know in your area and mine, that is tough to avoid.

 

I have had two tanks rust out on the bottom on my 73 CJ5 - I decided the problem might be the foam (rubber?) mat underneath the tank because it seemed to stay wet a lot. I installed a new tank and did not replace the rubber mat and have had no rust problem (at least on the outside) since. I also agree it helps to fill up your tank pretty often to discourage rust on the inside. JMO.

 

This happened to my brand new 1973 CJ-5 in 1973. Don't put that pad between the skid and the tank - the pad makes the tank rust out. The skid plate is optional on these Jeeps, and the tank will stay up there without the support of the pad. Indeed, the pad is likely there to keep the relatively flimsy skid plate from collapsing into the tank. Reinforce the skid plate if you worry about leaving the pad out.

Note that '76 and later is different - those Jeeps require the skid plate to support the tank.

Is the new tank painted or galvanized? I think the Spectra part is likely ok. External rusting would not worry me - I'd just install it if it's bright galvy plated.

 

Thanks, all. I think I'll be hitting it with the rattle can and installing. I was happy to read some dissenting posts about the mat between the skidplate and the tank... I was just eyeballing some horse mat and considering using it. I'll be sure to NOT do that.