Rusty Fuel Can Interior

Got sold a painted turd on eBay. Exterior looks good but the interior has a fine example of rust grown in it.

I don't suppose there is much I can do to save this. It's bad surface rust. The main problem being it's inside the can so I'm thinking it's a lost cause.

Looking at the gas tank sealer kit in the Eastwood catalogue it's $33, which is more than I paid for the can.

I just sent the seller an email. Short of refunding the total amount I'm not sure what he can do. I'm giving him a chance to make it right and if not I'll contact eBay & PayPal, post his seller name here, lay a curse, pay for voodoo, etc.

the gas tank sealer will do just fine in it. Plan ahead... get a few cans, do a bunch at once

I got the same problem with a couple of water cans... I thought of just pouring in some driveway sealer to slow down the rust and just using the cans for a display.

or is there anything else I can do ?

Take it to a radiator shop for cleaning. It has been suggested before.

A radiator shop can do it, I have a WWII jerry can that's going to get just that treatment.

Or a place that does chemical dipping, caustic soda would take it off and leave a clean surface which you could then coat with gas tank sealer.

Or you could cut it in half, sandblast the inside, re-weld it together and grind down the welds.....

Any chemical treatment will leave residue in seams that's difficult if not impossible to remove; sandblasting... some sand will always stay long enough to be carried into your fuel tank/in-tank fuel pump. Here's a trick that works well. Get about $5.00 worth of loose pennies, put in can and shake 'til you think your arms are going to fall off, break for lunch then come back and shake can some more. Unlike sand, caustic chemicals chemicals, etc., pennies are easy to pour out, don't leave a residue and can be turned back into $5.00 (be thoughtful and rinse off the rust you've broken loose first). Coat can interior with gas tank sealer and you're good to go.

Pennies! now there's a great idea! I do have a fuel tank coating in my future so I can toss this in with that but pennies I can do now.

I'll check out the radiator shop as well.

Thanks!

Pennies work good with their sharp little edges for breaking loose rust deposits, enough weight to them to be effective, and being copper they won't create a spark and so can be used in tanks or cans, even with some fuel still in them.