Stainless Steel (Fuel Tanks & Tanker Trucks)

VR8

VR8

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I've been asked twice lately about polishing tanks on larger trucks. In one case it was the actual fuel tanks on a semi truck, in the other instance it was the truck from a local oil distributor (the huge tank that carries their oil for delivery!).

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In a conversation with the semi driver he mentioned that one of the larger truck stops offered this service. He referenced "blocks" of clay that they used to polish the fuel tanks. It seems they cleaned the tanks with an "acid" of some sort, then they used the polishing blocks of clay to bring back the shine on the tank. Sounds like a clay block of compounding product to me. ?? A buffer was used for applying the product.

I was curious if anyone has done this type of polishing? And what you used?
 
It probably wasn't clay, it was probably just a polish. A lot of metal/jewelry polishes come in a solid almost clay looking stick/block.
 
If I remember correctly, I think my cousin used to spray down the aluminum dump body on his Tri-Axle MACK dump truck with muriatic acid to clean it. I don't recall if it was straight or diluted though. It's been too many years ago to remember.

Maybe that is the acid they used on those tankers?
 
For that type of polishing most use a die grinder with Flap wheels. Brown Tripoli for compounding & then White for polishing. Varsol for cleaning & prepping the metal. I wish you the best...it's a J O B my man!!!:xyxthumbs:
 
detaildave said:
I wish you the best...it's a J O B my man!!!:xyxthumbs:
Click to expand...

Yea, I'm not sure it's what I want to pursue either, just curious to know what the process and product consist of. Thanks for the info.
 
look at this site and check out pages 76 and 77 of their catalog and you will see what you need to polish those tanks. I went on a trip up to Maine recently and while there we stopped at this place where i purchased the setup for chrome and aluminum polishing. That is a very complete truck chrome store.
Berube's Truck Accessories, Big Truck Accessories
 
Great link Dave, thanks.
 
It is advisable to clean out the tank periodically. How often depends on fuel quality and even tank material, but every couple of years you should at least draw some fuel from the very bottom of the tank to check for water and/or sediment. You cannot do this through the pick-up tube feeding the engine because it is an inch or so above the bottom. If the tank doesn't have a drain fitting or a clean-out port, you will need to find some other way to get a suction hose to the bottom.

Mobile services are also available that draw all the fuel out of your tank and circulate it through a filtration system. This is known as "polishing" the fuel, and done properly it removes the majority of the sediment from the tank. You can also plumb an electric fuel pump, filter, and return line into your fuel system to allow regular or periodic onboard polishing. Industrial Tanks & Storage | Great Basin Industrial
 
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