Gas tank restoration

[Burd]

Can you get something re galvanized?

[70post]

Originally Posted by Burd

Can you get something re galvanized?

Sure.....IF you can find anyone that will mess with it...

Any galvanizer will be a huge outfit...industrial concern doing BIG stuff. First reaction will be "we don't do one-offs, small stuff, etc.

Next reaction, as mentioned in the linked-to Camaro site thread will be - we won't touch the part because it's thinner metal....too much risk of distortion, etc. I got this reaction from a galvanizing outfit down in S. TX many years ago when checking into it.

Can't blame them....they specialize in volume/thru-put and it's probably all done on a competitive bid basis. Folks like us are not worth their time and I can't blame them for not wanting to mess with us "retail" folks.

I did look into it in the Chicago area as well with a customer up there a few years back when I was doing resto work on his '72 442 convert. We found a galvanizer up there (think rust belt...plenty of need for protective coatings on metal) and they did re-galvanize his gas tank straps. I think they just figured, WTH, get this guy out of our hair and dip the darn things...no skin off our noses. We ended up throwing them away....the finish was way too thick/globby, etc (hot dipped galvanizing)..went with new galvanized straps from Inline Tube on the car.

The "thing" is the metal you see on these cars that was galvanized was done so IN SHEET FORM before the part was actually stamped. Probably done at the steel mill, again on a massive controlled-condition basis where they had the knowledge and equipment to put a nice SMOOTH galvanized finish on the sheet steel.

That is A LOT different from trying to have someone do it "locally", etc.

I do remember many threads, pics on the big Chevelle site years ago where people were having their Chevelle frames galvanized. Don't remember where it was being done at the time...seems like one guy had his done in Houston but probably others had it done at different places in the US.