Here is the sending unit. That rust is very deep. You can see why, while it was still on the steel tank, I thought it was about to rust completely through. Although, in this pic, I have already scraped around the outside edge, with a screwdriver.
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Here is the back, or inside of the plate, before cleanup.
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Here is the back after cleanup.
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Here is the top again, after I have cleaned it first by scraping with a screwdriver, then using a very coarse metal sanding unit on a variable speed oscillating tool, and then a couple carbide burrs, followed by a sanding wheel, then a sanding drum, on a dremel.
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That is as good as it is going to get. All the major crusty rust is off, and the majority of the surface is down to metal.
I am going to treat it with "OSPHO". Which is essentially phosphoric acid. It changes the rust chemically from iron oxide, to iron phosphate. It will seal the metal, and not allow it to rust again.
Once that is cured, I will fill that "well" there, where the two pipes come out, with epoxy. And put epoxy all around the outside of the electrical connector as well.
Once those are cured, I will paint it with a rust preventive primer. Then it will be ready to go in the tank.
Two questions...
1.) If I were to decide to put a sealant around the lip of the tank, before putting this plate on there, what would you guys suggest as that sealant?
Pretty sure RTV is out. I have never seen it last around fuel, for long. And I absolutely do not want that stuff or anything else squeezing out, inside the tank.
The lid to this tank is like a "ball" canning jar lid. Just a ring that screws down to hold the plate in place.
It is very difficult to screw on, and when it is tight, there is quite the gap between it and the plate.
So I am going to have to figure out something to take up as much of that gap as possible. Probably a hard ring of some kind. Maybe with an innertube gasket between the plate and the hard ring.
And also need some sealant, to be sure.
And second... What is that round wart looking thing on the side of the showerhead?
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I have been planning on removing the showerhead, and replacing it with a hose with a brass tee in the end of it. But this showerhead is in excellent condition. It is also flexible. Not rigid plastic.
So, I'm not sure what I am going to do about that.