Really old gas tank

[rjgogo]

So I have this Model A and the gas tank had a fair amount of fuel in it. Fuel that is in the same vintage as the Model A. Any ideas what I should do with the tank? It is not as bad as it sounds. The tractor was put away wet in the late 70s or early 80s. My goal is to get this thing started and the fuel tank is throwing me. I have already drained it but it is really nasty. I know I need to take the tank out and I think I have to take the sheet metal off to do that. Anyone have any experience with this?

 

[ultrarunner]

So I have this Model A and the gas tank had a fair amount of fuel in it. Fuel that is in the same vintage as the Model A. Any ideas what I should do with the tank? It is not as bad as it sounds. The tractor was put away wet in the late 70s or early 80s. My goal is to get this thing started and the fuel tank is throwing me. I have already drained it but it is really nasty. I know I need to take the tank out and I think I have to take the sheet metal off to do that. Anyone have any experience with this?

I've taken a few to our local radiator shop to have it boiled out... sometimes holes will show up if the tank had water and badly rusted.

The old varnish has quite an odor... used on my burn pile one year.

The sailboat guys will sometimes set up a big filter with an electric fuel pump to cycle fresh fuel through a tank until it comes out clean.

I once put a lot of old nuts, bolts and chain in an old tank and rotated it for a few hours... did a good job cleaning things up inside... then would use a fuel tank sealer/sloshing compound to seal the tank... worked great for 25 years till the blended fuel with alcohol started to dissolve it.

 

[rjgogo]

One more thing, it appears I could actually use this tractor beyond a piece of history. I have fount that I could modify this with a 3 point hitch after market. Does anyone know what the lift capacity of said hitch would be? I would like to get a larger wood chipper for this and if I could run that off of this it would be a bonus. Also I think the PTO horsepower from this would be more than my 2305. Does any one have any input on that aspect? Also, could I run a hydraulic in feed with this?