M35A3 Fuel Cap Upgrade

[glcaines]

I have an M35A3 that had corroded parts including the fuel cap vent spring, chains and foam breaker basket. The spring on the cap for the vent was severely corroded. I cleaned the rust off with vinegar and then phosphoric acid to treat the steel against further corrosion. The chain from the cap down to the bottom of the foam breaker basket was severely corroded. I found some identical chain on Ebay constructed of stainless steel. The bottom chain is the original chain, treated with phosphoric acid. The piece of 1/16 inch wire at the lower end of the bottom chain was corroded to the point it was in danger of coming apart in multiple pieces. I replaced this with a piece of stainless welding rod bent to the same configuration as the original. The chains are attached to the bottom of the foam breaker basket with a stainless screw and stainless nylok nut. The whole apparatus looks identical to the original, but should not have any future corrosion issues. I should also note that I drained the fuel tank and flushed it out with a significant amount of water sprayed with a garden hose after scrubbing with a brush on a stick with hot soapy water. There was zero corrosion in the aluminum fuel tank but there was trash in the tank, and some slime globs on the bottom. After the washing was complete, I thoroughly washed the tank out with isopropyl alcohol to remove the remaining water. I then dried the tank with a hair dryer.