Hey guys,

Back in December I changed out the fuel pump in my Camaro. I did it the "right" way and dropped the tank. The first day I got the tank out with my dads help and we called it a night. We decided that the next morning we would go ahead and clean everything off and put it back together. The next morning I got up and found out my dad had gone out early to start cleaning off the area where the gas tank sat because it had 20+ years of road grime caked on. Much to my dismay, he used acetone to clean everything off and ended up smearing the red paint around to the point where there were large patches of primer sticking through. If he would have waited until the time we agreed to get up, I would have told him no way, leave it dirty if it's going to take the paint off.

At the time I wasn't too excited about it, but we went ahead and put it all back together. Then I see a post earlier today on Reddit saying that primer doesn't prevent rust like paint does. Did my dad **** me over? Am I going to have to pull the tank out of it again at some point and repaint the whole gas tank well to prevent rust?

 

Don't be too angry at your Dad. He was trying to help you out.
Your car has a coating of primer applied from the factory. It was applied electrochemically. A majority of the underside of the car has just this coating applied as paint was only applied sparingly to it. You will see cars of different colors all have gray underneath. So I think you should be okay.
If you feel ambitious or you see rust, you could go under and give it a quick touch up. You can get paint mixed and put in a spray can that matches your car. It does not have to be perfect. It is under the car.
This would require you drop the tank again, so I would only do it if you see rust forming or it is really bothering you.

 

Well that sure is a relief. I'll make sure to keep an eye on it. Thank you!

 

I wouldn't worry about it. On my 87, there wasn't even paint on the gas tank area. It was just the EDP primer. That was about the ONLY area under the car that didn't have some rust (well, other than the grease-covered trans tunnel). Dirt, yes. Grease, yes. Rust? No.

:edit: However, the one area I would worry about down there is the part of the body that the filler neck passes through between the fuel tank cavity and the rear of the wheel well. The rust in there was pretty bad.

You can also cover it in a thin layer of oil if you're that worried about it.

Don't forget to use anti-seize on the gas tank strap bolts so they will come out again. I'm sure you will be replacing the pump again eventually (or someone will if you sell it).