Paint or No Paint?

[Detroit Diesel Man]

My restore/rebuild on my 77 750 is coming along nicely,havent figured out how to post pics yet...anyway..as always in the back of my mind i picture the end result...my first thought was black tank tail and sidecovers with red highlights on emblems etc etc...but i thought maybe i wanted something different..has anyone not painted their tank...stripped it to bare metal maybe polished it with fine sanding and had it clearcoated?
I cant remember having seen any pics like that..i thought that might look cool..or different if anything...the Truck Dealership i work at has a body shop so getting it clearcoated is no issue...i could have the tank tail and sides painted for less than 200$ but a bare tank would be unique..if anyone knows of any pics of something like that i'd like to see them..also would like your opinions on the idea..Thanks!


DDM

[Octain]

Unique idea indeed.
Ultimately the choice is up to you but if it were me I'd get tired of looking at it.

Harley did a bike back in 05 I think. It had a combo of bare metal and paint in a sort of design kinda way. I didnt like it at all.

[LeeGS550E]

Is your tank 100% dent free? That'd be critical...

[Steve]

That would kind of give it the look that DeLorean had with the stainless body panels.


Concerning posting pictures: have you seen BassCliff's welcome yet? He has instructions on how to post pictures on his website.
(and I just gave you links to them. )

.

[duaneage]

I would advice against it since the tank will have weld marks where the emblems go, and also there will be evidence of metal working around the seams. I don't think it would look good that way. Also getting it stripped, polished, and clear coated without it flash rusting would be a real pain.

Consider a metallic finish instead.

[Mysuzyq]

Or the Enfield Cafe. These tanks are usually aluminum, or an alloy that responds well to polishing though.....not sure if the stock tank can be highly polished to achieve the same results.



Tony.

[atb1998]

Strip your tank.. Check to see ho smooth it is. Go from there. a stock steel tank polished out with stock emblems would be very cool. A lLOT of work, and i mean A LOT is involved to polish steel, but it can be done. a mild acid wash when your finished with the polishing will take care fo any rust flashing if done right before powder coating. i personally have seen gas tanks have a silver ceramic coating similar to what is done on exahust pipes that polished out beatifully and and would be a LOT less headache and work.. Looks like aluminum when polished with 800 grit sandpapre, the down to 2000. first check your tank..

[Detroit Diesel Man]

Thanks for the replies...great advice and opinions...I guess if i get it stripped and start thinking i dont like it...at least it would be ready to paint...and yes the tank is straight...even had a full tank of gas in it when i picked it up so the inside is clean..it sat since 03...carbs are gonna be a challenge when i get to them..lol..Thanks agin for the replies and i'll look into postin pics soon..Thanks!

DDM

[LeeGS550E]

Along the same lines of ceramic coat, there's many different types of chrome look powder coat. You could try that too....

[Nessism]

Paint it. Raw steel with a clear coat will corrode after about a year or so. Not worth it.

[atb1998]

Actually a steel gas tank stripped with a clear powder coat would not corrode any more than a piece of steel that was regular powder coated. I've seen aluminum car intakes powdered clear that look good after several years of use. It actually holds up better than regular paint and for sure anodizing. My uncle has two powder coated intakes on different cars, my dad has one on his car. I had one on my boat. Unless aluminum powder coats differently from steel..

[Octain]

Paint it. Raw steel with a clear coat will corrode after about a year or so. Not worth it.

Agreed.......

[Octain]

Actually a steel gas tank stripped with a clear powder coat would not corrode any more than a piece of steel that was regular powder coated. I've seen aluminum car intakes powdered clear that look good after several years of use. It actually holds up better than regular paint and for sure anodizing. My uncle has two powder coated intakes on different cars, my dad has one on his car. I had one on my boat. Unless aluminum powder coats differently from steel..

Aluminum dont rust.
Why would you clear coat aluminum anyway?

[atb1998]

Aluminum dont rust.
Why would you clear coat aluminum anyway?

no, but it does discolor..you ever tried polishing an aluminum intake on a car engine after it was installed??.. Smooth it, polish it, clear powder coat it.. good for years. won't corrode, stain or discolor from engine heat. My tunnel ram intake on my boat never did.. Any steel part would do the same.. Why would well done powder coat job corrode anymore than a well done paint job?? Clear POWDER coat iis WAY more durable than any paint on the market if done properly.. a lot more than a clear PAINT job.

[Octain]

no, but it does discolor..you ever tried polishing an aluminum intake on a car engine after it was installed??.. Smooth it, polish it, clear powder coat it.. good for years. won't corrode, stain or discolor from engine heat. My tunnel ram intake on my boat never did.. Any steel part would do the same.. Why would well done powder coat job corrode anymore than a well done paint job?? Clear POWDER coat iis WAY more durable than any paint on the market if done properly.. a lot more than a clear PAINT job.

Make sense. I understand the durability of coating over paint.

I've never cleared or coated one. Never really thought about it actually.