Cleaning fuel gauge, tank, replacement petcock on 1979 GS750L

[breckenedge]

Well I haven't posted in a while, but I just wanted to get any input the forum felt on working on cleaning my tank and fuel gauge, and replacing a petcock on a 1979 GS750L.

I've read over the various methods and suggestions from all of the resources I could find here and elsewhere. Someone could make a killing doing knowledge management work for old Suzuki bikes.

The tank has a layer of paint INSIDE it which is now flaking off and into my carbs, and probably a pretty decent layer of rust below that. The plan of attack is to try EVAPORUST per Basscliff's instructions, and prayer.



Alternative suggestions? I'd happily buy a used, clean tank if I could find one that fits.

Fuel guage doesnt look much better, but at least it was working last time I rode. Cleaning suggestions?



Petcock is a serious problem, as the filter element is just gone. It does work fairly well though. I cannot find an OEM replacement or the part number. Does anyone know if the 750E petcock (PN: 44300 45011) will fit, or should i just go completely aftermarket with the Pingle?

[Nessism]

You need to strip off the failed sealer using something like paint stripper or MEK. After the sealer is gone, they you can perform the derusting.

There are tons of threads in the archives on these topics. Don't want to rehash again so please try the search function.

Oh, and Evaporust will clean the sending unit although it will also eat off the plating on the section that sits outside the tank so you will have to repaint it when you are done.

[breckenedge]

Thank you for your help, here's the tank after twice using paint stripper to remove the failed sealer. Search was very helpful, I found one of your posts where you listed all the important search hits

I did fairly well with the first round of stripping, but unfortunately some dripped on the clear coat during the second round. Still have to do a third round of stripping to completely remove the deeply layered stuff nearest to the gas cap. I'm considering, once I get her running again, sandblasting the exterior and going with a powdercoated clear coat over bare metal, but we'll see.

[Allie]

Goo luck with your tank! I -think- the actual petcock is the same between the two bikes, though I bet the fuel screens are different due to the different sized tanks. They are probably set to different heights for the reserve setting. Say, you don't have pics of the whole bike do you?