• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

Gas tank restoration

  • Thread starter Thread starter BIG_brother
  • Start date Start date
B

BIG_brother

Guest
So I bought a bike with the dreaded "Kreem" inside flaking off and reeking havok on my carbs that I rebuilt.

I filled her up with acetone and nails, plugged it and put it in a dryer for 3 days straight (outside and wrapped in blankets of course) Got 99% of the kreem out but,...

Still had rust inside. I tried dry nails for a day and then I buy metal rescue and let it sit for 2 days and the rust is still there. I have about had it! Im about to pitch this tank and buy a new one!

Anyone have any methods that worked for them?
 
Metal Prep available at Home Depot and similar will eat off the rust in just a few hours.

BTW, lots of different threads in the archives about how to derust a tank.
 
I searched and was not able to find anything i havent tried
 
BIG_brother said:
I searched and was not able to find anything i havent tried
Click to expand...

Try Advanced Search, Titles only, "Rust". There are threads detailing use of phosphoric acid, vinegar, Evaoprust, electrolysis, and others. If you have tried these methods without success, consider taking your tank to a radiator shop and have them do the work.
 
Hi,

I understand that some radiator shops can dip a fuel tank in some kind of acid bath. It won't help your paint job though.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
BIG_brother said:
Yes I have seen these and and done them both...

Still want a better result. Any chem dip places in Dayton Ohio?
Click to expand...

I know of a place in Cinci and another in Marysville. Not sure if that helps you out as your are about midway for both.
 
Not to derail this thread, but I've been using electrolysis to de-rust my tank for probably 4 days now (total overkill I'm sure). I'm trying to figure out the next best step. I've read of dumping tank contents (tap water and sadium carbonate) and they heat up to dry out. Once dry, use gas to recoat so doesn't rust.

I'm thinking with doing this and adding an inline fuel filter, I won't have to apply sealant.

Thoughts/suggestions?
 
Not to derail but yeah, sounds like a plan.

do not let your tank just drip dry. A hair drier or better a heat gun does the trick nicely. If you are going to put it into service, go ahead a fill with gas. If not, you can add some light oil and shake to coat the inside well.

For the original poster, if the inside is still full of rust it would seem the guy who coated your tank did a quick fix type job. If you have the time to shake , a couple of fists of small gravel and a decent acid, muriatic for example, do wonders without ruining the paint. For a big tank with bad rust you'll need about 2L. I have stopped using nails/screws etc., small gravel just does a better job, especially when joined by a steady flow of acid.

Once the rust is out, rinse well, heat to dry and you are off to the races.


If you are short on time.. find a bucket/bin big enough and submerg your tank, fill with water, and add 5 lbs of cheep feed grade molasses/gallon of muriatic acid/fill the bucket with vinagar.
 
I had a hard time with rust inside my tank and I tried several methods including snobowl, vinegar, fish tank gravel in the dryer... etc. I always had Vinegar and snobowl effectively remove the rust but etched the metal so flash rusting occurred quickly. I chased my tail for a good month on this one. My advice is to spend the 50 dollars on POR15. The inside of my tank looks brand new, no signs of rust ever again.
 
SeanMora77 said:
I had a hard time with rust inside my tank and I tried several methods including snobowl, vinegar, fish tank gravel in the dryer... etc. I always had Vinegar and snobowl effectively remove the rust but etched the metal so flash rusting occurred quickly. I chased my tail for a good month on this one. My advice is to spend the 50 dollars on POR15. The inside of my tank looks brand new, no signs of rust ever again.
Click to expand...

I have a few small dents on the tank. Does it make sense to seal the tank first and then try and get the dents out? I'm not sure I could access the detns from the inside to pop out.
 
I'd square away all the dents first. I had the same issue with my tank and I bondoed all the dents and primed the tank first. If you seal it and then try to remove dents you could damage the seal. The 50 bucks I spent on the POR15 was the best fifty bucks I ever spent, but you must follow the instructions to a T.
 
I've used POR15 on 4 tanks that were totally crapped out with rust. Horrible. You'd have thought there was no way to salvage the tanks. POR15 did the trick. Works great. Removes rust, and seals the tank. Problems solved.

scudder
 
Scudder said:
I've used POR15 on 4 tanks that were totally crapped out with rust. Horrible. You'd have thought there was no way to salvage the tanks. POR15 did the trick. Works great. Removes rust, and seals the tank. Problems solved.

scudder
Click to expand...

+1 on POR-15
 
I will support the POR15. I will admit to using it once on a tank for my 550Kat, when I could not risk any damage to the original paint.

It takes some doing though
 
GSOH said:
I have a few small dents on the tank. Does it make sense to seal the tank first and then try and get the dents out? I'm not sure I could access the detns from the inside to pop out.
Click to expand...

I ended up going with the 2-part epoxy by Caswell. Instructions say it will do two tanks but after talking to local moto shop, mixed up the entire batch and drained left over. Seems to have worked quite well. Dries clear. I did notice about a dime size place in one of the few places in the tank I could actually see that somehow did not get covered. For $40 though, well worth it. Also installed a $5 inline fuel filter and has a decent amount of rust in it after 2 fill ups at the gas station. Wondering if that is just residual or a larger portion of the sealant didn't do what it was supposed to do.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top