Gas tank dent suggestions?

[Tombstones81]

Off tonight and it rained all day so no riding
Bored and browsin around about the bike.

Got a nice size dent in my tank I'm lookin to TRY to get out and repaint everything within about 2 months.
Mechanic that did my inspection said I would be better off replacing it vs professionally repaired.
So I'm lookin at what I can do myself.

and that is NOT my shoddy paint job btw. haha



Been browsing around on how to's

Best, safest, and cheapest method I can think of would be to get a kit that uses the hot glue gun and pull it out carefully going from the Right side to the Left.

never did this so input on the best method would be appreciated

[tt_four]

I think harbor freight sells a dent puller, one of the ones where it welds studs onto the tank and yanks them out. Unless you find a very cheap way to do it, you'll end up spending more than it would cost to just replace the tank anyway. Have a big freezer? I know people have undented headers by filling them with water and freezing them. I'm sure the same could be done on a tank, if you have one big enough to hold a tank. Otherwise people usually cut out the bottom, knock the dent out from the inside, then weld it back together.

[Tombstones81]

yeah I read about the freezer trick.

I actually Just came across a sweet tool I will order tomorrow when I get paid, if all the reviews are good.
Ding King Dent Repair Kit

Cheapest I found was only like $20.

if that fails, I think I'll try the freezer.

(edit)
nvm, TOO many bad reviews on that product.

[Allen]

Put a black magic marker to it and keep riding it, it doesn't look that bad.

[Jared]

Water /ice in the headers works because it's a tube/cylinder....

The ice will expand in all directions so it might push some of your dent out....but it's probably going to push some of the rest of the shape out of it too.Same deal with compressed air.... it's not just going to expand under your dent  only...

Allegedly  you can  fix small dents with dry ice/heat... but  I wouldn't put a ton of stock in that....( cold shrinks the metal...dent seems to go away...til it warms up..).

Replace it if it bugs you-if it's not leaking- you can  keep riding at least while you hunt for one.

[mike__R]

I had one *about* that size and *about* that same location (only on the other side of the tank) and I filled it using Bondo.  It took a few times re-working it but I actually got it to turn out fairly well.  Definitely a DIY option and perfect if you're planning on re-painting in the future.  You can do it with the tank on the bike and still ride if you wanted while the work is in progress.  It can get kind of messy (lots of dust).

The big downside is that my tank holds less fuel now

[Adfalchius]

A stud welder wouldn't be a cheap option unless you can borrow one.  We tried it recently for fun with a horribly dented tank.  http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=55053.0

[DoD#i]

Realistically, and fiscally, either paint it as dented or bondo and paint. Or replace as suggested (must be one of those good mechanics that are so hard to find, telling you the truth that way.)

The impact on amount of fuel held in tank isn't much for that dent.

You can fhart around with all sorts of things, but none of them will get it to the point that you won't still need to bondo it for it not to look like crap, and most will make it look worse than it does now. It's much easier to dent it than it is to get the dent to come back out. Weird hook-hammer things you put through the filler neck, or rods jammed in through the petcock hole to hammer the backside of the dent are an option, but not really worth the bother .vs. just Bondoing it as currently dented.

Stud-welding on a gas tank requires good preparation, or stainless steel balls and a dose of good luck. I don't care how many times Bubba got away with it, I'm personally allergic to shrapnel. And it will still need Bondo when you're done. Or you can fill it with lead if you are one of those fussy restoration types that can't stand Bondo.

[cbrfxr67]

I'd Bondo it.  Easy to do and cheap.  I like the green stuff, seems much better than the classic pink Bondo.

[Affschnozel]

Bend a pipe into L shape an try to push it out gently ,though i'm not sure it can be done
with a dent that size, it worked for smaller dents on my tank.

[mister]

How much is your time worth?

How badly do you want the dent not there?

You can mess around with all kinds of Methods trying to fix the dent, only ending up needing bondo anyways.

Your three options are...

Bondo
Leave it dented and ride
Buy an undamaged tank from ebay.

Michael

[Tombstones81]

tnx for the input.

IF I can find a cheap undented, and not rusted to heck tank around the time I plan to paint.
then I'll just replace it and repaint everything.

cheap as in, like that $50 one on ebay.
im not cheap but prices for motorcycle parts, even used is absolutely ridiculous! (most of em)
not complaining, just a lil shocked at some prices is all, but oh well.

[GSProdigy]

I have a dent very similar to yours from where I got side swiped by a truck.

I plan on sanding it down, filling it with bondo, priming, and painting. It worked wonders on my tail.

Does anyone have any more advice on painting the tank? Such as how close to the bunghole on the tank to paint up to? Can I just leave the stock paint under the gas tank to prevent material from getting inside? And do I even have to drain the tank or can I seal the fuel hose while painting?

Thanks

[mister]

Bunghole? WTF, are you looking for TP? Is your name Cornholio?

As for painting, are you wanting a Proper Job or are you talking Rattle Can?

Michael

[GSProdigy]

Sorry the hole in a wine/alcohol barrel is correctly called a bunghole...didnt know the mechanical terminology.

A proper job with the proper tools (with the help of a friend) but done at my house and not in automotive painting room.

[DoD#i]

Drain tank, remove cap (only 4 of the 8 screws are real), tape over filler hole. If really doing a proper job, remove and tape over the petcock as well. Give some serious thought to coating the inside at the same time, but not required.

[franke3c]

I have one for sale, although it is rusted inside since its been sitting.
pics: https://picasaweb.google.com/FranklinYChou/ForSaleGS500?feat=directlink#
$40 + shipping: http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=56302.0