Tank prep

[Calpantera]

So I got a tank of off Ebay and its pretty decent.

It has a little surface rust inside and I was wondering what if anything I should do before using it.



I really don't want to go coating it because it does have a dent and I am afraid if I coat it then repair the dent it will ruin the coating.


Additionally is there any one who has done a painteless dent removal on a tank and have it work? I am not lookingfor perfection, I just want it to be less noticable. (Its hard to see in this image)

[adidasguy]

I have heard of vacuum dent removal. Ask local bike shops.

The inside doesn;t look that bad - at least to me. maybe just a cleaning with vinegar or something mild. I think you have many years of use out of it. Be sure to use fuel additive because ethanol separates into water and alcohol after a couple months. Unless you ride all the time, take care of you don't add gas at least every 2 months.

[utzguy]

Looks like a pretty broad dent that doesn't have too much or a crease. I took out a similar one years ago by sealing up the tank and using a hand tire pump to pressurize it until the dent popped out. Might be worth a try.

[Calpantera]

Hey AD, do I need to rinse the tank with something after the vinegar?

Ya Utz I was thinking the same thing, a little air pressure and a heat gun set on low..  How did you seal yours up when you did it?

BTW this new tank is my first step in a color change, the bike is originally purple and I want to go all yellow, same as the tank. Was thinking of using this..
http://www.colorrite.com/product/suzuki-163-phlolina-yellow-1641.cfm#null
I am thinking a quick sand to remove the gloss then a light colored primer before the yellow base.

[utzguy]

I don't remember exactly how we did it. I remember my brother and I holding it all together. There is a lot of surface area so it didn't take a lot of pressure.

[catch2otwo]

skip the vinegar.  Go buy yourself some chemical deruster.  You can find them online or at some body shops.  They are safe to use.  Plug your tank, fill the tank with the chemical, let sit, your tank will have no rust when finsihed.  Just dump the bio friendly chemical out of your tank down the drain.  Most of these derusters are bio friendly.  Keep filled with gas and go riding!

[Calpantera]

I use vinegar and then added some baking soda when I was done. Rinsed it with premix and few times then filled it with gas. Worked fine..

[peteGS]

My tank was somewhat worse than that but I can highly recommend the POR 15 motorcycle tank repair kit.

It comes with all you need to do the job and works like a charm. Be sure to read the instructions through very carefully and follow them to the letter. You don't want the liner not to cure properly or you'll be cleaning it out of your carbs!

When you get to the point of drying the tank, make 100% sure it's dry, then dry it again.

I used an old hair drier duct taped to the filler hole and ran it on and off for an hour or so.

I think you'll find the liner will be fine with minor dent removal too...

[Calpantera]

Ya the tank I replaced was coated with Kreme I think, it was all coming off in big sheets so I replaced it with this one and cleaned and rejetted the carbs. I am going to ride it like it is for now, I still have an issue where it stumbles and has a flat spot when I am on the gas. Going to sync the carbs and see what happens.

[Funderb]

i find that the gopro suction cup mount is superb for taking out large shallow dents. stick it in the center of the depression and yank firmly.

[ThatOtherGuy]

i find that the gopro suction cup mount is superb for taking out large shallow dents. stick it in the center of the depression and yank firmly.

got to remember that little gem.