Lining a tank

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grassy

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We just took our gas tank off and the condition looks awesome but it old. Since most gas tanks rot from the inside out, I want to line it before we put it back on the car.

I have the liquid but have been told that I need to remove any gum, sludge, varnish that has accumulated over the years. This was a running car until this spring.

I went down to UAP to but such liquid was told it wasn't available.

Is there any place in Canada where I can buy this or is it a non issue ?

Thanks
ian.
 
Some rad shops can boil or steam the inside of the tank to clean, best to check with one in your area. Hope this helps.
Rick
 
Heres the procedure I've used in the past with good results.... Get a gallon of Muriatic acid from your local hardware store. It is commonly used in swimming pool applications and should be readily available. Then take your tank and empty it of all of the liquid currently in it. Next, using a garden hose or power washer, spray out the inside of the tank to loosen any heavy scale and deposits, and then drain the water from the tank. Block off one of the openings in the tank and pour the entire gallon of muriatic acid into the other opening and seal that opening too. Muriatic acid is not caustic like other forms of acid and is water soluble, but remember it is still acid so be careful in handling it. With both holes sealed, roll the tank around swishing the acid all over, rolling the tank over, up on end and side to side. Allow the acid time to do it's magic, so let it sit on the bottom of the tank for a while, then swish it around again. Do this for an hour or so, moving and sloshing every 10-15 minutes. When you are satisfied that the tank may be clean, open one of the holes and completely drain the tank and dry the inside of the tank with either a hair dryer, leaf blower or some form of rushing air that is not compressed, unless you plan to seal it right away. The muriatic will "etch" the inside of the tank, meaning that it will dry to almost a chalky appearance. This etching will allow the tank sealer to bond with the metal, making for the best operating conditions for the sealer to work. Then, just follow the directions on the tank sealer and allow the sealer to dry completely before adding any fuel.

Hope this helps, Geof
 
Years ago a friend used some stuff to line a very old motorcycle gas tank. Later the bike fell over and got just one small dent in the tank. The lining crap cracked. A short time later he had chunks of the stuff rattling around in there. A couple that were too large to come out the fill hole. I wont use it.
 
Similar issue here. I had a rusty tank and spent hours and about $75 lining it.
in the end I had to replace it anyway. I wish I had done that to start with.

I just bought a new Canadian tank off of ebay for $159 delivered.

enjoy
David
 
I flushed my tank too but it had set for many years and was in pretty bad shape. I finally did the right thing and replaced it with a new one. 10,000 trouble free miles so far. toolmanmike
 
I understand, $s are an issue ... all tanks on e-bay are from the stats at the moment..

I am not in a rush so I can sit on my hands for a bit.

Thanks-you for all the advise.

Ian.
 
Muriatic acid from your local hardware store.

james-joyce-4.jpg



I hope you bought POR-15. It works
 
It will be arriving soon...only want to do this part once.. )

ian.
 
I am puzzled. I took the sender unit off the gas tank today and shone a flashlight in. It looks new. Suck my head under the car and there was a bare spot where the undercoating didn't get to due to the tank.

Can a gas tank last 36 years ? ..or do you think the orginal owner relaced it before it was sold..I do know the last 2 PO's didn't do any work on the car.

Good news for me.

We have never had good reading on how full the tank is. It usually measures just over half to 1/4 where it is empty. The bobber doesn't look like it leaksed or water logged so could the problem be just how hard the little runner connects with the metal strip ? Perhaps just a little pressure to bend it in tighter ?

Thanks
ian.
 
My chopper's tank leaked when it was new. Bike builder replaced it 3 times before giving up. He suggested sealing it. The tank was sent out to a shop that was going to put some sort of sealant on the inside. Keep in mind that the tank already had fuel in it. Well, they did the acid bath deal and then the sealed it. A few months later I noticed there were several spots that the sealant was missing. I went and bitched at the builder who just sent me over to the other shop. They told me that there particular sealant will only adhere to a new, unused tank. There was nothing they could do about the pealing. Be careful of what a salesman tells you......
 
This is funny, but looks like it works. I saved up for a new tank and straps....troubles over. [ame="http://youtu.be/eVZvjdQT3ks"]302 Found[/ame]
 
I just finished the second honda gl1000 goldwing tank reline(first one done on another bike 4 years ago, still going good). I cleaned it with the muratic acid and then hit it with acetone to super clean and dry it before usong the red kote liner. I knew the tanks leaked at the seam on the bottom and it sealed both tanks up solid, it will NOT seal a 1/16- 1/8 inch hole but anything smaller it will seal. red kote liner has worked quite well for me, even when I had to ahem "dimple" the tank because I forgot that I had welded in a torsion brace in the tank area, the one type of sealer called Kreem was used on a friends bike and it did crack and peel at the slightest scratch so I can't recomend that type.

I have scratched red kote ("dimple"=beat the heck outta the tank with a hammer to dimple it on the bottom side to clear the brace) and didn't seee any release from the tank metal when I used an inspection camera down through the fuel guage area to look.
that being said if I was able to get a new tank cheap (old goldwing tanks cost BIG $$$$ even for good clean used ones) I'd do that in a heart beat. Both my darts are going to get new tanks they are cheap enough at about 160.00 even if I have to save up for the new ones.
 
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