Which tank liner should I use

Speed3 · Post by **Speed3** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 6:00 pm

Moving on with putting the T500 together, I never drained the tank 16 years ago it has some varnish and a lot of rust / crud in it.
How big a deal is the cleaning / application of a tank liner. And which is the best one to use.

Thanks
Gary

rngdng · Post by **rngdng** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 6:03 pm

POR-15. It's the best I've seen.

Lane

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 6:48 pm

The best thing to do in your case (if you are re-painting) is to take the tank to a radiator shop and have them hot tank it overnight. That removes all the varnish and the majority of the rust (also takes off paint). At that point, just buy the POR15 tank liner kit and follow the directions to the tee.
If you are not repainting, things are a little trickier. Some fresh gasoline - sloshed around for a few days should dissolve the varnish. At that point, I would drain and dry. Now you need a chemical to attack the rust. I use Phosphoric Plus from Home Depot. It's made by Kleen-Strip and is available in quarts and gallons. Buy a gallon. Dump it into a dry tank and let it stand for several hours in every position imaginable. In the mean time, order up a small can of POR15 (not the kit). When the acid is through, dump it out and rinse the tank several times with hot water. Now dry it with the aid of a heat gun or hair dryer stuffed into the filler hole. When you are sure that its dry, dry it another day. This is the most crucial step. Any moisture left in the seams will ruin the job. Be patient!
When the tank has dried, there will be a fine patina of rust left from the evaporation of the water. This not a concern. The POR15 goes in right over it. Again, rotate the tank slowly to be sure the liner has coated all parts of the tank. Now remove the petcock block off plate and drain the excess liner. Get all the excess out that you can. Now just let it dry for a few days and the job is done.
Caution. The petcock should be in another room. Do NOT use the petcock as a block off plate. You will destoy it! Instead get a piece of flat steel - drilled to match the holes and a piece of rubber. You will have it on and off several times.
Of course if you are the daring sort, you could buy a Kreem kit. All the same rules (steps) apply. I have lined 4 tanks with POR15 and the results are nothing short of outstanding.

GT Tim · Post by **GT Tim** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 8:14 pm

Nicely done Chris, a help to others here as well.

H2RICK · Post by **H2RICK** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 9:05 pm

IF/IF your tank has a leak then a liner is the obvious way to go if you want to save the paint.
However.....I have no faith in tank liners unless absolutely necessary. I've seen too many come loose or dissolve over time. Maybe something to do with more alcohol in the fuel these days ?? Poor application ?? Whatever....
If your tank has NO leaks then I suggest one of these two options:

I've had great success with the electrolysis method for removing rust. I've now done a dozen tanks of all descriptions (bad, really bad and downright ugly) and had success with all of them. The best part is you don't have to worry about: 1) handling any nasty chemicals 2) how long to leave them in the tank 3) wrecking the paint job. The really good part is that it's CHEAP to do. The downside is that you have to have at least a 10 amp charger and it can take as long as 10-12 days in some cases....even with the 10 amp charger......if you have a particularly ugly tank.

If your tank is only lightly/moderately rusted AND you want to save the paint job, I highly recommend a product called Evapo-Rust. It can be left in the tank for weeks (I've done this to see what would happen) without anything happening but rust removal. The parent metal is NOT attacked at all. This stuff is harmless to paint/rubber/plastic/human skin. The downside is it costs about US$25.00/gallon...but it IS reusable. The only caveat is that you MUST remove all traces of gasoline/residue BEFORE using the Evapo-Rust so you've gotta use a degreaser on the tank beforehand and then flush it well to remove all traces of hydrocarbons. I've done at least 6 tanks with this stuff and it works as advertised.
My .02....

Post by **Suzsmokeyallan** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 9:41 pm

I bought a jell like product from Auto Zone and it worked well plus it was water based. Just put it in the tank and every now and then changed the angle, it worked really well but i cant remember the name, however ive got to get some more so ill check it out again when i return that way.
I also dont like the liners but i did try some fibreglass resin and hardener as a liner back in the 80s as a trial.
It worked well too but you've got a certain amount of time to coat the inside evenly and drain out the excess before it all hardens into a lump inside somewhere.

Wayne Meuir · Post by **Wayne Meuir** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 8:36 am

POR 15 if done as stated above, will work well and will not come loose unless you crash and smash the tank, then all bets are off, but that is the least of your worries at that point.

Wayne

markj · Post by **markj** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 2:56 pm

Coyote wrote: Of course if you are the daring sort, you could buy a Kreem kit. All the same rules (steps) apply. I have lined 4 tanks with POR15 and the results are nothing short of outstanding.

You sold me, I've got some por-15 on the way and plan to do all three tanks I have with it.

diamondj · Post by **diamondj** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 5:59 pm

FYI -POR-15 is excellent for steel tanks. POR advises it does not work on fiberglass tanks - it needs a metal surface to bond correctly. For fiberglass use the Caswell kit:

http://www.caswellplating.com/aids/epoxygas.htm

Jim

H2RICK · Post by **H2RICK** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 9:27 pm

Here's the electrolysis setup instructions....with drawings, yet.....

http://twinoak.altelco.net/~jacil/clay/ ... Setup.html

Post by **Suzsmokeyallan** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 9:37 pm

Thanks Rick i saved it to my bookmarks,,, oooh look hes got a Kawi KZ440 LTD tank in the pics Rick,,,, i can hear you now,,,LOL

Speed3 · Post by **Speed3** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 8:10 pm

Since the tank does not leak, I put gas in it today. I'll be going with Coyote's method for dissolving the varnish and the phospheric acid cleaning. Then I'll see if I need a liner or not.
The bike still looks like hell. ( I used it as my winter bike in The Netherlands) so I don't want to go nuts untill I know how the engine is. Since I have CRS I don't remember the condition of the engine.

Did anyone see the 1975 GT500 sell tonight for $2800 it was only 55mls from where I live. Looking at the amount of work my bike needs it almost looks worth it. I e-mailed the seller to contact me in case the deal falls thru.