Post by duffer on Oct 23, 2021 20:10:10 GMT
Most of us have or will face the problem of the tiny bit of rust showing in the bottom corners of the tank. Nothing to worry about. Touch it in with a drop of paint. Even push it in and fill it a bit, then a drop of paint.
Well none of that will do a thing. It is a design fault, and it is now in need of a proper job. That bit of the tank is below the fuel tap and is a perfect 40 year old shit trap. So as I have one to do, here is the job...
First strip the paint a bit and have a real look at the problem... with a pointy screw driver poke about !
Ok. So now we are committed.... NOW MAKE THE TANK SAFE !!!!!! I drain it, remove the cap, tap including the pipe stuck inside and leave it in a well ventilated place for a week or ten. I then wash it out with water. It will now be smelly, and ready to do the dangerous stuff. Elf n safety says it will blow up at the slightest hint of a spark. I thought so too first time. So out in a field I attached a blow lamp to a 7ft pole and lit it ! Guess what.... nuthin. A small amount of a pop or nothing at all. If doing this scares the pants off you, then don't. Send it to a professional.
There are other ways with inert gas, even diesel fumes, but this is just my way. If a blow lamp can't make it take off, then that makes me happy to work on it. Now with your big boy pants on, and in a well ventilated workshop well away from anything that could burn, get the cutting wheel on the grinder and dive in.
Don't kid yourself. If you have those paint bubbles, this IS what is underneath ! My feeling is that if it is to be repaired, then may as well remove the design fault too. I cut out the bad stuff, clean it up and add rust killer. Then the new metal needs to be made. I use cardboard first as it is easy to shape. Find the best shape, then use it as a template to cut metal.
As for the welding, I use a MIG, but you may use something else. Welding thin stuff WILL warp it if you try to do a "run" of weld. The trick I find, is to do spots, then join em up. As you see on this, I have made a new bit of metal to level the bottom of the tank. I will use fillers to put the shape back.
So there you go. Probably one of the most dangerous jobs on the bike if great care is not taken. That said, with care and common sense (remember when we were allowed to have some of that) the danger can be made safe. I consider a leaking tank to be more of a danger that doing this.
I will fix the other side and then plan to use a sealer which is E10 safe. Good for another 40 years. Final word... Again, if this worries you, don't even try. Pay for it to be done. I would say buy a tank that is solid, but with this design fault and 40 years of shite stuck in there, that will not be easy.
Well none of that will do a thing. It is a design fault, and it is now in need of a proper job. That bit of the tank is below the fuel tap and is a perfect 40 year old shit trap. So as I have one to do, here is the job...
First strip the paint a bit and have a real look at the problem... with a pointy screw driver poke about !
Ok. So now we are committed.... NOW MAKE THE TANK SAFE !!!!!! I drain it, remove the cap, tap including the pipe stuck inside and leave it in a well ventilated place for a week or ten. I then wash it out with water. It will now be smelly, and ready to do the dangerous stuff. Elf n safety says it will blow up at the slightest hint of a spark. I thought so too first time. So out in a field I attached a blow lamp to a 7ft pole and lit it ! Guess what.... nuthin. A small amount of a pop or nothing at all. If doing this scares the pants off you, then don't. Send it to a professional.
There are other ways with inert gas, even diesel fumes, but this is just my way. If a blow lamp can't make it take off, then that makes me happy to work on it. Now with your big boy pants on, and in a well ventilated workshop well away from anything that could burn, get the cutting wheel on the grinder and dive in.
Don't kid yourself. If you have those paint bubbles, this IS what is underneath ! My feeling is that if it is to be repaired, then may as well remove the design fault too. I cut out the bad stuff, clean it up and add rust killer. Then the new metal needs to be made. I use cardboard first as it is easy to shape. Find the best shape, then use it as a template to cut metal.
As for the welding, I use a MIG, but you may use something else. Welding thin stuff WILL warp it if you try to do a "run" of weld. The trick I find, is to do spots, then join em up. As you see on this, I have made a new bit of metal to level the bottom of the tank. I will use fillers to put the shape back.
So there you go. Probably one of the most dangerous jobs on the bike if great care is not taken. That said, with care and common sense (remember when we were allowed to have some of that) the danger can be made safe. I consider a leaking tank to be more of a danger that doing this.
I will fix the other side and then plan to use a sealer which is E10 safe. Good for another 40 years. Final word... Again, if this worries you, don't even try. Pay for it to be done. I would say buy a tank that is solid, but with this design fault and 40 years of shite stuck in there, that will not be easy.