Topic: Small dent/depression in tank

[robdrobd]

I have a 3 inch diameter depression in the top of my tank. Is there an easy way to pop/pull it out so I don't have to bondo before a repaint?

[BobbyR]

You can try one of those glue and suction cup outfits. There are also these dent guys who work on cars, They have these tools to get in tight places and work the metal out.

[Old Scrambler]

Fill with water and Freeze it...........pressurize the tank............use suction cups or plastic rivets to pull on the dent..............All have been tried with mixed success.  I used a plumber's pipe bladder. Its an air-bag that I positioned between the tank tunnel and the dent. Then filled to 30 but no more than 40 lbs of pressure. I then placed a heavy towel on the tank and mildly tapped with a plastic body hammer. It worked well enough to use sanding compound to prepare to paint. Too much air-pressure could cause the dent to pop outward...........similar to the freeze method.  While I am keying this message I am thinking that a small inflatable ball might work.

[camelman]

I have had success hot gluing "hat nuts" onto tanks and pulling on them with a bolt.  If you go to a hardware store, then you should be able to find what I'm talking about.  It is essentially a wide washer with a nut on one side.  If you thread a bolt into the nut, then you can pull on the bolt.  It helps to have a large washer on the bolt for better grip.  Pull straight.

Get the surface good and clean first though.  This method might pull the paint off if the paint was highly stressed, but if you are painting, then that isn't a worry.

Camelman

[Don R]

Don't freeze it. I've been a plumber for a long time Ice expands in all directions. I can't even list all the things I've seen split open.

[Retro Rocket]

Don't freeze it. I've been a plumber for a long time Ice expands in all directions. I can't even list all the things I've seen split open.

+1 also air pressure can do the same thing, i have seen split seams in a Honda tank from doing just that.

[grcamna2]

Fill with water and Freeze it...........pressurize the tank............use suction cups or plastic rivets to pull on the dent..............All have been tried with mixed success.  I used a plumber's pipe bladder. Its an air-bag that I positioned between the tank tunnel and the dent. Then filled to 30 but no more than 40 lbs of pressure. I then placed a heavy towel on the tank and mildly tapped with a plastic body hammer. It worked well enough to use sanding compound to prepare to paint. Too much air-pressure could cause the dent to pop outward...........similar to the freeze method.  While I am keying this message I am thinking that a small inflatable ball might work.

I sure like "Old Scramblers" version of the plumbers bladder w/ varied pressure in a key area and then lightly tapping around the perimeter of the known dent(maybe marking it from the outside first to relieve the stress in the bent sections so that it won't "oil can"-pop in and back out again .I will give that a good go at my next chance .

[736cc]

A pro paintless dent remover (Dentworks, Dent Wizard etc) can make most dents disappear. If you try it yourself for the 1st time, you will probably get less than satisfactory results. A motorcycle tank due to heavier gauge steel is trickier than light gauge car panels to fix. I've had my local dent dude fix several tanks absolutely perfect. Charged under $100 and worth it. They have the right tools and experiance so its usually a piece of cake.

[Rgconner]

Hair dryer and an upside down can of compressed air or dry ice if you can get it.


Might take a few tries.