Topic: Whats Your Favorite Tank Liner???

[GizmoDuck]

Rust is almost removed from my tank now I need to coat the inside what is your favorite one?  I have looked at Red-Kote, POR-15, Eastwood, and Caswell but not sure which one to go with.

[chewbacca5000]

 I like RedKote as it is the easiest to do and stand up to ethanol well.  You can cut with small amount of MEK and get nice even coverage.  This is important as uneven coverage leads to a failed linner.  If the material pools up it will make a thick spot that will crack and flak off.  Not with red kote.  Nice and even.

[calj737]

I sit opposite of Chewy. I've had much better long term results from Caswell than from RedKote. Caswell cures rock hard, clear, and can tolerate an uneven (though I encourage best effort to avoid) coverage. Re coating is also quite viable with Caswell if needed.

Whichever way you go, prep is the paramount issue. Proper prep yields best results.

[mrfish2]

+1 on the RedKote. I bought is mostly because my local mom & pop hardware store carried it so I wouldn't have to wait for Caswell to come in the mail. The can says it only takes 24 hours to dry and be ready for use, but mine took closer to 4 days to sit up rock hard. Like Chewy says, it stands up well to Ethanol. I've had it on the tank for almost a year now and haven't had any issues.

[70CB750]

No liner 

[Tews19]

My tank literally has a minimum of 30 pin holes up and down the lower seems. I used Caswell per stev-o and Cal and I am not looking back. Tank is great. No leaks so far. Will use again.

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Caswell.

[ekpent]

Anything but Kreme please------------------ I have used Redkote on a few with no issues, easy to work with but wish it did not look so much like blood. The color I noticed fades out over time to more of a gray.

[Duke McDukiedook]

I had a radiator guy etch and use Redkote on my tank and it has held up so far.

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

I used Kreem as directed and it held up 20+ years just fine.

[ekpent]

I used Kreem as directed and it held up 20+ years just fine.

  I think for the most part it is all about the prep. The ones I have had to remove always had a layer of rust underneath. On a Suzuki GT550 once that had been stored empty for awhile I was able to pull the whole thing out in mostly one piece right through the filler hole. It was weird.

[chewbacca5000]

I used Kreem as directed and it held up 20+ years just fine.

  I think for the most part it is all about the prep. The ones I have had to remove always had a layer of rust underneath. On a Suzuki GT550 once that had been stored empty for awhile I was able to pull the whole thing out in mostly one piece right through the filler hole. It was weird.

Miraculous healing!  Cream be gone!  Hallelujah.  Or your tanks imune system rejected the white cancer poured into it.

[b5rider]

Damn! I just bought POR-15

[calj737]

Nothing wrong with POR-15. Or Kreem. I believe the older Kreem formulations only began to suffer with Ethanol (personally). I've encountered many tanks with it still in there and still holding strong. (Or at least until a PO left abandoned gas/water in it for decades).

[strynboen]

no liner is best.

..use it only on a tank as last chance..on a tank vho not can be faund a used one.(most tanks can be faund fine  used.. ..if rust (/korosion have maket it  leaking
.a rotten sealed tank can spring leak in a aksident..more easy then a solid good one

.not to seal rust and dirt inside a tank..insteat of a good kleaning job....

[ofreen]

Nothing wrong with POR-15. Or Kreem. I believe the older Kreem formulations only began to suffer with Ethanol (personally). I've encountered many tanks with it still in there and still holding strong. (Or at least until a PO left abandoned gas/water in it for decades).

I had a Kreem liner go almost 20 years in my 750, but it failed a few years ago almost overnight it seemed. There's a thread about it here somewhere. After getting it out (a #$%* of a job) I replaced it with POR-15. Without looking at my notes, I believe it has been in there for about 5 years now and doing fine with potato juice they call gas here in the Boise area. They say 10% erhanol, but I believe there is more than that in many lots of fuel. Makes your eyes water when fueling. I agree with going without a liner if you can get away with it. Unfortunately some of these old tanks are too far gone. As said above, everything has to be done just so, or you'll have a failure.

[Stev-o]

+1 Caswell.  Have 2 tanks with it.

[AlekStooge]

I just derusted my tank with metal resuce. Now its getting powdercoated. I don't want to use liner because it will prevent me from welding on it, if I chose to do so in the future. There are no noticeable pinholes and it holds fluid well, besides the gas cap when its is upside down. Is lining an absolute necesity? I've been meaning to ask this question but didn't get around to it.

[calj737]

I just derusted my tank with metal resuce. Now its getting powdercoated. I don't want to use liner because it will prevent me from welding on it, if I chose to do so in the future. There are no noticeable pinholes and it holds fluid well, besides the gas cap when its is upside down. Is lining an absolute necesity? I've been meaning to ask this question but didn't get around to it.

Lining is absolutely not required. Some folks do it as a prevention once they've de-rusted a tank, others to deal with small pinholes. But you're dead right; don't line a tank then weld on the tank. The liners are flammable, they will fail progressively away from the welded area, and wherever you weld (assuming you're installing a patch) will not be treated.

If you do choose to line, wait until you're metal work is done, but before paint (or after powder coat as the heat also is problematic for the liners) to avoid damaging the final paint with prep chemicals.

[AlekStooge]

I just derusted my tank with metal resuce. Now its getting powdercoated. I don't want to use liner because it will prevent me from welding on it, if I chose to do so in the future. There are no noticeable pinholes and it holds fluid well, besides the gas cap when its is upside down. Is lining an absolute necesity? I've been meaning to ask this question but didn't get around to it.

Lining is absolutely not required. Some folks do it as a prevention once they've de-rusted a tank, others to deal with small pinholes. But you're dead right; don't line a tank then weld on the tank. The liners are flammable, they will fail progressively away from the welded area, and wherever you weld (assuming you're installing a patch) will not be treated.

If you do choose to line, wait until you're metal work is done, but before paint (or after powder coat as the heat also is problematic for the liners) to avoid damaging the final paint with prep chemicals.

The fact anyone would line a tank seems like a cheap fix like bondo. Do it right, weld the pinholes or get a professional to do it. I have heard gas tanks already come with a liner in it   and it will get destroyed with powdercoating, others say it is only BMW'S that have this. Anyone care to straighten me put with the facts?

[calj737]

Powder coating can/will damage a liner. If not the abrasive entering the tank, then the heating/curing process of an installed liner will.

Yes, I believe every BMW tank since the early 60's has a factory installed "treatment" on the interior. Its not so much a liner as is considered today, but it was used to protect the metal from its production date.

Many modern bikes don't use liners as they use a fuel bladder beneath a tank shroud. And liners aren't a "band-aid" fix. They're a practical method of solving thinned metal issues due to rust, pinholes, or as a prevention of rust. If you have a stock paint job but some pinholes, then welding or brazing on a stock original paint job is not a good idea. Unless of course you don't care about the value of original paint...

[AlekStooge]

So old Japanese motorbikes don't have liners stock? Other than being a quick way to fix pinholes, I see it like putting super glue and rubber on a tire.

[Stev-o]

I see it like putting super glue and rubber on a tire.

Not quite.
I see it as a way to seal a tank so I dont have to worry about rust debris entering my fuel system.

[AlekStooge]

I see it like putting super glue and rubber on a tire.

Not quite.
I see it as a way to seal a tank so I dont have to worry about rust debris entering my fuel system.

I see it prevents rust from developing but not to fill in pinholes.

[jdenz]

I would also say NO liner. If you have no more rust and no pin holes there is no use for a liner, just make sure you have fuel in the tank and you will be ok. Its what ive done and i must say it works. i also put a nice inline filter to trap any rust residue.