Topic: Fuel Tank Treatment/Removal

[cshanek]

Good localtime SOHC owners,

I had a local paint guy treat my fuel tank about 4-5 years ago, and recently discovered during a fuel up that it is peeling off on the inside. He informed me recently via text that he used an epoxy that is commonly used for aircraft fuel tanks. I also took the petcock off the other day and saw pieces of the Epoxy all over the attached fuel screener. I figured I could just dump some Acetone into the tank and that would be that. However, when I pulled out a handful of the flakes and soaked them in Acetone for 3-4 days, they did not disintegrate. Pictures are attached. Any ideas/wisdom for how to get this stuff out of my tank?

On a related note, I was speaking with the owner of a vintage shop in Denver who mentioned that he has seen a lot of tank treatment fail recently, as a result of ethanol being added to fuel. Is this a common thing? Any recommendations for tank treatment that can withstand Ethanol?

-Shane

[Mark1976]

   Looks like fiber glass resin... And tank liners do fail over time.... doesn't look like any tank liner I've ever seen.

[calj737]

That looks like Caswell liner. Acetone won’t dent it, nor does ethanol. The good old version of MEK will but depending upon where you are, the flavor you get these days might not either.

A radiator repair shop often has a tank for dipping cores that will erode that liner, but it will also do the same to your paint.

The failure looks to be from inadequate treatment prior to installing the liner. They will hold up for a while, but if you don’t get it right, they will ultimately separate from the metal.

[Mr. Mike]

GTL Advantage out of Hollywood CA has done a superb job on my failed Harley Davison original tank (liner) and no worries about the external factory paint job. Stripped inside to the metal and re-lined. See the link below.
Look them up and see. Ethanol issues aren’t new to them. When I had my tank done, there were dozens of tanks on the shelf for repair or ready for ship back to the owner.
I did try several “DIY” techniques which didn’t yield a completely removed liner, that’s when I gave up. Plugged fuel lines at any moment are a dreadful thing.
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Contact Us
    
    
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GTL Advantage
6909 Farmdale Ave. Unit A
North Hollywood, CA 91605
   
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(818) 759-4724
    
Email:
gastanklining@gmail.com
    
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[The Lone Builder]

I DIY lined my tank with RedKote some 5 years ago and have had no problems.

[Stev-o]

That looks like Caswell liner.

+1.  I had a painter years ago that insisted on lining my tank and it failed, most likely due to improper prep.
Appears like it is flaking off, mine did too, and ended up removing all of it.

[rotortiller]

Por-15 in one of mine for years and it's like the day I applied it. Liners need to be good quality, and more importantly the good ones need to be applied correctly. Just because someone tells you a sealer is made for airplanes does not make it best for bikes, airplane metal tanks are aluminum and bike metal tanks generally are steel.

[newday777]

The failures come from improper de-rusting before application. Sealers will be pushed away from the steel by the rust that continues to grow and push the sealer.

[willbird]

   Looks like fiber glass resin... And tank liners do fail over time.... doesn't look like any tank liner I've ever seen.

As a teenage kid I always presumed that the so called fiberglass resin was an epoxy, later in life I learned it was not. It is a Polyester resin. I had used it once on the outside of a rusty 72 Nova gas tank and it did not leak after the fix. Tank had pinholes above the parting line in the tank. I just sanded it with 80 grit and laid on some resin and glass clothe and then more resin. I know now that it was the wrong stuff :-). A layer of actual epoxy could have been backed up with the polyester resin and glass clothe maybe :-).

Bill

[RAFster122s]

Cannot apply epoxy over polyester resin, does stick long term. Polyester resin is not fuel proof and many epoxies won’t last exposed to ethanol. Some will…have to do your research to make certain it will be if any fuel is going to be able to reach it, short or long term…