Rusty gas tank

[RB]

I always use muractic acid..and a water mix..the heavier the acid the faster it works..like 5 minutes with a 50/50 mix. The down side to acid is it will eat the tank if you let it sit too long..better to fill rotate and dump check the tank for rust and redo if needed. Then POR the bike kit will do two tanks. The key to it is thin coating is a must if you let it pool it will peel.

I have done 5 tanks this way with no issues..takes an hour or two start to finish..then letting the POR dry for a day or two..

I have used vinegar too..but it takes longer several days but it is safer..

[Chang_G_Wing]

Ok, I'm sold. On my way to industrial finishes. Thanks again will come back and give feed back

Chang,

IF your gas tank is NOT OUT OF THE BIKE, you can't use a POR-15 kit to restore it!

I restore vintage Japanese motorcycles for a hobby, and I've restored over a dozen gas tanks using the POR-15 motorcycle gas tank restoration kit, and it's my favorite. But... the gas tank has to be out of the bike and be able to be rotated on all sides, including upside down, to apply the final sealant step.

So, if your tank is IN your bike, you can't seal the tank. None of the sealant kits can be used to fully seal a tank that is still on the bike, for the same reason.

Yes, you can use the Metal Prep liquid in the kit to remove the rust, but the kit doesn't include a large amount of that, only a pint or two, not enough to fill the tank even with your ping pong balls.

You are better off just using just a good rust remover to remove the rust from your tank. You will never get it "sealed" unless you are willing to remove the tank from your bike so it can be rotated to apply the final sealant.

I have not used Metal Rescue as a rust remover, so I can't comment on its effectiveness.

My favorite rust remover is Evaporust. Best rust remover I've ever used. It's non-caustic and can be flushed down the drain when you're done using it. It is expensive, but it can be reused until it turns completely black. (It's clear to start with.)

I like your idea of filling space in the tank with ping-pong balls to save on rust remover expense!

If you DO have your gas tank out of the bike, then by all means use the POR-15 kit. If you do, let me know, I've written a detailed step-by-step procedure for using it with tips and lessons learned from doing over a dozen gas tanks with it.

***

Yes, I am aware that I have to remove the tank from the bike. Its not a hard job, I actually removed it once and got some rust out. just didn't do it 100%. which I've stated in other post. haha and now I'm here trying to do properly. I tried taking short cuts but now I have to remove the tank and the carbs and clean it all out again. good thing I have 3 days off work.
You've stated that you used POR 15 kit quite a bit? I'm curious about something I noticed inside the gas tank. looks kinda like a metal net near the bottom on the tank. does this need to be removed once I get this tank out. Also I would love a step by step with tips and tricks. I'm gonna start tearing her down in a couple of hours. Oh and always thanks

[Chang_G_Wing]

I always use muractic acid..and a water mix..the heavier the acid the faster it works..like 5 minutes with a 50/50 mix. The down side to acid is it will eat the tank if you let it sit too long..better to fill rotate and dump check the tank for rust and redo if needed. Then POR the bike kit will do two tanks. The key to it is thin coating is a must if you let it pool it will peel.

I have done 5 tanks this way with no issues..takes an hour or two start to finish..then letting the POR dry for a day or two..

I have used vinegar too..but it takes longer several days but it is safer..

I was thinking of trying this method. My tank isn't in too bad of a shape( or at least I think). I rode her about 1500 miles with out ever any problems. I can still see metal from all my viewing angles inside the tank. So I'm going with just the POR and see what it does. Then again the salesman at Industrial finishes told me that POR doesn't remove any rust, that it converts it to a phosphorus state . Then in my head( I WANT TO REMOVE IT, NOT CHANGE IT)

[WingMan71]

... You've stated that you used POR 15 kit quite a bit? I'm curious about something I noticed inside the gas tank. looks kinda like a metal net near the bottom on the tank. does this need to be removed once I get this tank out. Also I would love a step by step with tips and tricks. I'm gonna start tearing her down in a couple of hours. Oh and always thanks

Chang,

I've posted up my POR-15 Tips and Lessons Learned procedure on the forum, here:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=63484

Read through that before you start and you'll have a much better time at it.

The "metal net" you see at the bottom of the tank is a strainer over the fuel outlet. There are actually two of them, one over the main fuel pickup and one further down and back in the bottom of the tank over the reserve fuel pickup. They won't be damaged by the rust remover or the cleaner or prep, but you CAN'T get them covered up with the tank sealer! If you did, no gas would ever flow out of the gas tank! Bad! I don't believe that you can remove those from the tank, so they will have to be well covered before you put in the tank sealant. You should be able to get at them through the gas filler hole and the fuel gauge sender hole to get them covered. I'm not sure what to cover them with, but they will have to be covered.

Good luck with it.

[Toehead]

I've heard of people hooking up a low-pressure air line to "blow" through them while the POR is curing to prevent them from getting plugged.

[WingMan71]

I've heard of people hooking up a low-pressure air line to "blow" through them while the POR is curing to prevent them from getting plugged.

Excellent!

[Chang_G_Wing]

I've heard of people hooking up a low-pressure air line to "blow" through them while the POR is curing to prevent them from getting plugged.

Great idea! I didn't know how I was going to cover that up.
Is a bike pump considered a low air pressure line?
If not any DIY ideas or inexpensive options. Mean while I'll check harbor freight.

[SnoBrdr]

I've heard of people hooking up a low-pressure air line to "blow" through them while the POR is curing to prevent them from getting plugged.

Great idea! I didn't know how I was going to cover that up.
Is a bike pump considered a low air pressure line?
If not any DIY ideas or inexpensive options. Mean while I'll check harbor freight.

Anything that would give a continuous air supply, even a fish tank pump.

I didn't do this when I did mine but it can't hurt.

[Chang_G_Wing]

I've heard of people hooking up a low-pressure air line to "blow" through them while the POR is curing to prevent them from getting plugged.

Great idea! I didn't know how I was going to cover that up.
Is a bike pump considered a low air pressure line?
If not any DIY ideas or inexpensive options. Mean while I'll check harbor freight.

Anything that would give a continuous air supply, even a fish tank pump.

I didn't do this when I did mine but it can't hurt.

Yes, I didn't even think of that. I got a few of those laying around. Thanks

[Chang_G_Wing]

So I'm not sure how rusty is rusty so I was able to pull a few images of how much rust I have. Should I get some evaporust first or is my POR 15 kit good enough? As always I appreciate all the input and advice. Thanks to all

[scootsx2]

That just looks like surface rust. A good soak with EvapoRust and a periodic agitation should do the trick. Fill the tank completely. Another thing to check... use a borescope or a mirror and flashlight to check the underside of the top of the tank. There might be some ugly crud up there.

[Toehead]

Degrease before evaporust (or any water based solution) or it won't work as well.

[Chang_G_Wing]

Lol thanks for the replies. I laugh because I feel like I'm going around in circles. I read wingman forum on his step by step guide and tips and he said if the tanks are heavily rusted he would use evaporust before starting the process of POR 15 kit and sealer. When I read that I wanted to show if my tank was badly rusted. So I put up some pics. The POR kit has the degreaser and the metal prep. The metal prep should take care of the rust and get it ready for the sealer. Now my main question now is. Does that amount of rust call for some evaporust before the POR kit? In my head here are the steps I need to take in case it does need the evaporust.

Step one-degrease the tank (POR 15)
Step two-evaporust the tank
Step three-metal prep the tank (POR 15)
Step four-seal with sealer (POR 15)

These steps are based on the pictures if the tank is considered heavily rusted. sorry if I'm getting into too much details. I just want to do this right and don't want to use a lot of money. 5 gal of evaporust is 90 bucks and I already purchased the POR 15 kit which was 50 bucks. Thanks guy

[SnoBrdr]

Lol thanks for the replies. I laugh because I feel like I'm going around in circles. I read wingman forum on his step by step guide and tips and he said if the tanks are heavily rusted he would use evaporust before starting the process of POR 15 kit and sealer. When I read that I wanted to show if my tank was badly rusted. So I put up some pics. The POR kit has the degreaser and the metal prep. The metal prep should take care of the rust and get it ready for the sealer. Now my main question now is. Does that amount of rust call for some evaporust before the POR kit? In my head here are the steps I need to take in case it does need the evaporust.

Step one-degrease the tank (POR 15)
Step two-evaporust the tank
Step three-metal prep the tank (POR 15)
Step four-seal with sealer (POR 15)

These steps are based on the pictures if the tank is considered heavily rusted. sorry if I'm getting into too much details. I just want to do this right and don't want to use a lot of money. 5 gal of evaporust is 90 bucks and I already purchased the POR 15 kit which was 50 bucks. Thanks guy

I'd say you don't need it with the POR kit, that's why they give you everything you need.

[warhead_71]

Compared to what my tank used to look like, yours is not bad at all :D

I used apple cider vinegar on mine and got it down to bare metal. A long toilet brush helps flake off a lot of the loose rust.

I have also read a lot of good results with "The Works" toilet bowl cleaner... you can get it from the Dollar Store. Search YouTube... lots of videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCAvHcc2vNs