Tank liner removal ?

[grewth]

I've aquired a fourth F1 tank.
Not dirt cheap like the last one, but free of major dents/filler as far as I can see.
Been over it with a magnet, and not found any nasty surprises.
But inside the tank is not so good.
Looks like a slosh tank sealer over a good layer of rust.
TBH, I'm in two minds about what to do.
Either trust it as is, or try to strip out the sealer and the rust.
I've no way of finding out what brand of slosh sealer was used, and no way of knowing if it is ethanol resistant.
One of the negative aspects of the F series bikes.
Nobody is making pattern fuel tanks, unlike the K series bikes, where the plentiful supply of new replica tanks means there are lots of battered used ones to be had.
Apparently Methyl Ethyl Ketone is the stuff to use on the slosh sealer, but I'm wary of making things worse not better.
I've promised to myself that I'd build some sort of powered rotisserie for tank cleaning purposes, but I never get around to it.
Is there anyone who offers a commercial tank cleaning service ?
Just a thought.

 

[Davidson750]

That can be a chore..the last one I did they poured the sealer in a tank that hadn't been properly prepared..it actually came out(in pieces).. I think we ended up modifying a very long set of offset needle nose pliers.. after numerous coat hangers..just need to watch out that you don't bugger up the tank opening.. it will actually come out like old paint in a roller pan... If you're lucky.. you'll be shaking it like a kid trying to get the last penny out of the piggy bank.. if there's enough material and you're a decent enough welder you can cut an access hole(nice flat surface)and then tack it back up.. but again that requires a full stripping, sand repaint the whole tank.. good luck and be patient.

 

[Loki]

I have heard that acetone will dissolve tank sealants, I haven't tried it as my tank doesn't appear to have any sealant and is quite good inside, I do plan to line the tank to prevent corrosion in the future though.

Loki

 

[grewth]

I have heard that acetone will dissolve tank sealants, I haven't tried it as my tank doesn't appear to have any sealant and is quite good inside, I do plan to line the tank to prevent corrosion in the future though.

Loki

The sealer actually appears to be stuck on quite well.
It's the quantity of rust underneath it that worries me.
I'd ideally like to see it stripped back to bare metal, even if it is pitted and pot marked from the rust.
Then I could apply a slosh sealer which allegedly can withstand ethanol.

 

[Loki]

Acetone worth a try, it's not expensive and easily obtainable I think I got mine from Amazon.

Loki

 

[grewth]

Acetone worth a try, it's not expensive and easily obtainable I think I got mine from Amazon.

Loki

Isn't that basically what's in nail varnish remover ?
I tried to remove paint overspray with some recently, TBH it didn't do much.
Maybe trapped inside the tank for a while it would be more effective.
What I'm worried about is using something that will only do half a job.

 

[Loki]

Acetone or nail varnish remover? I wiped over some paint with acetone the other day to clean it, before trying glue pulling, and the paint quickly started to get sticky! Glue pulling failed, Norton fuel tanks are obviously made of tough stuff!! Have to break out the stud welder again.

Loki

 

[Davidson750]

Yep you got a be careful, and on those older tanks they're pot metal..you pull that cruddy liner out just to find out it was the only thing holding the tank together(sarcasm)

 

[grewth]

Yep you got a be careful, and on those older tanks they're pot metal..you pull that cruddy liner out just to find out it was the only thing holding the tank together(sarcasm)

I've got one like that.
Not Honda, but Yamaha 650 Special.
Given to me by a guy who bought the bike from a dealer c/w a nice shiny new professional paint job.
Looks like the painter knew the tank was rotten along the bottom, but just chucked in a slosh sealer, and carried on regardless.
Lasted about 18 months before it started weeping fuel apparently.

 

[Apache8093]

I had the same problem with a 1985 Yamaha XT600 tank, sealed with who knows what and of course the sealant was failing. Only thing that worked for me was acetone, that and a box of 1" drywall screws. Put them all in the tank, shake, let sit, and repeat until it's all dissolved. It's an aggressive move but it was the only way I found to get the liner out.

 

[grewth]

I had the same problem with a 1985 Yamaha XT600 tank, sealed with who knows what and of course the sealant was failing. Only thing that worked for me was acetone, that and a box of 1" drywall screws. Put them all in the tank, shake, let sit, and repeat until it's all dissolved. It's an aggressive move but it was the only way I found to get the liner out.

I've always promised myself that I'd build some sort of powered rotisserie thing that I could bolt up the tank to, fill with some sort of abrasive medium, and leave it running until it had scoured the insides clean.
Because I've been on a buying spree lately, I've probably got enough "dirty" tanks now to justify the effort.