Refinishing Inside Petrol Tank

[pertonpc]

Next project on my Z650 is to refurb the petrol tap and clean the inside of the tank. It looks like some tank sealer has been put in at some stage and then started to flake a bit. I am planning to drain the tank,let it dry out - which I am told will make the old sealant go brittle and easy to dislodge - then clean loose stuff out by hand/ vacuum.

Then I have got some descaler solution to wash it out with.

Questions
1 - What is the standard finish on the metal inside a Zed tank?
2 - If I clean up the metal inside and keep plenty of gas in it does it need a finish putting back on at all?
3 - Is there anything I can buy to slosh round in the tank before the petrol goes back in that will somehow galvanise/ passivate etc. the bare metal as a chemical treatment rather than putting petseal gunge in it.
4. Does anyone regalvanise or similar inside tanks - I think I saw someone dipping tanks on Z1 The Movie

Any tips on the above or how you lot have tackled this would be most welcome. Thanks from Mark

[Steve S]

I,m sure someone has the answer...but just wanted to comment on nice picture

[Paul M]

Same here, dont no anything about petrol tanks but i do know a nice bike when i see one

[mikey]

Me to cant answer your question but thats one sweet looking bike

[Crofty]

Great looking bike. If the tank has been petsealed or similar the best way is to have it chemically removed, there is a product which makes it turn like jelly. If your tank is as good as it looks and giving no other problems, I would leave well alone. The finish on the inside of mine looks like bare metal.
If you do strip to metal, keep good fuel in it all the time or keep it in a warm dry place ie treat like bare metal, moisture is its enemy.
You could speak to these people
http://www.fuel-tank-renu.co.uk/pages/bike.html

But again, I would leave alone if its not giving problems.

[kev edwards]

when i got my thou , it had a sealant in the tank that was peeling quite badly it gave me no end of blockages , i tried to clean it out and in places was about 2 inches thick , i gave up in the end and managed to get a decent tank from canada for less than it would cost to refurb the old one,incidently i ebayed the old one with pictures of the crap that had come out of it.
If its not causing problems do'nt try to cure it also use an inline filter as a secondary precaution.
Nice looking bike .

[eastlondon]

It may be worthwhile phoning around firms that repair and seal car radiators. Somebody on the site did this to a z1 tank.

[kas750]

If its a none epoxy sealer such as por15 it can be removed with acetone...

[z1bnackerkwacker]

http://www.frost.co.uk/item_Detail.asp? ... Motorcycle Fuel Tank Repair Kit

I've used on several tanks and not had a problem, the cleaner that came with it cleaned my Z tank so well I was debating whether to bother with the sealer, I did and it's been fine for 3 years so far...

[scott]

Lovely looking 650

[zed1015]

1.Original finish is just bare metal.
2.Keeping fuel in the tank is the key to avoiding rust.
3. Shake a hand full of nuts/bolts/gravel ? around inside then slosh around some rust nutralizer (turns the oxide black) if its not too bad.
4. If you want to keep your paint there's not much choice apart from resealing it.
5.If it's not leaking, Clean tap, Fit inline filter and leave alone.

The fact that there's sealer in more than likely means there was a leak and the only sure way to really cure it is to strip the tank ,blast it out and have the holes welded up then respray.

[PAULJAC47]

Mark,Cellulose thinners shifts most of the gunk that they use to seal insides of tank,but it also shifts your tank paint as well,you can then use either the electrolysis method with a battery charger and soda,or the cement mixer trick with the tank wrapped in blankets and filled with gravel both work,used the electrolysis on the A4 to some effect,best way of stopping rust again is to keep filled with gas as already stated.......

[KeithZ1R]

Them early Z650s were stunning especialy in green and THAT one is particularly nice

[Pigford]

Keeping the tank full of petrol will help in one respect, but not good in another.

A tankful will stop condensation forming in the air space - which will be larger in a near empty tank..... but moisture will always be present to some degree

BUT

Modern petrol "goes off" very quickly - in a matter of months. Also petrol floats on water - in other words, water sinks to the bottom of the tank, sits there and will lead to corrosion

Even fresh fuel will tend to contain small amounts of moisture So always best to dry store over winter

[RB]

Half a gallon of engine oil does a SUPERB job of keeping a tank dry and rust free (if you don't plan to use the bike for a while) - I have some that have stood for 20+ years and are still absolutely as new inside . .