1971 Build for Dad

Rhy, sorry that I'm late in catching up with this thread. I have a tank that appears to be in really good condition both inside and out, off this bike I bought which is a TX650. I'm restoring the bike to original 73, so this is the wrong tank for that year. The tank appears to be off an XS1 or XS2, but those more experienced can opine on that. Would be willing to ship it to you if you think it would work. Problem is I won't be back home until April 4, if you could wait that long.
 

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That video was very cool!
One of my favorites! We have a scanning electron microscope in the lab and they function at very high vacuum - greater than 29.9" Hg. Despite only being about 2'x2'x3' it has solid steel walls that about 2.5" thick. High vac is nothing to mess around with!
 
Rhy, sorry that I'm late in catching up with this thread. I have a tank that appears to be in really good condition both inside and out, off this bike I bought which is a TX650. I'm restoring the bike to original 73, so this is the wrong tank for that year. The tank appears to be off an XS1 or XS2, but those more experienced can opine on that. Would be willing to ship it to you if you think it would work. Problem is I won't be back home until April 4, if you could wait that long.
I am totally floored by your offer... Thank you SO MUCH! I would be honored to take you up on the tank. I can send this shipping crate Dad made for that very tank to you along with prepaid/prelabeled return postage. Please PM your address and what you want for it. I am a stubborn bastard and will probably keep working on my current tank, but no doubt that your tank will make the better bike at the end of the day. I very much intend to keep this in the family, hopefully for a damn long time. If someone gets in a jam maybe my current tank can be of assistance. Thanks again!

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I am happy to say that this project is moving again! Got sidetracked with a project on the '80 and of course had to take some time to enjoy the spring bounty of the Ozarks. Any fans of Morels?

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Moving along... I received the XS1 tank from @2XSive about a week ago. Again, my sincere thanks for reaching out to me with this! It looks to be in excellent condition!

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I imagine this tank weathered the years so well because of the INSANE amounts of paint on it. There was the blue top coat, a bunch of filling primer, then some black paint, and finally some of what I believe to be the original white. Lots of aircraft stripper was needed...

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Finally got it down to bare metal and it looks good!

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There is only one issue I can see that I would really appreciate some feedback on. On the right side of tank there is a fairly large patch of Bondo. Given how much primer was on this, the level of the Bondo is still higher than the metal. I am tempted to just sand it down, but I have limited experience with body work. Should I try and remove this patch before proceeding? If so, what is the best way to get it off? It stood up to the stripper very well...

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I am happy to say that this project is moving again! Got sidetracked with a project on the '80 and of course had to take some time to enjoy the spring bounty of the Ozarks. Any fans of Morels?

View attachment 189710

Moving along... I received the XS1 tank from @2XSive about a week ago. Again, my sincere thanks for reaching out to me with this! It looks to be in excellent condition!

View attachment 189714

I imagine this tank weathered the years so well because of the INSANE amounts of paint on it. There was the blue top coat, a bunch of filling primer, then some black paint, and finally some of what I believe to be the original white. Lots of aircraft stripper was needed...

View attachment 189715

Finally got it down to bare metal and it looks good!

View attachment 189716

There is only one issue I can see that I would really appreciate some feedback on. On the right side of tank there is a fairly large patch of Bondo. Given how much primer was on this, the level of the Bondo is still higher than the metal. I am tempted to just sand it down, but I have limited experience with body work. Should I try and remove this patch before proceeding? If so, what is the best way to get it off? It stood up to the stripper very well...

View attachment 189719
If stripper touched it, the top layer is contaminated. I wouldn't trust it.... just the top layer. Take a heavy grit paper/sanding disc and just take the top layer off 'till you see clean bondo. Then sand/add as required to build it back to where it needs to be.
 
Any fans of Morels?

I'm very jealous of you right now, the snow we got yesterday most likely killed any chance of morels here in northern Mo/Kan for the year.:cussing:
+1 on what @Jim said, if there was any stripper on that body filler sand down to fresh and reapply. Otherwise the paint will slough off about as fast as you can apply it. If it were my tank I would get rid of all that filler and try to repair the dent as best I can then reapply fresh Bondo.
 
I'm very jealous of you right now
If it is any consolation it was lousy pickings down here, even before that freak storm. I was out in the woods all day and only made it home with ~20, most of them tiny... They are elusive. Do you find them by Ash trees up north? That's the rule down here...

Thanks all for the feedback. I will try to get it off with a heat gun and will give anything that is left a good sanding!
 
If the bondo is already higher than the metal, I would go the sanding route, personally. You may be able to get it in line with the metal and save quite a bit of time...assuming it's sanded down to clean bondo of course. But if you have low spots on it...then I'd remove and start over.
 
Should a body filler go directly onto bare metal?

The best bet is to read the technical information for the body filler in question. Some body fillers specifically say bare metal application and some say apply over an epoxy primer/other coating system. Often when removing old filler that has been applied direct to metal you will observe rust behind it. This is because fillers absorb moisture from the air during preparation. This moisture eventually gets sealed in when painted and leads to rusting.

Experience does tell us that direct application to bare metal works well for motorcycle tanks, but its not always the best for high end applications where extreme anti-corrosion performance is required.
 
Turned my attentions to the inside of the tank and am afraid I discovered a problem. Upon initially looking inside, I thought I only saw some light surface rust. No pitting, flaking, just a fairly homogenous coating of reddish rust color. To remove this, I added an agitator and some Muriatic acid and shook it around for a couple of minutes. No real change... A few of the spots without this red color did look much cleaner. A little mystified, I then decided to try some EvapoRust for an overnight soak. Still no change. Everything I have read suggest that rust should be all but gone by now :umm:.
Then I came to the realization that this might not be rust. I think it is tank liner, such as RedKote:cussing:! Reaching real far back into the tank with a light I can even see what I think is a solidified puddle of the stuff in the bottom rear of the tank.

If this is the case, how do you think I should proceed? Try and remove it with something like acetone? Apply another tank liner like POR 15 over it? Run it as she is? Anyone have any experience with something like this?
 
I'd be inclined to try and remove it to see what's underneath. Damned if I know how though.... acetone's as good a shot as any I guess.
I've no experience with tank liners though, so take that with a grain of salt. :shrug:
 
I added an agitator and some Muriatic acid
Do not use muriatic acid on or in your motorcycle. It will lead to a bigger rust problem. Save it for etching your concrete driveway. Phosphoric acid is a far better choice.

Try and remove it with something like acetone?
Acetone or MEK should do the job. If the liner seems impervious to it, try paint stripper.

Apply another tank liner like POR 15 over it?
NEVER!!!!!

Run it as she is? Anyone have any experience with something like this?
Maybe, if it's completely intact. Perhaps it was done correctly. Then again, once you paint the tank....
Unfortunately, I am experienced. Read about it here: Failed Tank Liner
 
I just faced this...had a tank leak on a tank with liner that failed. I despise liners, but it clearly had a leak that can't be welded/brazed--and there aren't many options. I opted for Caswell tank sealing kit. It is made to go over failed liners. It's a 2 part epoxy... I just finished it and seems to be working very well. Not sure long-term, but so far, I'm very impressed with it.
 
Sorry, Rhy! The pics I sent using my snake camera prior to shipping the tank sure appeared to be surface rust. If it's not worth the hastle to repair, let me know and I'd be glad to iron out how to make it right.
 
Sorry, Rhy! The pics I sent using my snake camera prior to shipping the tank sure appeared to be surface rust.
No worries! Fooled me, too. I swear it looked just like a thin coat of flash rust...

Thanks all for the feedback! Based off your comments, I decided to go ahead and try to strip out the liner using what I had on hand - about two quarts of acetone. Preliminary results are promising after 10 minutes of shaking it with an agitator. I can see the liner shriveling up like paint following the application of a stripper. Approximately 70% of the liner came loose and the metal underneath looks clean as a whistle!

Here is where I stand after the first round of acetone:

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Not exactly where to go from here... The liner doesn't really seem to be dissolving, which would greatly help in pouring it out of the tank. I am thinking I might let it sit overnight and see if it dissolves. If so, then I will add several more gallons of acetone to finish the job. If it doesn't, I am thinking of draining it and switching to paint stripper as Marty suggested or some other nasty chemical (the benefits of running a laboratory :sneaky:).

One thing is clear. My new #1 most-hated task in motorcycle restoration is no longer electronics, but fuel tanks. Will keep you posted!
 
I just went round and round with some stubborn shit in a CJ360T tank. Had to fill it with acetone to get it all out then hit it with vinegar (evaporust works just as well. I’d say fill it with acetone and let it sit for a few days.
 
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