Bad gas tank liner removal

[BklynMatt]

It took me a while to realize the rust colored crud inside my gas tank wasn't rust, but some material the previous owner tried to line the tank with. I haven't a clue what it is but it appears to be like wrinkle paint and its fouling my carbs.(I need a better filter)
I am open to suggestions for a process to get this stuff out. Acid? I had the tank soaking in CLR for weeks (before I realized what it was). No need to tell you how difficult it is to get at the Tanks surface to get a decent sample. I don't believe I can attempt using another liner material untill I clean out the old stuff. Does anyone have an Idea, short of a new tank??

 

[Reid]

have you tried paint stripper?

 

[racerdave]

Look up Por 15 or Red Kote. both quality tank liners, and ask for the recommendations.

 

[Reid]

I used the red kote it works pretty well but I thought it took a long time to cure out

 

[jd750ace]

Acetone to dissolve the old liner. Could take a while. Probably best to do the nut-n-bolt shaker to help break it up and rub it loose.

If she's still around, Poverty made up a rig out of a windshield wiper motor that would be a hoot to watch while cleaning it!

 

[visimpact]

I recommend caswell tank sealer very very highly. I have fixed countless tank liners that were failing and countless leaky tanks as well. You can use acetone and dry wall screws and shake it around in the tank. Make sure u count how many screws you put in and make sure that many come out. U don't want a Rouge screw in there. Once you get all the loose crap you can out with a few sessions of that you can let the tank dry and line it. Caswell is very thick and grabs well to rusty rough surfaces. It's a two part system and hardens like concrete. I've been using it for years and have never had a tank leak or come back on me. I've fixed probably over a 100 tanks with it. I swear by it and I should be paid a endorsement fee for this. Lol.

 

[jetmechmarty]

MEK should dissolve any solvent based tank liner. I can't be sure how well your paint will stand up to it. The fumes are dangerous to your health and getting it on your skin is very bad for your liver. It is extremely bad for your tank liner.

about Methyl Ethyl Keytone

 

[angus67]

do not mess with MEK. i will fuck u up if you dont know what your doing.
acetone and screws.
I was wondering, when a tank gets lined, dosnt it coat cover the petcock holes? do you just knife it out?

 

[visimpact]

Don't let it dry in any passage or holes or threads. You will have a mess on your hands. The caswell sealer is tough to get out once dry. Blow gun and blow compressed air thru any ports or anything u don't want it in. Especially threads. It gets locked in the threads and can make life miserable

 

[jd750ace]

MEK is awesome, but yes, a defatting agent (google it) and will tear your liver up faster than cheap booze! It will absolutely do the work, but acetone (technical, not nail polish remover, which usually contains water) would be my choice. I have been working around MEK for way too long on aircraft, and it's bad to breathe or touch. Acetone is not as severe on you to touch, but the V.O.C. content is a drag race. Don't breathe either one, and use gloves! It will be near impossible to protect your paint from either one in the process. You will generally use an exacto knife to clean the petcock holes, and I have used plastic dowels to plug the holes during the coating. Nylon rod works pretty good, as the liner does not get a great bite on it, and you can usually remove them without disbonding the liner material.

 

[BklynMatt]

Thank you all for all the responses.
I put the "Headbanger Icon" on my post because the thread i attached it to actually addressed the same problem, and the response to that was MEK. I was in an auto parts store & next to acetone they had a rustoleum product called "Airplane stripper", JD Ace, is this a product you're familiar with?, Is it stronger than Acetone? it's 2x the price. Hiow many apps of acetone do you think I need? I know that's relative to the coating, I think it was probably 1 coat of whatever was used. ??? Bklynmatt

 

[BklynMatt]

And as it always happens, I can't find the thread that I attached this original question to?? Thanks again for all your replies,
I would like to see the contraption "Poverty" made from a wiper moter, what sort of dynamic did it have? I'll guess it was converted to a back and forth motion by the intermittent arc of the motor, but from there I can't imagine exactly what went on???

 

[jd750ace]

The "aircraft remover" I believe it is called, has never removed one damn aircraft for me!

Seriously, the primary ingredient in that stripper is methyline chloride. It 's wicked shit, but you don't want to be trying to get rid of that crap, or trying to get all of it out of that tank. Your new liner would let go immediately if any of it was left over. How much MEK or Acetone you need: a gallon would be plenty, and ya probably don't need that if you have a bunch of old hardware to throw in with it. Really helps the process along by breaking the crap loose. If it ain't too hot where you are, a quart or so might do ya, but both are very low flash point, so they evaporate like a mad dog when exposed. You can go at it for a while, then filter your remains thru cheesecloth (most of us use a tee shirt from some place we used to work) and weed out the big chunks, and it makes the rest come faster by eliminating stuff to keep the hardware from scratching and banging into what's left. If you have a gallon, you can use part of it to get the crap put, and save about half for flushing the tank nice and clean when you're done. Don't want to piss off the squirrel people, but you can let either one evaporate, and then the only waste product you have is your old liner chunks, which you can just chunk in the trash. MEK Cleans everything, and removes pretty much anything that is not epoxy, but as warned above, ya can't be breathing that shit!
Good luck my man, and ask them in the store if anyone has successfully removed an aircraft with "aircraft remover"!

Poverty's video was epic! http://www.xs650.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18558&highlight=poverty

Second design is bad ass!