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'Cuz I'm not in enough trouble already
- Thread starter gggGary
- Start date
Getting seamy.
From inside tank.
view from bottom.
From inside tank.
view from bottom.
I'd suggest cutting about an inch inside the seam. Will make reassembly easier.
An observation.... Ideal ratio for a matrix (that's the fiber and resin combo) is 60% fiber to 40% resin. Acceptable is 50/50. That looks to be 20/80 to 40/60?
No wonder it cracked.
An observation.... Ideal ratio for a matrix (that's the fiber and resin combo) is 60% fiber to 40% resin. Acceptable is 50/50. That looks to be 20/80 to 40/60?
No wonder it cracked.
Yeah by moving the cut inside of that seam , you give yourself a flatter, easier area to repair, and easier to see if your edges are level. I’m with you Jim, I’ve never seen fiberglass that was so translucent , it doesn’t look like it has much matting in it.
When applying the glass mat to the repair. I’ve seen some guys brush resin onto the surface and then lay a piece of dry mat on top and then brush more resin on top. I like to take a piece of plastic , or cardboard or whatever ,
lay the mat on it and pour some resin on it and then work it into the mat with a plastic bondo spreader, get the air out of it and completely saturate the mat. Then ( wear gloves ) brush some resin onto your work surface and lay your saturated mat on it and work it down with your bondo spreader. If you lay your plastic spreader aside and let the resin set up, all you have to do is flex it and the resin will peel right off and it’ll be clean as a whistle.
I would also lay in a supply of cheap throw away paint brushes.
Gary
Throw the tank in your van, drive to KC pick up Jim. Then go to Bob's house. While those 2 are fixing you tank you can get Mailman's XS2 sorted out and ride around the desert. Just for test purposes. Mailman can supervise Jim after his hernia operation. Everybody wins.
Throw the tank in your van, drive to KC pick up Jim. Then go to Bob's house. While those 2 are fixing you tank you can get Mailman's XS2 sorted out and ride around the desert. Just for test purposes. Mailman can supervise Jim after his hernia operation. Everybody wins.
'nother trick...... take one of your cheap brushes and cut 'bout 2/3 of the brush off. Makes a nice stiff stipple brush. Use it to tap straight into the repair. Forces the fibers down to the work surface (better bonding) and brings all the air bubbles and excess resin to the repair surface where they can be squeegeed off.
^^^Also improves their utility as a cleaning brush.
I worked around boat building just enough to know that I don't want ANYTHING to do with fiberglass...nasty stuff to work with both physically (dust and fibers) and chemically.
I worked around boat building just enough to know that I don't want ANYTHING to do with fiberglass...nasty stuff to work with both physically (dust and fibers) and chemically.
Gary
Throw the tank in your van, drive to KC pick up Jim. Then go to Bob's house. While those 2 are fixing you tank you can get Mailman's XS2 sorted out and ride around the desert. Just for test purposes. Mailman can supervise Jim after his hernia operation. Everybody wins.
Hey now you’re talking! I’ll fire up the grill, it’s warm and sunny here!
Be careful. It's not that warm in cheeseland.
You might contact Tim @ Omars. They made all of the original Omar's DTR stuff and now own the business. He prolly could help. I repaired lots of my old Corvette body back in the day. Only used goggles for protection 
Omars Fiberglass Company
https://www.omarsfiberglass.com/
https://www.omarsfiberglass.com/
Omars Fiberglass Company
https://www.omarsfiberglass.com/
https://www.omarsfiberglass.com/
You're a tougher SOB than I am.
Didn't ride this weekend but got 70 miles done Friday high of 46. full gear and hand warmers made it pleasant, not in the least cold at the end of the ride.
A warning from Omars https://www.omarsfiberglass.com/tanks-and-ethanol-fuel
A warning from Omars https://www.omarsfiberglass.com/tanks-and-ethanol-fuel
Another little trick: if you’re short of bondo spreaders, used hotel key access cards work great for spreading bondo, F-G resin, etc. They’re free and they work well.
One thought....what about inserting a thin sheet of aluminium into the open bottom of the tank after you cut out the F-G portion. That would lend stability to the rest of the tank, give you something to build upon and might make mounting things like petcocks easier.
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I like the way you think! For sure the whole solenoid well area, extending up to the rest of the floor in aluminum so no gas sits in contact with F-glass when "drained". Figure I'll add a quick drain fitting for "storage" also.
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I bought one if their tanks with their ethanol resistant coating. They said not to leave any gas sitting in the tank for over 5 days. We have access to 87 octane non ethanol here now, which I use in all my gas powered equipment, just not in my tracket yet. My mower and snow blower start and run much better with it.
I have an old, non ethanol Omars tank, it was on an abandoned tracker project, filled with gas and left to sit, you do NOT want to see the inside. But it wasn't mushy on the outside.
https://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/mcy/6861266219.html
Since Gary's collecting Buells these days....
Since Gary's collecting Buells these days....
