TOPIC:

Hey all, i got a chemical question. I just got a gas tank (finally!) and i want to coat the inside to prevent rust, but i also want the outside painted before putting it on the bike. i have everything i need for the coating, but no money to have it painted. I was going to coat it first but i'm worried that any paint stripper put on the outside will strip, or mess with the Red Kote on the inside, when they go to paint it. Should i wait? or can i just coat it now

What I would do is fully strip the tank using paint stripper now. Then dunk the entire tank in some Kleenstrip Etch and Prep. Home Depot sells the stuff and you can cut it with water to fill a small tub (or buy two gallons). This stuff will eat off all the rust fairly quickly. Soak as long as necessary to remove the rust then rinse well with fresh water followed by some alcohol to help the tank dry quickly. If the tank looks good inside you may not even have to coat it. As for the outside, some cheap rattle can primer should tide you over until the tank can be properly painted.

I've already got the vinegar for taking the rust off, and bought the red kote. The shop near me said they'd want to do the primer because their paint may not stick well to other primers. wouldnt they have to strip it again?

Is the inside of the tank badly rusted? If not, why would you want to coat the inside with anything? The inside of the tank will not rust as long as you keep fuel in it. On the other hand if you coat it eventually the coating will very likely fail and clog things up and make a mess. Ed

it is very rusted, and keeping fuel in it wouldnt be much of an issue except i live in upstate NY where i cant ride half of the year, and need to keep fuel out of the tank during that time. And i've read up a lot on red kote, many users say it lasts years, and just needs to be coated again every 5. to keep from clogging things up. Ill also be installing inline filters to make sure it doesn't cause issues.

Don't use Red Kote. Use one of the two-part coatings (Caswell is great stuff). When (not if) you go to strip off the redkote you'll be risking your outside paint anyway since you'll need to use acetone or MEK.

Unfortunately I already bought the red Kote so I’m gonna be using that, read a lot of great reviews. Next time I’ll keep my eye out for the two parts when I have some more money to spend on it, all the ones I saw were pricey.

As for the outside, I’ll call my shop and see if it’s okay by them to put a primer coat on while it sits waiting for a fresh coat of paint, and go from there!

Btw, Nessim I’ll be hopefully doing a full rebuild on this bike in the future so I’ll be going directly to you for help! Your restoration post was extremely detailed and helpful, and the bike turned out phenomenal.

Calvin9819 wrote: Unfortunately I already bought the red Kote so I’m gonna be using that, read a lot of great reviews. Next time I’ll keep my eye out for the two parts when I have some more money to spend on it, all the ones I saw were pricey.

You'll be sorry. Redkote does not stand up to ethanol fuels. I used it on my H1 restoration. Had it professionally done... Ruined a $1,000 paint job when it failed.

I only run non ethanol fuel, would it still be an issue?

That helps but you'd be better off just doing it once with a two-part sealer. I believe I parked my H1 with non-ethanol fuel but that was a few months.

Never just use something, just because "you already bought it". Either send it back or sell it on CL, and let someone else screw up their bike. If you coat a rusty tank, you are sealing the crap into the tank forever. Why not clean it up, then if you want to coat it, have it done by a professional that knows how to get a nice even coat?

Almost anything will screw up a nice paint job, Metal rescue or the other equivalents will clean it up without harming nice paint. I think you could drink the stuff, although you may not want to.

Here is a good article of a guy cleaning up a old Kawasaki tank using Oxalic acid. It says will not harm paint and environmentally friendly too, like Metal Rescue, only a LOT cheaper. I try to avoid any other damage while in the process, so make block off plates for the petcock and fuel gauge sender. Try to avoid aluminum in the bath solution.

www.kawasakimotorcycle.org/forum/vintage...fe-rusted-tanks.html

My block off plates.



Check out these pics of the gas tank cut in half. One side cleaned and the other untouched.

www.workshophero.com/using-our-products/motorcycles/