UPDATE: In case this is helpful for anyone, here is what I did:
I decided to go overboard to make sure I don't need to do this again anytime soon.
I stripped all paint, bondo, inner lining etc. off with
KBS stripper, which too a while. Bars were welded on somehow with JB weld or something. I couldn't get them off.
I used
POR 15t patch to seal the holes but then read that you cannot sand or dissolve
POR15 patch
and it looked lumpy and crappy. So I piled on a ton more of the stuff and made a 3D design out of it on both sides of the tank. It doesn't smooth out very well and doesn't seem to like being as thick as I laid it, so it did bubble and streak a bit when it was drying, but I don't mind much.
I cleaned the tank with
KBS rust blaster &
Evaporust. I found that evaporust (on the outside of the tank) left a black residue that I had to sand off. Pain in the ass.
I used Gold standard tank sealer on the inside. It's supposed to be permanent. It went on well and looks good. It was hard to drain the excess, so I ended up having to use a siphon.
I primed and painted the outside of the tank- Tank and design (bird) different colors. Then I used
Spray max 2k clear coat on top of everything. Pretty sweet stuff.
I know it looks pretty armatures but it didn't cost me much but time and I've got something unique that no longer leaks gas (!!!) Can't comment on how this all holds up long term, but thought I'd give this update in case it's helpful.
Attaching a couple of pics here.