Advice on How to Restore My 250ES Metal Tank...Where to begin?

[jasonb01]

I'm looking for some guidance here. I have read through as many threads as I can find with the search function. As you can see in the pics I have a pretty nice tank for my 87 Big Red. It was Kreem coated about 5 years ago and then started leaking. Not knowing what I know now, I put JB Weld on the pin holes. Of course that didn't last, and so I shelved the tank and put a plastic tank on. Well now I want to restore this tank and use it again. as my bike is very clean and the plastic tank just doesn't do it justice. I don't know where to start or if it's even possible. I know I want to remove the Kreem, so through research I found that a product called M.E.K. will eat that up, so I bought a gallon of that at Lowe's but haven't tried it yet. I found a welding shop that said if I brought it in, they would try to braze it for me, but I have to get the JB Weld off. I read that the only way to get that off is by grinding it. As you can tell, I have JB Weld all around the petcock, which is pretty hard to get to with a grinder. I have also read that I can have it dipped at a radiator shop to get the Kreem off, but I also read that the govt outlawed that chemical dip, so I might have trouble finding a place that does it. Is that true? I'd like to have it brazed and then use Red Kote, as I read that's a better product than Kreem.

I'm willing to spend some money on it, as it's such a good tank, as far as it not having any dents. In a perfect world, I'd like to take it somewhere and have it stripped of everything, paint, Kreem, and JB Weld and then have it brazed, then re-painted with new decals. I know I can get the decals on Ebay. Is this feasible? Have any of you completely restored a tank? And is my tank a good enough candidate? Where would you begin? If someone could help me out with a list of steps that I need to take and what type of places I need to call, that would be great. Even down to the paint. If I do get it all sealed up, do I bring it to a body shop to have it spray painted, or do people powder coat tanks? I have no idea.

Lastly, is there a place I can ship this tank to and they do everything? Just in case it's too overwhelming and/or I don't have the resources near me to get it done. I'm in the Baton Rouge, LA area, btw.

Sorry it's so long, and thanks in advance!!

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[wellys88]

there are many ways to repair this tank, and it all depends on how much you wanna spend, inside the tank needs the rust removed and treated, next you need to take care of the rot, have tanks blasted at low pressure around 30 psi, using crushed glass or walnut shells, because its in an akward area u may end up cutting petcock out and welding a new patch and petcock pipe back in place in the new metal depending how far the rot goes, then the metal needs sealed and primed then basecoat paint, aply decals and clearcoat using a clear that withstands petrol, may cost a bit if you cant do it yourself, If you have to seal the inside use redkote and make sure you follow the procedure thoroughly

[wellys88]

took a closer look, just cut that square out and weld a small pice back in,

[ps2fixer]

I sold a tank locally and the guy reported back on how he restored it. It had the typical pin holes at the very bottom of the tank with jb weld (wasn't me I swear!). He took it to a local shop to have it stripped, cleaned, rust removed from the inside, braised, and recoated inside. I don't remember exactly where he went with the out side coding, I think it was power coating. He ended up with around $120 into the tank including the price to buy it, besides the rust holes it was in pretty good shape. It is do-able, but the limiting factor generally is price. Don't forget about the option to replace it with another metal tank, you might be surprised and fine one local for $70 or less, you could even post up a wanted ad on craigs list to see what is out there.

EDIT:

I should point out the shop that did the work for the guy does radiator repair, so their methods where probably similar to soldering a radiator except with braising rod.

[barnett468]

.
I seriously doubt you can find a shop that can do it all these days . . one option is below.


1. Go to hardware store and get some good LONG gloves, a plastic tub around 18" x 14" x 12" high, a lot more MEK, a quart of "Aircraft Paint Remover" made by Klean Strip, four 1 1/2" wide cheapo paint brushes, 3 quart sized clear plastic paint mixing cups, a 1 1/2" to 2" wire wheel that fits a drill, 1" to 1 1/4" wide putty knife, a tooth brush size steel brush and 2 rolls of regular high quality heavy duty paper towels like Brawny or Scott etc. . Do NOT by the blue ones.

If the tank has rust, you will also need 5 lbs of 99% dry/powdered Oxalic acid . . Look at the contents of their driveway cleaner if they have that . . If they don't you can get any quantity container you want from Amazon often with free delivery.

2. Leave the pet cock on and put the tank in the tub then fill it to the very top with the MEK, then put the gas cap on and let it sit outside for 2 days . . If it leaks out the bottom, try to fill it back up periodically.

3. After 2 days, pour the contents of the tank back into the MEK container.

4. Carefully inspect the inside of the tank with a small mag lite and use the mirror for places that you can't see.

5. Even if it looks clean, I would put more MEK in it and let it sit for an hour then turn the tank upside down and let it sit for 8 hours up to 24 hours to make sure you got the top of the tank..

6. Dump the contents into the MEK container.

7. Remove the JB Weld with the wire whee.

8. Carefully inspect the inside of the tank for rust . . If there is any at all, put the tank in the tub and get some 99% Oxalic acid in powdered form and mix 8 oz to each gallon of warm water and fill the tub until the tank is submerged and let it sit for 2 days then remove the tank and inspect it.

9. If the tank is clean, mix 8 oz of baking soda with a quart or so of warm water then pour it into the tub and mix it up, then put the tank back into the tub and let it soak for 10 minutes . . The baking soda will neutralize the acid, at which point you can basically dump the used mix anywhere you want.

10. Rinse the tank with plain water and dry the inside with a hair dryer on the low setting holding it around 2" from the gas cap hole . . If you hold it too close, it will shut off for 5 or 10 minutes . . If it shuts off, simply turn it off then blow into the front several times or just put it in the freezer for 1 minute.

11. Spread a big trash bag out then put several layers of newspaper on top . . Place the tank in the center . . Pour around 4 oz pf paint stripper into one of the plastic containers you bought then use a brush to apply it to the tank . . It's easier to section around 8" x 8' at a time because the stripper will dry and when it does you have to put more on . . After you apply it, let is sit around 5 to 10 minutes . . Once it starts to bubble the paint heavily, use the putty knife to scrape it off . . After scraping it, use the wire brush to get any small pieces that are still stuck then pour some MEK or Lacquer thinner on some paper towels and wipe the area off then put the paper towel in the trash so you don't have to smell it . . Continue this process until the tank is clean . . You can peel a layer of newspaper off and throw them away as they get messy.

12. You can now weld the tank then reseal it if you want then get it painted after all that is done.


WARNING - If you ever get any of this stuff on you, rinse it off asap . . It will do nothing more than cause a slight irritation for a day at the worst . . Use all products outdoors . . DO NOT BREATH FUMES FROM ANY OF THESE PRODUCTS . . If you get a big concentrated whiff of any of them, especially the Oxalic acid, you will be very, very, unhappy.

[jasonb01]

Thanks so much for taking the time to write up all of that! I really appreciate it! So it sounds like your instructions will bring me down to bare metal. A couple of questions, if you have time.

1. It sounds like you've done a tank or 50 in the past. LOL Does mine look like it's definitely worth restoring?

2. After it's all stripped, you say get it welded. Is brazing the best way to fix these tanks, or some other form of welding? I want to make sure I have access to someone that can weld it the way it needs to be before I get started.

3. If it was your tank, would you Red Kote it? Once all of the rust is removed, will it rust again without being coated, or can I just make sure to keep the gas fairly full at all times and it won't rust?

4. Will a simple wire wheel remove the JB Weld without grinding? You've had luck in the past with a wire wheel?

5. Where's my best place to look in the local yellow pages as far as painting? Do auto body shops typically do small jobs like a tank, or do I need to search for some sort of other business? Also, I should clear coat the tank AFTER I put on the new decals, correct?

6. I don't forsee this, but if I just feel I can't do this myself, do you know of a trustworthy place, or one of the 3WW board members, that restores tanks that I can ship it to? Similar to how FlyingW will rebuild your carb?

I am getting my Big Red back to as nice as I can and giving it to my 14 yr old son this summer as a surprise B-Day gift, so I'm willing to spend what I need to, within reason. He has always loved it, and I don't really use it much anymore. He'll be thrilled and I know he'll take great care of it and appreciate what it is. He'd keep it forever. He's a good kid.

Thanks again!!!