My tank restoration job

[CartmanKXT250]

here is a pic of my gas tank before....and after :)

[wanting200x250r]

let me guess...steal wool and armor all???

[CartmanKXT250]

lol....I wish it was that easy....100 grit, 220 grit, 400 grit, 600 grit, 1200, and finally 1500...then I applied 3m rubbing compound. Thing was faded bad as you can see in the pics.

[djcheez]

im doin my front fender and rad shroud right now. did you wet sand? by hand or with a sander? what is the rubbing compound? is it a gloss coat?

[CartmanKXT250]

dj....Yes I wet sand, and yes i did it all by hand..it took awhile, I worked on it for awhile each night after work..It's still not done, there are still some scratches that need to be taken out from the 100 grit...The compound I used was 3m imperial hand glaze..I have some nice white gloss compound around here somewhere,but i cant find it so I didnt use it...It is also by 3m. hope this helps!

[J.D.]

When y'all say wetsand, do you mean you get the sandpaper wet and then sand on it, or what? What are the advantages of it compared to regular sanding?

[CartmanKXT250]

the paper doesnt clog up as easily if you wet sand..I believe it isnt as abrasive when its wet too...I was constantly dipping the paper into the water and sanding
and sanding
and sanding

[J.D.]

Yeah but the end result is practically new plastics...I think it's worth it, and I'm gonna do it to my trike too..I'll post B&A pics too :D

[djcheez]

i got the ol power sander out and took out some deep scratches, but quickly turned it off cause it looked as though it would eat through the whole thing in no time. yeah that helped cart. thanks. i dont want to pay 100 bucks for a right rad. shroud so i got to clean mine up so it matches the new left one.

[CartmanKXT250]

No problem cheezer..hope it works out!!

[djcheez]

cart you think that 3m stuff is better than just having the plastic clear coated after being sanded? i dunno just thought id ask. trying to think of a durable coat that shines and doesnt have to be reapplied often.

[CartmanKXT250]

not sure on that one...I dont mind slobberin a some 3m on the tank....but if you get your stuff clear coated, make sure they use a flex additive...if you dont, you will flex the fender and the paint will crack!

[kilabeez0]

good idea with the flex additive

[CartmanKXT250]

thanks!

[djcheez]

yeah i figured youd have to have the flex stuff. i have it mixed in on my race bike. it holds up real well

[200x Basket]

here is my before and after. it took about 2 hours :D i used orbital air powered car sander to get the tough stuff. i then went to 400 grit wet sand with soapy water, 600 grit wet sant. then i took a drill mounted buffing wheel and buffed the tank with rubbing compound that you by at walmart.

[mbg75]

after going through the different stages of sanding, you can apply 4 to 6 coats of mop and glow floor wax. make sure you use fine steel wool between coats and let each coat fully dry. it will give the plastic a high gloss and stays on pretty good. however, if you use any solvent based cleaners, it will remove the coating.