fuel tank coatings

Post Reply
ncitta
Member
Posts: 56
Joined: Mon Jun 02, 2008 5:22 pm
Bikes: *

fuel tank coatings

#1

Post by ncitta »

I am in need of a fuel tank coating for the inside of an aluminum tank, any suggestions?
Thanks, Nelson
razzle51
Inactive member
Member
Posts: 34
Joined: Sat May 05, 2007 12:54 pm
Location: Iowa

Re: fuel tank coatings

#2

Post by razzle51 »

ya, dont do it
Bosheff
Senior Member
Posts: 1270
Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2009 8:23 pm
Bikes: 65 FLH 82 FLH
Location: Michigan
Been thanked: 60 times

Re: fuel tank coatings

#3

Post by Bosheff »

Excellent advice, Razzle....bosheff
lockdoc
Inactive member
Member
Posts: 117
Joined: Mon Apr 02, 2007 1:08 am
Bikes: 65 Panhead in a 70 FLH frame
Location: Northeast PA, USA
Been thanked: 3 times

Re: fuel tank coatings

#4

Post by lockdoc »

I took your advise about not coating my tanks last year. Unfortunately it was bad advise in my personal case. Spent hours upon hours prepping, painting, wet sanding and buffing out my tanks. Plus pressure tested them. Came out beautiful. I was very proud. Six months later I came out in the morning and found my paint bubbling off one of the tanks. I thought I screwed up the prep part. Turns out there was an itsy bitsy teentsy weentsy pin hole in a weld that developed And DESTROYED all my work.

IF ONLY I HAD USED THE KREEM THAT I HAD BOUGHT AND LEFT SITTING ON THE SHELF.

Never again. It is in there now. Just like it was in my old tanks.
Bosheff
Senior Member
Posts: 1270
Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2009 8:23 pm
Bikes: 65 FLH 82 FLH
Location: Michigan
Been thanked: 60 times

Re: fuel tank coatings

#5

Post by Bosheff »

Far be it for me to tell a happy customer that he is not happy....bosheff
NightShift
Senior Member
Posts: 534
Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2009 4:20 pm
Bikes: Two Schwinns, a Hercules, and a Hiawatha
Location: Underground in Illinois
Has thanked: 3 times
Been thanked: 6 times

Re: fuel tank coatings

#6

Post by NightShift »

Dear Lockdoc,

Are you blaming the welding or no band-aid?

With all respect,
Bosheff
Senior Member
Posts: 1270
Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2009 8:23 pm
Bikes: 65 FLH 82 FLH
Location: Michigan
Been thanked: 60 times

Re: fuel tank coatings

#7

Post by Bosheff »

If ya think prepping, painting, wet sanding, and buffing the outside of a set of tanks and havin em leak is enough to push ya over the edge, try removin that sealer stuff from the inside of those tanks!....bosheff
lockdoc
Inactive member
Member
Posts: 117
Joined: Mon Apr 02, 2007 1:08 am
Bikes: 65 Panhead in a 70 FLH frame
Location: Northeast PA, USA
Been thanked: 3 times

Re: fuel tank coatings

#8

Post by lockdoc »

If you think I'm was being nasty or something, fine. Just a touchy subject for me. It was a lot of work. Of course it was a bad weld. Or maybe I sanded a weld when I shouldn't have. Who knows? Welcome to the real world. No one needs any snide comments. I just know if I had used it my bike would have been fine. I have used it before with no problems. Nor have any of my local friends. I decided too not use due to posts here. It was said it peels and can clog stuff. I usually get sound advise here so I didn't. So I'm giving my advise. Use it. I'm the other side of the coin. If your tank is prepped well it should work just fine. My old tanks had a lot of rust inside. Cleaned it as well as I could but it still had rust. The Kreem has yet to peel or chip as I still have them. Just my experience. And look, I wrote more than one sentence so as to try and explain myself. Some others should try it.

With respect, Bill

Just a note. I have to go to court tomorrow for BS so I'm pretty edgy. I might look at this later differently. But I still say use it.
rodklop
Member
Posts: 91
Joined: Thu Nov 02, 2006 4:45 am
Bikes: Harley 42 WLA Harley 48FL
Location: WI
Been thanked: 4 times

Re: fuel tank coatings

#9

Post by rodklop »

Last fall I coated my new set of repro J model tanks with Kreem, 2 coats. I haven't painted them yet. If I fill them with MEK, any idea how long it would take to strip? Does the MEK disolve the Kreem or does it just come out in clumps, ect......help..Rod
Kurt
Member
Posts: 268
Joined: Tue Jul 01, 2003 2:21 am
Bikes: 1942 U
1942 WLA
1995 Ultra
2008 Ultra
Has thanked: 4 times
Been thanked: 5 times

Re: fuel tank coatings

#10

Post by Kurt »

I have to agree with nightshift.......this action is a band-aid at best......sure it might last a few days or a few years and make you happy you did it........but the bottom line is........it "WILL" eventually fail and when that day comes.....I don't want to be there.

Every tank I paint, I always pressure test it for leaks submerged in water.....it's SOP as far as any restoration goes. That goes for new reproduction tanks as well.

my .02

Kurt
mbskeam
Senior Member
Posts: 1014
Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2003 12:26 pm
Bikes: *
Location: Sultan, WASH
Been thanked: 6 times
Contact:

Re: fuel tank coatings

#11

Post by mbskeam »

Kreem ...
there are better sealers....
redkote is one and por15 the other, I had bad luck with kreem.
it finally let loose, what a pain to get out.

as the gas composition changes, the redkote that is in the tanks may fail but hopefully not for a while.....
panpered
Inactive member
Member
Posts: 20
Joined: Sat Dec 22, 2007 4:32 pm
Location: Las Cruces, NM
Contact:

Re: fuel tank coatings

#12

Post by panpered »

I just used the Red-kote product on my '61 tanks. I researched this subject a while and not just on this forum and felt it was worth giving it a try. Only time will tell.
fourthgear
Inactive member
Senior Member
Posts: 1400
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2004 5:54 am
Bikes: -
Location: north florida
Been thanked: 7 times

Re: fuel tank coatings

#13

Post by fourthgear »

I'm not sure why you would use a coating on an alum. tank ,they don't rust & are a lot easier to weld /repair . I have had no problems using the Kreem product & I personally know tanks that have had them in them for twenty years . My one Pan is going on seven and I know its still good because I just emptied the old gas out last week & the Kreem looks like the day I put it in. Some like it & some don't.
kevsett
Member
Posts: 340
Joined: Fri Oct 31, 2003 3:13 am
Bikes: 1964 FL
Location: Missouri
Has thanked: 56 times
Been thanked: 28 times

Re: fuel tank coatings

#14

Post by kevsett »

It depends on the resin used in Kreem. MEK might be strong enough. Toluene might be strong enough. But if neither do the job or don't do it adequately try to find a methylene chloride based stripper. That's what our plant (paint mfg) used for decades. Lately they are using methyl pyrrolidone and peroxide based strippers but aren't having the same efficiency by a long shot.
rodklop wrote:Last fall I coated my new set of repro J model tanks with Kreem, 2 coats. I haven't painted them yet. If I fill them with MEK, any idea how long it would take to strip? Does the MEK disolve the Kreem or does it just come out in clumps, ect......help..Rod
Ohio-Rider
Member
Posts: 363
Joined: Tue Jan 25, 2005 3:04 pm
Bikes: *
Location: North-East Ohio
Been thanked: 3 times

Re: fuel tank coatings

#15

Post by Ohio-Rider »

Talk about a head scratcher. How can some guys be using it for decades with out any problems and others have trouble with it almost instantly? Can there be that big of a difference in the fuel mixtures from area to area? Are some guys just applying the coating wrong?

I’ve tried sealers twice on pin hole leaks and followed the directions to the letter. Both times the sealer has failed with in a single season. No more tries for me. Now I just keep the tanks full to keep them from rusting.
Post Reply

Return to “Fenders, Primary, Tanks & Paint”