Tanks

[Mick D]

Hi Bruce

Sorry to hear you're still not out and about on the G12 yet but at least you haven't given up.

For what it's worth, I would put the responsibility for this issue back with the agency that performed the welded repair to the tank - it should have been fuel tight post this and not patched up with tank sealer.

Would you mind letting me know who carried out the weld repair please? I'm guessing they may be quite local to me and I wouldn't want to chance sending any of my work their way in the future - understand a PM may be a preferable method of communication.

Regards Mick

[clive]

I agree that a weld should itself be leak free without resort to sealer. If it's not vibration is sure to open up the sealed crack. Our repairs (west London) are done in house for us and checked afterwards by a pressure test on the tank. What we have found though is that even with heavy gauge steel tanks if you pressure test without a bracket across the tank mounts then the tank will distort. The mount holes spread so that the tank no longer fits !

[JEAN-NOEL]

For me, (but I don't know English legislation) the "local classic bike restorer" is responsible of the entire job, even if it was done by subconstractors. The welder probably did a good job, but the pin hole may have been revealed during the sandblasting. Some of the work was useful, but the restorer should refund money paid for the 2 lining job. Now, the place of this pin hole is well known, and a new lining, or just a ponctual repair should be O.K. Don't give up ! I assume you have compliant invoices ?

[Stan Palmer]

The linings I have used in the last few years have Instructed that all pinholes must be repaired and the tank leak free before the lining is applied. I have used POR 15 and Tapox. Both of these are rather thin coats.
Previously, 12 years ago, I used a clear lining that went on as thick as you wished, pretty sure my rusty old M16 tank was not leak free but that thick stuff sealed it up. It was leak free when I sold the bike recently.
In that tank I only used Supergrade petrol that was until recently ethanol free. The thin linings may be a result of the ethanol proofing.
Does anybody know of a current lining ethanol proof material that guarantees sealing pinholes ?
Stan

[cbranni]

Por 15 is what I use for lining a steel tank only after welding repairs or after cleaning the inside of a very rusty tank to give it extra strength, if the inside looks okay I don't use it. For glass fibre tanks I use Flowliner products.



Kind regards Colin

[Stan Palmer]

That PO15 can is completely different from the one I used, which in my case was a failure as the stuff they supplied for prepping couldn't cope with the state of my tank. Perhaps they have come up with something better.
After that bad experience the whole subject gives me the creeps !
Stan

[JEAN-NOEL]

Just an idea: if a lining repair is not possible or insufficient, why not a soft solder and a touch up paint?

[BruceB]

No invoices, no paperwork at all apart from the painting. As I said, a mess, and it took me months just to recover the tank after handing it over and that was from the painter it had been passed by the original repairer who had to be paid separately. To be frank I wasn't sure I would ever be able to recover the tank and endured months of promises that didn't get fulfilled. If the tank had been easily replaceable I would probably had told them where to stick it after about 6 months of being messed about but I couldn't seems to source a replacement
I stripped off the paint at the weekend around the leak and found an actual pinhole where it was leaking, not sure why but a camera over the hump inside the tank seems to show a bad bit of internal coating around the same area.
What I have done is get a bit of old sureseal and put it on the outside of the tank, I am hoping that this will cure the leak for a month or so, long enough for me to get the bike out a few times before the weather turns. I have resigned myself to sending the tank away to be it properly rewelded, sealed and painted from scratch again over the winter from somewhere reputable. At least if I can ride it around for a bit I can get the whole bike tested and adjusted ready to go next spring with a repaired tank.
I may be back to get views on such a reputable place
Its not as if I am not used to old bikes and unreliability but this one never seems to end and even the faults can be weird and unusual.
i'll wait a few days and stick some fuel in the tank and see if it leaks, maybe I'll get out once or twice this summer

[g80csp11]

I believe that often tanks were brazed in an attempt to repair , but this cant successfully be welded afterwards
based on your story , i would go for an Indian tank if Roy or AMC classic cant supply a good 2nd hand tank

I had problems with a painter in west Sussex who had a good website , had appeared on a TV car restoration show but in reality knew nothing about painting old bikes and promiced everything but delivered nothing . in the end i took everything back and lost the money . even threatening to tank him to small claims court had no effect .
Excuse after Excuse , and had no idea what Candy Apple Red was or how to do it .

just one of those lessons

Whites bodywork , Henfield , more than happy to name and shame and happy to see him in court!

[Reynard24]

If the leak and any damaged paintwork are under the tank I would use JB weld to seal the pinhole. I have used this to seal a massive hole near the petrol tap on one of my tanks after the petseal lining gave up and the subsequent leak also melted the fibreglass repair. I used a mild steel plate of 2” x 1” and used the JB to attach and seal it then simply brush painted the area - no leaks 5 years on.