Hey fellas, I've been tuning up my late father's bike to get road ready and the gas tank has been fighting me. It has been sealed once before and the old seal is chipping really bad revealing more rust. I think my best route is to get a new tank but I have no clue what tank dad put on this thing. It's a 1980 FLT tour glide but the tank has digital gauge on it and lighted fuel gauge opposite the gas cap.

Or if you have any ideas to get the old seal cleaned out I'm all ears. The tank doesn't leak so if there is a way, I'm all for it

 

That is a carbureted roadking tank...actually relatively hard to find as most roadkings were EFI.

EFI roadking tanks are cheap on ebay and easy to make work.


http://www.baggersmag.com/harley-dav...sion-tank-trap

 

You're a lifesaver, thanks! Before I spend the money on a new tank, I've heard rumors of using acetone and a handful of nuts to get the old liner out. Any experience with that?

 

Fill it with acetone and let it sit for a few days. It should melt it out. You may have to drain and strain it a couple of times to get it all. What color is the liner?

 

Will filling it with acetone foul up the paint on the outside at all? The old liner that's chipping up looks to be grey. I tried to get a picture but it's tough to see

 

Take it to a radiator shop. They will boil it out and have them reseal the tank for you. Red Kotes is the best sealer out there IMO.

 

Be careful with the acetone ... Highly flammable !!!

 

Radiator repair shops in most parts of the country have become non-existent... cars, big rigs and even heavy equipment went to the aluminum/plastic tank throw-away radiators 20 years ago, and it has become so costly to dispose of the chemicals...so most remaining "radiator shops" just sell new radiators.

I used to have one 5 miles from my house...the last one I had repaired...I had to drive 25 miles, and they had a 6 week backlog.

 

If you want to clean and reseal the tank...it is not expensive and easy to do, BUT it takes time and if you rush any of the steps, it will fail again.

Most of the tank cleaners are water based caustics...and any water left in the tank will cause the liner to fail. Fans help speed up the drying process but heat guns are a no-no. I have seen tanks that have been rinsed multiple times with water, explode...didn't hurt anyone...but ruined the tank...looked like an over inflated balloon.

Once you coat the tank, if you put gas in it before the coating has completely dried...the liner will fail....I always wait 2 weeks in the warmer months...and will not try to coat one in the winter.

I have used POR-15 and Red-Koat with great success...DO NOT use Kreem.

If you want to save the existing paint...give it a good wax-job, then completely cover it with a lot blue painters tape...cover it several times...and then still try not to get any of the chemicals on it...and immediately wipe up any you do spill.

 

I called the lone radiator shop that is local and they had no interest in messing with my tank. They did try their hardest to steer me away from re sealing it, with fear that I will be in this same spot a few years down the road. But in my situation it seems like the best option short of buying a new tank. Should I use the acetone to melt out the old liner so I have a fresh surface to re seal?