Petrol Tank advice needed

[Nigel]

I have bought a petrol tank on ebay which it happens is the same side as the tank that is leaking on my car.

The tank is new and unused. It has been lying for sometime and is need of a new coating to protect it from the elements.

Any advice on how I should treat it before I put it in the car. I was thinking of something like Kurust then hand coating it with enamel paint.

Nigel

[andydclements]

How about jenseel?

http://www.dgprotective.co.uk/

[Vulcan Grey]

Remove all paint. Be careful if you bead blast!!! Any stray beads that stay in the tank will kill your injectors... I know for a fact.

Remove all rust.

I coated mine with a protective layer of a phosphate based primer.

Spray primer

many coats of paint

Then I coated mine with a thick turck bed liner paint

I also protected the rim edges with a rubber U-channel that I sealed with RTV.

I made new foam pads with a closed cell foam, and covered that with plastic.

I also placed rubber tread mats under the tanks to keep them from rubbing on the fiberglass.

Oh and I coated the insides of the tank with POR-15 fuel tank coating.

More info and pics here.

http://www.vulcangrey.thelotusforums.com/v...ance/fueltanks/

Edited September 12, 2008 by Vulcan Grey

[Esprit Aviation]

If you want to get rid of the rust easily and w/o blasting check out the rust remover we carry. Click below on 'RUST REMOVAL'

Regards, Lee

Not sure how much it would be to send overseas though; still looking into less expensive shipping methods

Edited September 12, 2008 by Esprit Aviation

[superdavelotus]

Most of the old stuff will peel off.

I would coat first layer in zinc primer

then two coats of Hamerite smooth satin black.

All this stuff is from Wilkos or Halfords and will do just as good a job as any other method and it's local. The Hamerite you can actually put on bare metal as it's a primer in one but I wanted belt and braces.

I've just done mine with this stuff.

[Nigel]

Thanks SuperDave

The old paint did indeed scrape off, used Kurust (Hammerite), then as you suggested red oxide primer and two coats of Smoothrite complete with drips.

Not fitted it yet, don't think it should be too bad as it is the drivers side.

Nigel

[superdavelotus]

Hi Nigel,

Good news that the paint just peeled/scraped off although it was never designed to. I think there was an period when these tanks didn't get prepared properly before painting. The tank I bought at the factory sale just was off a 2000 my. Not sure when it was actually made but the coating and prep is totally different to my original tank. I tried to recoat by stripping the original coating off but it was so good that it almost looked like is was powder coated. just wish my original tank was the same.

Dave