Theres a hole in my gas tank......

this is not a good day for me.
I started sanding in preparation for repainting my gastank and discovered that in one of the areas where there was apparently some surface rust there was some bondo work done by the PO. When I started sanding this to remove the rust a small amount of gas started to seep out and cover the outside of the tank.
What can I do?? is this repairable or do I start the hunt for a replacement tank?
HELP

 

im told bondo will get eaten by the gas there is a place by me that sells fasteners called metro bolt and fastener its in redford michigan find em on yahoo
they sell this stuff that is like spackle but hardens into steel (looks like steel feels like steel hard as steel)
when i got my 650 the tank was like a babys rattle i ended up getting anotther tank from a friend but the salesman told me it works great with gas tanks

 

Well no epoxy is really as hard as steel,, but they get to 4,000 PSI tensile if done right. Good steel is at 200,000 PSI. cleaning and prep are the most important steps in a gas tank patch. You can reinforce with screen material or fiberglass cloth. Just think how many years the PO's Bondo patch held gas ! You can do better!

 

The only effective way to repair a pinhole leak is to grind or sand the spot down to bare metal and "Lead Load" the spot thet needs the repair.

Hole under the tank or where they can be seen can be fixed by soldering a copper penny over the pinhole.

You have to look for a real copper penny.
Those are the OLD ones. Real Copper.

You clean the Penny and the spot on the tank that needs the repair.
Use Radiator solder and be sure to sweat the penny firmly to the tank.

 

JB Weld is the idiot's friend...please don't ask how I know!

 

From early days of dirt bikes Gas tanks can be welded. First after tank is empty put fuel filling hole over an exaust pipe of a car running. Holding the sides of the tank while the tank fills with carbon monoxide untill the tank sides get pretty warm. Your tank can be brazed also.

 

Brazing and welding are problematic. Heat. The heat expands the metal or the welds burn through.
Pretty soon, unless you are and exceptionally skilled welder ... you are making a mess of the situation.

Old School makes a patch that wont leak and one you can conceal with some basic body working skills.

Take a piece of Shim Stock and cut-out a patch
Stick a Broom Sticks blunt end vertical in a vice
Tap and roll and shape the stock to get the best fit over the leak
Bare metal the area to be patched
Have someone "Hold" the patch to the repair area so it wont slip
Heat the Patch after doing all the safety to make sure you can heat the tank.
Apply heat directly on the patch until you can touch the patch with the end of the solder and have it run.
Heat around the edge of the patch
Remove the heat
"Run" the solder in all around the perimeter of the patch
It's solder ... you don't have to be neat.
Run the solder until the Patch is sweated on the Tank

Let cool
Sand the repaired area with 180
Lightly "Detent" the Patched area.
Sand with 220

Fill the repaired leak dent with MarGlass.
Not Bondo
Sand the Marglass with 180
220
320
400

Now, Bondo over the repair
Do your shaping and finishing with Bondo
Sand
Wet sand
Primer
Wet sand primer
Spray paint

 

check out this site. www.por15.com
2 part pack $46.50. seal the tank from the inside, then the outside is just cosmetic.

 

I've repaired a bike tank in the past for a friend. I used an epoxy I bought at an auto store made for patching automotive gas tanks. I mixed it, covered the leak and let it set for a day. Then sanded, primered and painted the tank. He hasn't had a problem with it yet and that was 6 years ago. The stuff is like iron when it sets up and works great.
Any tank that is that thin is suseptible to leaking in other places, so I'd advise testing the entire bottom for this spots that could cause problems down the road too.

 

POR 15 is some amazing stuff. I used it to seal a gas tank in a 1981 Porsche 924 Turbo where the tank couldn't be removed without pulling the rear transaxle. Like I said..the stuff is amazing. Never thought about using it on a motorcycle tank though. Good idea. Just don't use your wet/dry shop vac to suck up any excess....

 

Thanks everyone for your tips I think this will be workable after all.

 

Talk about bad luck...post on this thread this morning, then find pin hole leak in my own tank this afternoon.

 

This is seriously seductive sounding stuff! not familiar with it, so this may be a dummy question:
do you seal the tank from the inside or outside?

 

INSIDE

 

Yep, from the inside. I bought a kit that came with their marine green cleaner/degreaser that you use first, then use their metal ready solution for a final prep, and then the fuel tank sealer goes in.

 

I was wandering around the local Canadian Tire store yesterday and stumbled upon a repair kit for gas tanks for $15. It contains some type of epoxy (specially formulated apparently) and some fiberglass cloth to complete the patch.
I'll take pics and post the results of the repair for anyone who's interested.

 

My tanks been welded at the deepest part on both sides, obviously collected water earlier in its life. Take it to a panel shop or a radiator shop and they can MIG weld it, leaves only a very small area to repair then.