dent in tank

[Major Voltron]

I have a 99 Kat that has a dent in the gas tank , and I was wondering ... Instead of replacing the tank would it be better to just fill the dent with some kind of body filler . Oh yeah I forgot to mention I am going to spray- bomb my bike .. this will be my first time painting and i am so ready for this task . I understand if the prep isnt right , the whole job is trash. So I am ready to get started .. thanks for the help and support fellow Katriders!!

[Slofuze]

Any chance you can minimize the dent by either suction cups or through access from the tank? It would be worth the effort.

[teddy]

a picture would be great if you had one...most tank dents are much less intimidating to repair than people make them out to be. get us a pic and maybe I(and a few other body guys here) can give you a few tips on how/where to work it out.

if it's worth doing, it's worth doing right....

[boomer_95]

Any chance you can minimize the dent by either suction cups or through access from the tank? It would be worth the effort.

+1

i know with the pre's, the fuel sender hole is big enough to fit your hand threw. not sure about the post's but they should be. as teddy said, theres a few body guys here that can help. post a pic so they can get a better idea of what your working with

speaking of this i should do my tank soon

[steves]

Body filler may over time crack, and break off the tank

[DarkFury]

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=node%3D15707121&field-keywords=paintless+dent+removal"]Amazon.com: paintless dent removal - Dent Removal Tools / Body Repair Tools: Automotive[/ame]

[hardlydangerous]

i agree call a paintless dent repair if its just a dent and the paint is ok.

otherwise sand and fill with long strand fiberglass . not bondo, not on a gas tank.
ive used both many many times but after a few years the fiberglass body filler is still stuck like a mother, bondo you can often pick out with a scraper.
ive been told it had something to do with moisture, expansion and fuel vapors etc.

[Mojoe]

99 times out of a 100, if bondo fails or breaks off, it is because of a flawed application. more than once I have seen people apply bondo and not squeegee out the air pockets like they should. THAT is what allows moisture to creep in. expansion is not the culprit. a gas tank doesn't expand anymore than any other metal panel on a vehicle, and bondo holds fine to them. and if fuel vapors are getting past your clear and paint enough to damage bondo, then that has to be one crappy paint job.

as for the dent....well, good luck with the suction cup. my bet is that you won't even budge it. you aren't just going to push out the dent from inside the tank with your hand either, unless you are superman.

there really is only one speedy and practical way to remove a dent from a gas tank. you tack weld the head of a bolt to the tank and screw on a slide hammer, or you thread a screw into the dent. a few good whacks and the dent should come out. it is always better to pull it out a bit too much, then take a body hammer and tap it back in so it is almost flush with the surrounding area, then apply the bondo.

this is a slide hammer for those who don't know what it is. the guy working seems like a bit of a noob, but at least he is using the right tools for the job.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHg4F09TW64"]How to fix a Big Dent 2 (SLIDE HAMMER) - YouTube[/ame]

[mammut89]

plus the brand Bondo is a piece of shit ?
probably better of buying a real automotive brand

[Mojoe]

nothing wrong with Bondo body filler at all. my dad who has been in the business witll tell you the same thing and that is all he has ever used. well, he has tried others, but likes his Bondo.

I tend to agree with his reasoning, which is that those who don't like it just don't know how to work it. it comes from that "misconception" that today's noobs seem to have....that you have to sand with these ultra fine sandpaper grits. you know...the "misinformed" who think you have to sand your body filler with 1000 grit before priming.

Bondo is harder to sand...plain and simple, but it lasts. if you sand it with 240 or 240 grit before priming like you are supposed to, then Bondo works just fine.

as far as buying a better automotive brand....Bondo is the brand....at least the original brand. it has been around since the beginning. if it was as bad as everyone claims it to be, it wouldn't still be around. it's been around since the 50's, and is the number one selling brand even today.

[mammut89]

I myself dont know much about painting so I wont argue, just relaying what my professional painter friends tell me.

for what its worth Wurth is very popular over here.

[Mojoe]

I myself dont know much about painting so I wont argue, just relaying what my professional painter friends tell me.

for what its worth Wurth is very popular over here.

well, it's like most things really, just a matter of personal taste. and some people's tastes are so limited that to them, everything else is crap. I personally like Valspar products for painting, but my dad used to try to tell me it was crap, until a bit of my work showed him otherwise. he no longer calls it crap, but will stick with his own brand, which is R-M Diamont.

pretty much anyone who is brand loyal will make a reference to another brand being crap. I personally am not that loyal. I do have my preferences, but always open to trying something new. if I like it and it works to my expectations, cool...if not, fuck it, it's crap.

[jjohnson2012]

My dad use to fill dented tanks with water and stick them in the freezer im sure my grandma was super happy about that haha

[Tempted]

I did the paintless style deal but my dents were in creases so the hot glue didn't provide enough grip to pull them. I epoxied a bolt to the center of the dent and used a bar, two wooden dowels and a nut to pull out most of it. Then I sanded the epoxy and smoothed out the left over dents/dings with Bondo.