Does anybody know if the 1st gen tanks were single or double walled?
Thanks,
Quote from: 1985v45Magna on April 10, 2010, 01:55:39 PM
Does anybody know if the 1st gen tanks were single or double walled?
Thanks,
Are you about to re-name your bike "Magna Valdez"??? :lol:
I don't know, but I would ASSume single walled...
You can't shine a flashlight in there and see the dent your neighbor put in the tank? ;-)
Single walled. I have never seen a double walled gas tank, not saying they don't have them, just I have never seen one. Hmmm, or heard of one for that matter.
Quote from: DG on April 11, 2010, 08:13:28 AM
You can't shine a flashlight in there and see the dent your neighbor put in the tank? ;-)
Single walled. I have never seen a double walled gas tank, not saying they don't have them, just I have never seen one. Hmmm, or heard of one for that matter.
Lol.
I'm still trying to find some ideas and how to repair the dent.
I really despise it b/c I take really good care of my motorcycle, and I hate the glaring dent on the tank.
If I can find a bodyshop that will do it for $25-$50 I'd do it.
I was thinking bondo but I'm still hesistant b/c all of the bondo videos I've watched involved cars on plastic surfaces that were relatively flat.
My dent is inwards on the left side of my tank...and its vertical...so any liquid substance will drip down.
Still looking for ideas...that don't cost too much
Pretty tough to fix without bodyshop tools and repainting. Probably using a slide hammer to get the dent out, then weld and repaint. I paid $350 to prep and paint my tank and side panels on my v45, but that was with a straight tank. Probably would be cheaper to pick up a good used one.
QuoteMy dent is inwards on the left side of my tank...and its vertical...so any liquid substance will drip down.
By liquid substance, you mean plastic body filler (Bondo) depends on the depth of the dent. I wouldn't recommend using body filler on anything much over a 1/4" deep, but plastic body filler can be used flat, vertical, or overhead without any problem.
Can you send us a picture of the dent? Some shallow dents can be removed by a process of selective cooling and heating, without damaging the paint too much -- like you probably wouldn't notice it if you weren't looking for it.
How deep is it?
Is there a crease at the bottom?
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/malebust/0410081539a-1.jpg)
Its hard to see from the picture but its def. deep.
I took it to an auto body shop today and they said they couldn't do it b/c it was too much of a depression. The guy said I should find a used one off ebay and scrap my tank :(.
He did give me a number of the best dent repairer in MD (small state)...but I'm sure its going to be a lot of $$$ using him (not going to happen)
We'll see.
Quotescrap my tank .
I hope not :shock: not over a dent that small.
It is definitely a repaint job. No dent that deep is going to "pop out" with the "heat and cold" method.
So, Charles, how would you, the expert in such things on this forum, fix this puppy? Bondo? Drill and pull--Then how do you patch the hole without blowing the tank (and yourself) to smithereens?
Bondo seems simplest, but I have only filled a couple, per your instructions, and they were not that deep. So far, they have held up well, though.
I'm no expert, but I'll try to fix anything before I throw it away :D. The bottom of the tank is never seen, so I drill a 1/4" hole straight across from the dent, first let me address the blowing up issue, It's not hard to purge your tank before starting,remove the petcock, and anything else that screws into the tank. Completely drain the tank, a trick I learned to get all the gas out after you have drained an shook all you can out is to tie an asorbent rag to a coathanger, turn the tank on it's side so the last remaining gas can be wiped out with the rag and coat hanger. Wash the tank out with hot soapy water, drain then rinse for several minutes, drain and dry the same as with the gas (do not use the same gas rag :shock:) you shouldn't be able to smell any gas fumes and can proceed to drill the 1/4" hole and use a 1/4" rod and hammer to tap the dent out from the inside, doesn't have to be perfect just get as close as you can so you can use a thin layer of body filler. I usually weld or braze the hole back up and check it for leaks. I told a friend about this method an he fixed his tank, but instead of welding the hole up he soldered the hole up with a penny, worked great, I had never thought of soldering a penny over the hole, so I learned something, since not everyone has access to a welder or brazing torch, this can be done with a soldering iron which most everyone has.
Quote from: Charles S Otwell on April 14, 2010, 10:34:52 AM
I'm no expert, but I'll try to fix anything before I throw it away :D. The bottom of the tank is never seen, so I drill a 1/4" hole straight across from the dent, first let me address the blowing up issue, It's not hard to purge your tank before starting,remove the petcock, and anything else that screws into the tank. Completely drain the tank, a trick I learned to get all the gas out after you have drained an shook all you can out is to tie an asorbent rag to a coathanger, turn the tank on it's side so the last remaining gas can be wiped out with the rag and coat hanger. Wash the tank out with hot soapy water, drain then rinse for several minutes, drain and dry the same as with the gas (do not use the same gas rag :shock:) you shouldn't be able to smell any gas fumes and can proceed to drill the 1/4" hole and use a 1/4" rod and hammer to tap the dent out from the inside, doesn't have to be perfect just get as close as you can so you can use a thin layer of body filler. I usually weld or braze the hole back up and check it for leaks. I told a friend about this method an he fixed his tank, but instead of welding the hole up he soldered the hole up with a penny, worked great, I had never thought of soldering a penny over the hole, so I learned something, since not everyone has access to a welder or brazing torch, this can be done with a soldering iron which most everyone has.
Interesting.
Thanks for getting back to me on this.
I'm trying to think about all these options in my head...its hard with limited income :).
A) Buy the tools and try
B) Pay a professional
C) Find a big sticker to place over the dent :)
Skull and cross bones? lol