[cinco7even]

I didn't think about it at the time, but yeah. my justification at the time a year or so ago was to keep the weight of the full tank off the hinge or the fuel pump. I kept it off for reasons i don't even want to mention lol. so take a look guys. the leak was small if you can call it that because almost all the gas was still in the tank as i was draining it (the fuel did have stabilizer in it in case you were wondering). so my questions is what steps should i take? what did i likely mess up and how can i check? I am not so worried about the paint because i wanted to change the color anyways so this gave me a reason to start doing that too.

take a look if you don't mind,

 

[crystal_skull]

thats really not that bad, just feather your edges with 400 (or 320) till you cant feel em anymore and spot prime with a good 2k primer if you want a real paint job down the road. if your just gonna rattle can it another color you can use rattle can primer but DO NOT try to put rattle can primer under normal automotive paint

 

[Beef supreme]

With that being bare metal I'd suggest roughing that up to remove any contaminants from the metal, 320 or lower will work. I'd hit it with some epoxy primer after you smooth it out with some 400; then hit it wth some 2k filler primer. Two medium coats for both the filler and the epoxy. After that spray a guide coat (one medium coat) of just some cheapo rattlecan, to preview how the spot will look after your repair, sand that off then paint.

I'd recommend a wire wheel on a cordless drill for the bare metal spots and the opening, something like this http://www.harborfreight.com/3-inch-wire-wheel-with-1-4-quarter-inch-shank-42855.html

Works great, wire wheels really come in handy when stripping/roughing up.

 

[cinco7even]

thanks guys. looks like your suggestions are pretty similar so this seems straight forward. One of the things i am unclear thou is the definition of "the edges". should i take my lock mech out and sand into the edges of where that fit, or keep it closed and treat the outside area around it?

 

[Beef supreme]

Yes remove the cap mechanism to get down into there, that spot being exposed to gas can cause problems if there's bare metal or contaminated metal; the paint can begin to crinkle and peel up and it'll climb out of the opening. it's actually a very crucial area.

The edges are where the paint has broken off and transitions between paint, and bare metal; its the spot you want to smooth out.

 

[venturesomerite]

It's not that bad. Just sand it down well, clean prime and paint. Good opportunity/excuse to change up the paint scheme if you want as well.

 

[94yzf75fighter]

I did the same thing 2 days after I got my old r1. Was cleaning the carbs put it upside down on a box so I wouldn't scratch the paint. 2-3 hours later I turn my tank over and bam

 

[ninja10kid]

why are you guys using paint stripper for fuel? ive never seen this beofr with factory paint....

 

[venturesomerite]

looks like in both cases the tank had been painted, prob with rattle cans (hell that's all I ever use)

 

[94yzf75fighter]

Mine was factory paint no spray can stuff you can see the primer under coat top coat and clear coat. The gas bubbled it up and I just whipped it off and it looked like that

 

[crystal_skull]

yup, factory paint jobs are stupid thin and the gas was allowed to sit on the paint instead of quickly evaporating off. iirc the average factory paint job is around 2 or 3 mills thick where your average repair job is 4 to 6 with most of the extra being the clear

 

[RaZed1]

Yep. Store the tank upright, just rest it on a towel or something. Most tanks are vented through a tiny hole in the cap mechanism. There's supposed to be a check valve but this doesn't work a lot of the time and it (slowly) leaks anyway.

 

[cinco7even]

thanks for all the feed back guys. I have some more questions if you can tolerate 'em.

I am sanding it down. and I almost done. (just the area where the door mech goes because i want to do the bare minimum because i have to trouble shoot the motor)

but I noticed I got some paint chips in the tank. what should i do? should i put small amounts of gas in it and swig it around then flip it? I don't have an air gun so i can't really blow it out of there. I just got the funny idea while typing this to take it to the gas station vac. if it is a shop vac style it will be perfect.. unless that is bad idea...

 

[Beef supreme]

You could remove the fuel pump, fill it with water, then swish it around and dump it.

 

[crystal_skull]

no!!! dont use water lol

laquer thinner would work but if your tank is coated it might eat it up.
Gas would probably be safest