Fibreglass tank liner

baz

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Does anyone know of a fibreglass petrol tank liner that actually works that's available in the UK ?
The tank I want to line is an American aftermarket Bsa B44 tank and seat unit
It got cracked in transit so I don't hold out much hope for it
I'm guessing it was made in the late 60s early 70s
Cheers
 
baz, I lined the fibreglass tank on my Morini with two coats of Flowliner after a recommendation from Trident Sam and it seems to be holding up well at the moment.


Cheers,

cliffa
 
Hi Baz,

I lined the original tank on my '68 Commando with Caswell quite a long time ago, maybe eight or ten years ago, & it's still fine.

Martyn.
 
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Caswell seems popular. What ever you go with, it will be vital to get the inside as clean as possible from embedded residue. If this was exterior surface it would be done with abrasives and sanding paper/blasting. Composite is porous at microscopic levels and getting anything to adhere to it means having a fresh surface. Acetone is typically used to prepare polyester glass surfaces prior to repair in the boating industry. It should not damage polyester or epoxy resins for short exposures and will remove contaminating oils and hydrocarbon residues. For a tank, i'd use something to act as abrasive like a load of nuts and bolts or aquarium gravel to shake up inside tank with hot soapy water. Then hit with actone for a good few minutes and repeat until it comes out clear. Protect the paint work if needed.
 
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Hi Baz,

I lined the original tank on my '68 Commando with Caswell quite a long time ago, maybe eight or ten years ago, & it's still fine.

Martyn.
A mate had some sealant in his fastback tank a few years ago
I don't know what sealant it was but it let go just around the filler cap neck
And the fuel crept in between the liner and the tank and melted the tank
 
Caswell seems popular. What ever you go with, it will be vital to get the inside as clean as possible from embedded residue. If this was exterior surface it would be done with abrasives and sanding paper/blasting. Composite is porous at microscopic levels and getting anything to adhere to it means having a fresh surface. Acetone is typically used to prepare polyester glass surfaces prior to repair in the boating industry. It should not damage polyester or epoxy resins for short exposures and will remove contaminating oils and hydrocarbon residues. For a tank, i'd use something to act as abrasive like a load of nuts and bolts or aquarium gravel to shake up inside tank with hot soapy water. Then hit with actone for a good few minutes and repeat until it comes out clear. Protect the paint work if needed.
When the tank/seat unit turned it still had some really putrid fuel left in
It looked to me like someone had dropped something on it !!
The stale fuel was leaking out of the crack
And I chucked it in the corner !!!!
I've taken on board what you say about getting the inside clean
Thanks for info
 
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When the thank/seat unit turned it still had some really putrid fuel left in
It looked to me like someone had dropped something on it !!
The stale fuel was leaking out of the crack
And I chucked it in the corner !!!!
I've taken on board what you say about getting the inside clean
Thanks for info
If the crack is obvious, I'd say you'd want to re-inforce it from outside. Grind along the crack to expose a good area along it, then use glass cloth or mat and epoxy resin to make a structural repair. You want epoxy for this even though tank is almost for sure polyester resin....epoxy bonds much better to all other resins for repairs. If it's just a small hole or puncture then you can get away with thickened epoxy into the prepared/scuffed up opening. Thicken with chop strand glass or colloidal silica powder, All these things, include resins are readily available at any local marine supply store. Refinish with epoxy-based body filler and prep for repaint.
 
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As Tornado mentioned preparation is the key. I put a load of sharp woodscrews and 3/8" bolts in the tank along with a pint or two of accetone, then spend a while shaking it about. The best way would be to wrap the tank in an old duvet or blanket & put it in a cement mixer for an hour or so. If I do another this is the method I would use.
 
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Does anyone know of a fibreglass petrol tank liner that actually works that's available in the UK ?
The tank I want to line is an American aftermarket Bsa B44 tank and seat unit
It got cracked in transit so I don't hold out much hope for it
I'm guessing it was made in the late 60s early 70s
Cheers
If you are going to spend the time, effort and money on LINING a tank, why not REPAIR the one you have, and line it the best way possible?

Cut out the bottom, do a very thorough repair patch job from INSIDE AND OUT, Line the parts FULLY, Re-assemble the 2 parts, then seal the seams from the cutting process.
 
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As Tornado mentioned preparation is the key. I put a load of sharp woodscrews and 3/8" bolts in the tank along with a pint or two of accetone, then spend a while shaking it about. The best way would be to wrap the tank in an old duvet or blanket & put it in a cement mixer for an hour or so. If I do another this is the method I would use.
Ive heard folks using a clothes dryer on gentle tumble cycle for this process. Keeps the cement mixer ready for sudden pavement work :).
 
If you are going to spend the time, effort and money on LINING a tank, why not REPAIR the one you have, and line it the best way possible?

Cut out the bottom, do a very thorough repair patch job from INSIDE AND OUT, Line the parts FULLY, Re-assemble the 2 parts, then seal the seams from the cutting process.
If I cut the tank apart what should the tank be lined with before re assembly?
Also it's finding the time for all these things
Cheers
 
Ive heard folks using a clothes dryer on gentle tumble cycle for this process. Keeps the cement mixer ready for sudden pavement work :).
Don't forget how long this unit is
It's a tank/seat/ tail unit I'd have a couple of ft hanging out the cement mixer or tumble dryer
Cheers
 
If I cut the tank apart what should the tank be lined with before re assembly?
Same liner compound you would normally use to line it with. Some folks like POR15, there are others. In the kingdom, you might have a different brand that is equivalent.

NO MATTER WHAT, DON'T USE "KREEM". (you have been warned)
 
I had no luck using KREEM to redo my steel tank .
I do have 4 other glass tanks I may just cut one open to work on it.
pits easy to close up with HYSOL . It gives you a long working time .
hysol could also be used to coat the inside of the tank .
 
I'm really surprised that nobody has come up with a bladder which could be inserted into the tank. I believe that's what aircraft have.
 
I'm assuming that "Kreem" is like the "petseal" we use here
Which used to be ok in steel tanks until the new breed of petrol came along and it started dissolving in people's tanks and can be a pain to remove
 
I'm really surprised that nobody has come up with a bladder which could be inserted into the tank. I believe that's what aircraft have.
The problem with bladders is that they move around inside the tank, Unless its very smooth, the bladder end up with a hole in it :-(
 
Hmmmmm.....

Cut open tank, repair as required.

Epoxy a bladder in place so it can't move about.

Replace bottom.

Vroom, vroom!
 
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