How to achieve texture on fuel tank exterior

[caproader]

Guys,
I am painting a stripped-to-bare metal 73 fuel tank. Now that I have coated the inside with red stinky stuff, how do I get the textured undercoating look on the outside? This advice needs to be limited to stuff that comes in a rattle can. After I spray on some sort of texture stuff, do I cover it with a color coat? and if so, what brand and color matches Zuffenhausen original best?

Thanks for the help.

The capitalist roader

[Zeke]

Well, if you won't use the Werth schutz because of the rattle can stipulation, 3M makes a texture that is available at the auto paint supply. It is not gooey undercoater and, yes, you paint over it with your choice. I used a machine grey color. It close, but not perfect.

[caproader]

Zeke,

Thanks for the help. As I remember, some of that 3M stuff takes a while to set up. Can I paint over it while it is still tacky, or how long should I wait to put the color coat on? This is a Winter project so time is not a problem. Although my wife is starting to comment on the fumes coming out of the basement. Thanks

John

[Zeke]

Don't know about the time. But, IIRC, the 3M doesn't stink.

[bobmagyar]

I am going to need to do this soon myself.
I can't seem to find what 3M product is being referred to here.
Does anyone know what the product is called or a product #.

Thanks,

Bob

[caproader]

Bob,

I never did find the 3M stuff. In the end I just laid down some acid etching primer from Sherwin Williams auto, put on a coat of rustolem, and then covered everything with a clear coat. The reason for the non standard approach is that this a spare tank from a car that I parted out. The tank is hanging from the ceiling in the basement till I need it.
John

[GreenT]

Here's the 3M -

It's great stuff. They reformulated it a couple of years ago to be able to still sell it in California. Doesn't smell as much and dries a tad slower, but still works just as well. If you build up a couple of good coats of it (allowing to dry in between) it will replicate the original textured tank finish very well. It will set up to a tacky state in less than an hour and be completely dry in a few hours (at least in a dry climate). You can paint it while tacky, but it tends to leave some pinhole areas without paint coverage if you do that as it continues to dry. I found it takes two good coats of paint anyway, so if you're in a hurry you can do the first coat while tacky and the last coat the next day. If you're going to do both bottom and top of a tank, count on at least three cans of it for a good built-up finish.

[GreenT]

BTW - if you just don't want to mess with it yourself, these guys do the whole thing, inside and out

http://www.gastankrenu.com

[Walter Stockton]

John,
Have you tried these Renu guys.

[GreenT]

No, unfortunately I didn't find out about them until it was too late. I was going through this about 4 years ago. I had reservations about treating the inside with the 'red stinky stuff' Caproader refers to. Or the equivalent 'white stinky stuff'. For two reasons - it works well in something like a motorcycle tank, but its hard to coat evenly in a larger tank. And since California had just condemned us to a blend of MTBE and alcohol instead of real gasoline I wasn't sure if the current sealer formulas would stand up to it. While I was investigating that, I found out someone had just tooled up to make the replacement tanks that several places have for sale now. Stoddard was the first place that had them, and they were only $169 when they first came out, so I got one of those and put my original in storage. Right after I got the whole thing done, one of the Renu sites opened up a few miles away from me.....

I have seen their work, and it looks very nice. The outside gets a finish only slightly less pebbly than the original 911 finish. An extra coat of the 3M undercoating on top of that and some gray paint would probably fool even a concours judge.