Oil tank restoration process.....

[Sacto S]

I would appreciate any tips, products or techniques that any of you may have used when restoring your oil tank.

The tank is out and in good condition except for the paint.

Thanks!

Joe

[ckissick]

I just did my tank. I stripped it myself. I used what's called airplane stripper. It's incredibly nasty stuff: Superfund Site in a can. Anyway, first clean the grease and grime off with a degreaser. Then, tape off all orifices (of the tank), put on very good gloves, take the tank outside when there's a light breeze, and paint the stripper on. After a few minutes, I sprayed it off with a hose, and almost all the paint came off. Then, I scraped off any paint that remained, which wasn't much. I then painted it with a spray can of high-temp paint. It scraped off rather easily when I re-installed the tank, so there are probably better painting options. Since the tank's not visible, the scrapes don't bother me. Some water got inside, so I let it sit in the sun for awhile, and I also put in 1 quart of oil, then poured it out.

The main reason I did the job was to eliminate all sources of oily smell, as the tank was absolutley covered. The new engine is clean, and the tank was the only thing left that was grimy.

[RandyWebb]

search on Pelican and you'll find some info on a thermal dispersant coating I used. I'm sure that is not needed but it was about the same cost as powder coating and was claimed to be very durable.

[Sacto S]

Was it a simple spray on coating or did you go with a baked on finish?

In either case did you etch the surface first? If so, what did you use?

[RandyWebb]

I sent it to a place south of Portland Oregon - you'll need to search on Pelican for more details as I don't recall them.