tank dent

that one is going to need the pins spot welded and pulled, its going to also take some filler to repair it to like new,,bummer

aarons80kz650 wrote:

... the dent is a large area. I do have some small dings in the tank and they did not move. I didn't think to take pictures while I was attempting it.

If the tank looked reasonably acceptable with the dent popped out by compressed air (before it popped back in), and especially if this is original paint, would first give the dry ice method a try (relatively cheap), followed by the PDR method (economical), before resorting to a full-fledged make-over with welding, bondo, re-painting, etc.


Good Luck with whatever course is chosen.

i used a suction cup for a dent i had in one of my bikes. not as big as the one shown in the picture, but it worked on the 1st try. the suction cups were made to get the dents out of cars that had "light" damage, but it worked great for me. no bondo or paint work needed after. no glue either.

if i had before and after pictures i would post them.

Gorham wrote:

i used a suction cup for a dent i had in one of my bikes. not as big as the one shown in the picture, but it worked on the 1st try. the suction cups were made to get the dents out of cars that had "light" damage, but it worked great for me. no bondo or paint work needed after. no glue either.

if i had before and after pictures i would post them.

Ah, yes I also have a dent and a 'Ding King'.
It's a hot glue type dent puller. Will report back when done......:huh:

OK the compressed air idea was neat so I tried it a few years ago, "DON'T" it split the seams on the tank. Cheap fix is bondo done in very thin layers 1/8-1/16 in. deeper dent more layers. or hunt a new tank. I have tried many different things and have yet to find a sure fix for tank dents.

The dentless may work, but the glue on pull pins and some hammer work should work. if you look at that dent the area around the dent itself is raised slightly. Glue in the pins and attach the puller, have someone put steady pressure on the puller as you "tap at the high area around it with a body hammer (cheap set at harbor freight works fine). it should pop the metal back in around the edges and force the metal that is pushed in to pop back out some. Just keep working it, and it will come out, but you may be removing and regluing pins till you get it all gone.

I somehow think you are gonna end up with a high spot where the metal is pushed in when it comes out. You can get rid of this with a shrinking disc or a torch and wet rag...

Doc

The tank looks good. Who cares there's a dent. You can either have a nice looking tank with dent, or a piece of crap repaint without. Dent is preferable.

Patton wrote:

aarons80kz650 wrote:

... the dent is a large area. I do have some small dings in the tank and they did not move. I didn't think to take pictures while I was attempting it.

If the tank looked reasonably acceptable with the dent popped out by compressed air (before it popped back in), and especially if this is original paint, would first give the dry ice method a try (relatively cheap), followed by the PDR method (economical), before resorting to a full-fledged make-over with welding, bondo, re-painting, etc.


Good Luck with whatever course is chosen.

that crease will make really hard to just pop it out,id try the paintless repair guys 1st to see what they can do with it.bondo is for finish work,not sculpting a tank out of.

I have tried the compressed air trick and it just doesn't seem to work very well, the odd dent will pop out so to me its the quick easy fix but seldom works. Compressed air seems to work all the time on automotive fuel tanks but they are not nearly as thick as a motorcycle tank. I have fixed some tank dents in the past on tanks that could never be replaced, on rare bikes etc. by drilling a hole in the center of the dent and pulling it out with a slide hammer, and welding up the hole, and grinding it smooth. I have one tank that I fixed like this 7 years ago and repainted and it still looks great. I just hate bondo and would never use it unless its a last resort, but I am a good welder and have all the equipment. This method is not for everyone. Also have to make sure the tank is cleaned out and dry.

aarons80kz650 wrote:

I'm a hillbilly I guess. I heard that putting air in the tank would push out the dent, sounded good to me and I am full of hot air. I hooked up a compressed air source to my tank and tried to regulate the pressure to the tank.

The dent popped out:) and then when I let out the air the dent popped back in. Bummer.

I have just been riding with a dent.

metal was stretched,needs shrinking

Patton wrote:

aarons80kz650 wrote:

... the dent is a large area. I do have some small dings in the tank and they did not move. I didn't think to take pictures while I was attempting it.

If the tank looked reasonably acceptable with the dent popped out by compressed air (before it popped back in), and especially if this is original paint, would first give the dry ice method a try (relatively cheap), followed by the PDR method (economical), before resorting to a full-fledged make-over with welding, bondo, re-painting, etc.


Good Luck with whatever course is chosen.

that crease in the center of the dent is a pressure buckle that needs to be removed to allow rest of dent to come out.

Compressed Air.... Noooo don't do that!

I had a dent almost identical to that one on this bike. Hot glue and 1" plastic dowel about 8" long(wood should woork too).
Apply the glue to the dowel stick it to the tank and let it set up. Pull on the down until the glue just starts to let go, then rock it back and forth and up and down. You will see the dent start to work out. The dowel will dome off, re-apply the glue and repeat about 10 times or until your happy with it. I am serous my tank looked just like that one before I pulled the dent. A paintless dent repair guy told me how to do it, he said it would be simple to do because these tanks are very thin. He was right. If should work as long an there isn't a bad crease in the metal. And that tank isn't. It wont be perfect, but it will get 98% of out and the paint will look just fine.