popping dents on a gas tank

The front two dents look like they may have something to do with the vetter? And yes, filling in the emblem mounts isnt a great idea on a collector bike. I have a pretty straight emblem less tank laying around that I dont want to use because of the emblem situation, a decent stock bike to me is perfect but everything that pops up around here is freshly restored or hacked up. Keep that thing going, may try a paintless dent repair service see what they think

Also if you don't mind, give some feedback to your venture.

Compressed air holds a lot of energy, which can be released as a bomb if the seams let go at once. If you fill it with water first, then use compressed air, since water does not compress, it does not hold energy, and the little bit of air won't hold much energy, so it's a lot safer. The results will be the same. As long as you get the water out fast and hit it with an oil, it won't rust.

loudhvx wrote: Compressed air holds a lot of energy, which can be released as a bomb if the seams let go at once. If you fill it with water first, then use compressed air, since water does not compress, it does not hold energy, and the little bit of air won't hold much energy, so it's a lot safer. The results will be the same. As long as you get the water out fast and hit it with an oil, it won't rust.

+1 !!!

If you fill an empty fuel tank with enough air pressure to pop out a dent you WILL create a bomb! DON'T DO IT! I doubt you will ever be able to pop a dent with air pressure, but if you are bound and determined to try it follow loudhvx's advice and fill the tank with water then add just a LITTLE air. If it was my tank, I would just contact a paintless dent repair place and see what they could do.

BTW, the guy that told you to use air isn't in your will is he? :whistle: Ed

Last winter,I was used compressed air to test my repair of my pool heaters heat exchanger. I had rubber expansion plugs(1.5") in the inlet/outlet ports, and was charging the manifold through a sensor port. I just put a little pressure in with a blow gun, and was using soapy water to see if it leaked. One of the plugs let loose at about 10-15psi and it shot all the way accross my 2 car garage, and broke a wooden panel on the door into my basement.

Also, use EXTREME caution if you fill with water, since there will be no room for expansion, a VERY small burp of air will generate alot of pressure. Think of the difference between filling a small tire vs. A large tire. +1 on the paintless dent repair thing, they are normally pretty good.

Tomolu5 wrote: Last winter,I was used compressed air to test my repair of my pool heaters heat exchanger. I had rubber expansion plugs(1.5") in the inlet/outlet ports, and was charging the manifold through a sensor port. I just put a little pressure in with a blow gun, and was using soapy water to see if it leaked. One of the plugs let loose at about 10-15psi and it shot all the way accross my 2 car garage, and broke a wooden panel on the door into my basement.

Also, use EXTREME caution if you fill with water, since there will be no room for expansion, a VERY small burp of air will generate alot of pressure. Think of the difference between filling a small tire vs. A large tire. +1 on the paintless dent repair thing, they are normally pretty good.

I am a retired USN Diver and the rule is never pressurize ANYTHING that wasn't made to be pressurized and never trust ANYTHING that is pressurized. 2 PSI in the right conditions can kill. Read my sig. I have lived it the hard way.

well, im glad i haven't pressurized anything but the tires.

the more i look the more it looks like im going to need a body shop. ill be calling for quotes on Monday.

let's see, 12 after beer o'clock. hmm.

well, dry ice, a computer cleaner held upside down, a heat gun, and some hot glue were used in my ventures to no avail. hot glue got one dent after 2 hours and 6 sticks. my next venture was to be a manual hydraulic rod extender... but i decided that 5+ gallons of hyd oil exploding at work into an oily fragmentation device would not be healthy for my employment. or me.

i didn't try to press the dents out from the inside after watching youtube vids. the paint damage i saw scared me off of that idea.

650ed wrote: BTW, the guy that told you to use air isn't in your will is he? :whistle: Ed

good point, ill be contacting my lawyer and get that fixed. damn you Matt, you just wanted my sweet as hell nerd computer and the 12 terabytes of... :blush: empty hard drive space :whistle:

Why don't you have a go at painting the tank?
After all the paint jobs they did 35+ years ago
weren't that flash anyway.

?? I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Personally, I really like the 37 year old paint. Ed

NapalmZ wrote: well, im glad i haven't pressurized anything but the tires.

the more i look the more it looks like im going to need a body shop. ill be calling for quotes on Monday.

let's see, 12 after beer o'clock. hmm.

well, dry ice, a computer cleaner held upside down, a heat gun, and some hot glue were used in my ventures to no avail. hot glue got one dent after 2 hours and 6 sticks. my next venture was to be a manual hydraulic rod extender... but i decided that 5+ gallons of hyd oil exploding at work into an oily fragmentation device would not be healthy for my employment. or me.

i didn't try to press the dents out from the inside after watching youtube vids. the paint damage i saw scared me off of that idea.

650ed wrote: BTW, the guy that told you to use air isn't in your will is he? :whistle: Ed

good point, ill be contacting my lawyer and get that fixed. damn you Matt, you just wanted my sweet as hell nerd computer and the 12 terabytes of... :blush: empty hard drive space :whistle:

Don't be too hard on Matt. Jus let him know that nice try getting you on the Darwin Awards Show. I would have a go with painting your tank yourself. It is therapy and can be done with the basic of skills. Colorite has the correct kits and videos to give you a good idea what to do. Give it a try. Sides the only pressure is on you and wats in the can...

38 years of paint damage. if it weren't for the paint damage, the bike is gorgeous. the paint looks sexy as hell imo right after it gets a bath... if you ignore the damage.

i plan on joining a vintage bike club and i dont want an all original bike showing up with a butchered paint job.

planning on one of these if i decide to paint it. www.harborfreight.com/air-tools/air-comp...ompressor-67696.html

anybody know how who sells oem equivalent paint?

if i do paint and i cant find a perfectly matching color, ill put a sharp black and throw this on it before i clear coat for a high gloss finish.

www.fastdecals.com/shop/images/detailed/...image_32503_2860.jpg