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Prepping a fuel tank for paint

We’ve been doing this for a very long time, which means we’ve learned from our mistakes over the years. As we value our customers’ safety, we can’t stress this point enough…

DO NOT TRY THIS YOURSELF. EVER.

We don’t use tank sealer on our tanks. It’s only a temporary solution, as it fails, cracks, and eventually crumbles over time. We find leaks the old-fashioned way by filling the tank with water or air, rinsing the outside, and looking for bubbles. When we find holes, we weld them closed.

That said, we have a good many tanks that come in to our shop with sealer having been used at some point. So, often the first step towards prepping a tank for paint means stripping the old paint off the outside, and the old sealer off the inside.

Here’s our method in action on a 1967 Triumph Bonneville tank. Note the tank is empty, with zero remnant of fuel inside, and there’s no cap, either.

Again, please don’t try this yourself. If you need this done, bring your tank to us and let professionals handle it.

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