Second Generation Ascots > The V-Twin Years: Stock To Lightly Modified

Leaky gas tank! Replace or renew? That is the question...

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jay:
Hi CB, will do on the progress on my project. Just finished re-building the carbs, and getting ready to start on all the plastic bodywork. The previous owner brush painted the gas tank black over the original red, pretty messed up to say the least. All the plastic bits were rattle-canned flat black, poorly I might say. Spray cans can produce a nice finish if care and good surface preparation is used. Oh well that what is keeping me occupied over the winter!

Jay

J6G1Z:
Man... I hate to see or hear that.

Many guys in this area find a clean original paint classic bike & the first thing they do is destroy its value by spray painting it black.  :'(

YUCK!

J.

chuckleberry709:
Mine was repainted at some point too, albeit they did use a red close to the original color but didn't do a very good job. Looks like it only got one or two thin coats and they even managed to run it in a couple of places on the tank. Same on the covers.

I think I found a solution to my leaky tank. Instead of going through the hassle of cleaning out the old sealant and trying to reseal it again on the inside I used a cold weld 2-part liquid metal product from Permatex on the outside. I sanded the leaky area down to bare metal and applied a good layer of the mixture, let it set up for 24 hrs and then poured gas in the tank. It's been sitting with fuel 4 days and no leaks! 

So now I just gotta sand the repair down smooth and then I'll probably use a bit of body fill to blend it back into shape. I think this was way better than trying to reseal the inside and a lot cheaper too, the Permatex stuff was less than $10. I'm not much of a body man but not afraid to learn a few new tricks, so we'll see how it turns out. How hard can it be? Definitely not as bad as plastering gyprock walls (which I hate and suck at!)  ::)

jay:
Glad you found an alternative repair method! I'm the same way, I'm not afraid to try something new, well can be a little nervous, but go ahead and have at it! I agree, when someone bodges up a paint job, with just sloppy work over a classic bike is just plain sad, I am lucky to have a reputable shop in my area with a great bunch of guy's who are really into classics and all manner of two wheel moto-fun. They are always very enthusiastic with advice and tips for my projects!

Jay

chuckleberry709:
Lucky you Jay! In my neck of the woods there's not much in the way of custom shops for bikes. There's a few bike shops around but they mostly just do repairs and maintenance on the local bikes, nothing custom. Up here in north-eastern Canada the dealer's bread and butter is snowmobiles, quads, side by sides and boats.

I had a good laugh when I went into the local Honda shop here looking for new oil and air filters. When I told the guy what they were for, a '84 Ascot,  he asked "is that a snow blower??" Bahahaha! So that's what I'm dealing with!  ;D  When I'm ready I'll probably take my tank and anything else I want painted to a car body shop for a professional finish.

So I'm really happy to have this forum and all the brains on here to pick!

Thanks for your replies and stay tuned!

CB

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