Author Topic: Sportster/Buell Land Speed Build  (Read 100129 times)

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Offline salt27

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Re: Sportster/Buell Land Speed Build
« Reply #195 on: December 04, 2011, 11:52:56 AM »
Did you use a sealant or coating on the inside of the fuel tank?
We are building a fuel tank for our bike and wondering if we need a sealant in it.
A Friend used a tank sealant in a car he was restoring and some of it came loose creating quite a mess, so I'm a little leery about it.

Thanks, Don

Offline 55chevr

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Re: Sportster/Buell Land Speed Build
« Reply #196 on: December 04, 2011, 02:01:42 PM »
I always use the POR tank sealant kit on gas and oil tanks ... it is comprised of a cleaner, an etching prep and a sealer coating. The sealer is very thin and you can't see it once dry ... I have used it at least 4 times and never a problem

Offline salt27

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Re: Sportster/Buell Land Speed Build
« Reply #197 on: December 04, 2011, 02:07:03 PM »
I always use the POR tank sealant kit on gas and oil tanks ... it is comprised of a cleaner, an etching prep and a sealer coating. The sealer is very thin and you can't see it once dry ... I have used it at least 4 times and never a problem

Do you know if it is compatible with aluminum?

Thanks, Don

Offline 55chevr

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Re: Sportster/Buell Land Speed Build
« Reply #198 on: December 04, 2011, 02:10:19 PM »
yes it is compatible ... Sit up bike 9216 gas / oil tank is aluminum ... worked well ... still have it after 4 years there are no problems.

Joe

Offline salt27

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Re: Sportster/Buell Land Speed Build
« Reply #199 on: December 04, 2011, 02:38:19 PM »
My son Gus will try building the tank from aluminum first and if that fails he will use steel.
He is 15 and self taught with Tig.
Thanks for the info, Don

Offline 55chevr

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Re: Sportster/Buell Land Speed Build
« Reply #200 on: December 04, 2011, 07:23:14 PM »
I made a tank out of aluminum and it was a pain in the ass ... from then on I made them out of steel just for the ease of construction.  Weight difference is laughable on a land speed bike ...

Offline Rex Schimmer

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Re: Sportster/Buell Land Speed Build
« Reply #201 on: December 04, 2011, 08:06:27 PM »
I tried the Por 15 sealant in the aluminum tank on my little modified 28 rpu street roadster and it started to peal after about a year and then what a pain in the a$$. I did the etch and all of the suggested prep before I used it. I was cleaning it out of my fuel filter for a while and finally just cut the top off of the tank and power washed  it out, then put a huge screen filter before the fuel pump and cleaned it several times and I am finally running. What a pain!!!!

The trick to aluminum gas tanks is to plan the fabrication such that all of the weld joints that are on the lower sections of the tank can be back welded, i.e. making a "wash pass" along the weld seam from the inside, usually does not require filler rod. If your weld bead has a small shrink hole were you stopped welding it will be a leak. Once you are done fill it with water and mark the leaks, empty, fix the leaks and do it again until you don't have any leaks.

Rex
Rex

Not much matters and the rest doesn't matter at all.

Offline Rex Schimmer

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Re: Sportster/Buell Land Speed Build
« Reply #202 on: December 04, 2011, 08:15:34 PM »
One more comment about making tanks, steel or aluminum, if you use  .063 aluminum or thin steel you should slightly radius all of the joint edges over a T dolly, I have one that is about 1/2 inch dia and I use it. This makes the joints into butt welds and not a 90 degree edge to edge weld that is very difficult to get a good looking and strong weld. It is also stronger and looks much better. If you make your tank out of heavier material like .100 or 1/8 you can do the 90 degree corner weld pretty easily, still doesn't look as good as a radius butt weld though.

Rex
Rex

Not much matters and the rest doesn't matter at all.

Offline 55chevr

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Re: Sportster/Buell Land Speed Build
« Reply #203 on: December 04, 2011, 10:42:39 PM »
Rex / 

Like the radius idea ... I will use it ... I think you left the POR in there a little too long ... I keep turning it and dump it out before it gets thick on the walls ...

Offline Vinsky

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Re: Sportster/Buell Land Speed Build
« Reply #204 on: December 05, 2011, 01:02:44 AM »
How does POR 15 hold up to methanol? Seems some of the sealants were good for gas but not the ethanol / methanol fuels.  I found on in the UK called Tapox, but it's not sold in the US.
John
John

Offline Peter Jack

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Re: Sportster/Buell Land Speed Build
« Reply #205 on: December 05, 2011, 01:58:35 AM »
Their website says it'll handle alcohol just fine. Why not Google por 15 sealant for yourself and get the answers. That's the power of the internet. Take advantage of it.

If you haven't the ambition to research a product that's easy to find how are you going to find the ambition to build a competitive vehicle?

Pete

Offline Vinsky

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Re: Sportster/Buell Land Speed Build
« Reply #206 on: December 05, 2011, 03:12:17 AM »
Mayabe you believe everything the internet tells you, I don't.   My question was to those who may have tried it and what the results were.
If you like it, fine,keep using it.
John

Offline 55chevr

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Re: Sportster/Buell Land Speed Build
« Reply #207 on: December 05, 2011, 07:15:18 AM »
I used alcohol with no problems ... never used nitro methane in the tank ..

Jessechop

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Re: Sportster/Buell Land Speed Build
« Reply #208 on: December 05, 2011, 07:19:53 AM »
I have used POR15, Kreem and Red Kote.

The only one that gave me any issues was Red Kote. And of course it was in the Northren part of New Hampshire, lost at night, on a rigid bike, 500 miles from home. I was able to get a pair of long needle nose in the tank and pull out a almost perfect looking red gas tank liner. That was also the same night I hit a flock of bats......

Offline Peter Jack

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Re: Sportster/Buell Land Speed Build
« Reply #209 on: December 05, 2011, 08:18:04 AM »
John, sorry about the snarky reply last night. I guess I shouldn't go on when I'm tired and a bit owly. Their web site is http://www.por15.com/ and it shows a lot of other products that might be of interest to anyone running on the salt. There's also a Canadian distributor at http://www.canada-por15.com/ for those of us north of the border. That often saves a lot of bureaucratic hassle with shipments from the States. There are times when I wish that border wasn't there or that we could arrange a hassle free border.

Pete