Refurbishing a Fiberglas tank

Hi gang,

my 70 Fastback tank is looking a bit shabby. Inside the PO lined it with creme which I got most of it out because I was afraid it would get into my carburators. Outside the paint has blemishes from years of riding and bubbling from what I can only guess is exposure to years of gasoline.
I don't have experience with fiberglass. I am pretty sure I can really do a thorough cleansing job of the inside and use Caswell or another quality product. But can the fiberglass be made smooth again? If so I know a painter who can respray it then hand paint the Norton logo with a black shadow effect. I know I can go the the stick on emblem route but there is just something classy with a hand painted Norton logo like I have now. Everyone says to leave the tank alone and I am. But not for long and someday I'll have to address the bubbling or else the tank will be ruined forever.
What is the consensus? What have you done? I am not a concourse kind of guy. But a Norton Commando demands care from its owners. Thanks in advance.
Doug

Ugh. No good words here. Better figure out how to get some kind of metal tank. Or if you're like me, get a new cheap good F/G tank and put avgas in it, nothing else unless you have access to non-ethanol. Limits your driving distance unless you live around a bunch of airports. I doubt if it's repairable, I wouldn't go there.

Dave
69S

Once dissolved through resin to bubble outside, ugh, a risky experiment, but if'n was mine I'd soak insides a few minutes with acetone, then hair drier on low for a day or more to throughly dry out, the Castwell Novalac inside with a number of thick layers,which essentaily builds a new epoxy tank inside the fb glass one. Its take like 2 cigarettes worth of turning to keep layer in place till set up frim it stays put. I threaded wooden dowel in the tap holes. You can smooth outside a number of ways, all involve stuff like bondo then sanded back till paintable. Do a fb boat repair search and even here with folks cutting tanks open to repair, ugh. I'm on look out for fb IS tank too crappy to run to hold my ashes in forever or so.

I was afraid of the answers I was going to receive. None the less the search will commence for a replacement tank. And I think I have found one. Now if I could wrench it from his hands. Even is the same color as mine. I gotta kick in my horse trading techniques again. Thanks for the suggestions or at least the futility of refurbishing mine. I kind of had that sinking feeling.

RGM motors sells alloy FB tanks for 355 pounds. Not too bad for peace of mind.

Another option?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayISAPI. ... EF:GB:1123

There are a number of threads on glass tank repairs, I have done the cut open thing on three tanks so far and they haven't dissolved yet. It is a bit more work than buying an alloy tank, but cheaper (I'm a cheapskate)

Jean

cafe-commando-build-thread-t8372.html?hilit=%20tank
fixing-fiberglass-tank-t6227.html?hilit=tank

ZFD said:

Another option?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayISAPI. ... EF:GB:1123

Click to expand...

Cruel!

At some future date these will become Incredibly Rare (like Hesketh spares!?)