Steel Interstate Tank

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Lance

I'm bumping this again because I was wondering if any of the other people who bought this tank had red primer paint on the inside of their tank, like MY tank has. Anyone else?? Most of the pictures in this thread show the red color interior, so I am wondering what all the other people did with their interior... Just leave it? strip it off?? epoxy?? something else?? thanks in advance for any constructive comments....

I used KBS coating on the inside of my tank. It is a 3 stage system of cleaning , etching and sealing .
During the cleaning stage some of the red primer did come out . I'm not sure what was in the cleaning solution though . I also noticed that the grey prier on the underside of the tank came off very easily with a bit of sanding , so not sure of the quality of the paint or whether it was cleaned properly before painting . My personal opinion is that you might as well coat it now rather than later just for peace of mind if nothing else .
By the way mine holds 24 litres of fuel which with my single Mikuni should give me a range of close to 300 miles !

I don't understand why one would want to line the inside of a new steel tank (assuming no leaks).

It seems to solve problems which don't exist and create very real probable future problems.

No matter what 'they' do to fuel in the future, it is highly unlikely to dissolve steel. Conversely, whatever version of sealant you use that is fine today, could easily become a problem tomorrow.

I had hours of 'fun' removing some unknown liner from a steel tank and cleaning it inside. Once clean, I left it bare, and all was fine (and still is).

All only IMHO of course.

I was hoping for a completely clean tank interior, but the tank showed up with the red coating inside, which added a single complexity to my planned process. Since I don't use ethanol fuels in my bike, I wasn't going to coat the inside of the tank at all. I was just going to rinse the tank out with acetone to clean out any residual swarf and then prep the outside for paint (black)

So,... I sent the manufacturer a message and here's my questions:

Hi, I recieved the tank which you sent. It looks very good to me. What is the red coating on the INSIDE of the tank???? Is it primer paint, or some kind of rust inhibitor? I wondered if I need to do anything further to the inside of the tank before I start prepping the outside of the tank for paint.
thank you,


...and there response:

Thank you for writing to us.

Kindly note that we produce these tanks from CRCA sheet (Cold rolled cold annealed) when we send the finished tank for electroplating the tank is emerged in a big water tank to remove the chemical effect like acid and chemicals. As the outer surface is chrome plated, this does not catch rust but the inner portion once taken out of the water tank, mixes with atmospheric oxygen and become ferric oxide or rust. Still we put red oxide chemical into the tank to prevent rusting. As this tank is brand new therefore, no damage to the tank can occur .

If you need any further assistance then kindly do not hesitate in contact me back.

I really wanted to know what they expected their customers to do to the interiors of their tanks with the "red oxide chemical" coating. Do I remove it with a chemical solvent? Do I use a sealant on top of their coating?? Do I use the tank as they supplied it? and if so, does the red oxide coating disolve to any extent in gasoline?? I guess I have at least one more message to send them..

*BTW, I found it interesting that the outter surface is chrome plated. If it was copper plated underneath the chrome and rubbed out, I wouldn't need to paint the tank at all...

Eddie

I can only assume you have never fitted an Indian tank , they normally have a coating of red oxide inside holding down the rust and dirt particles which melts instantly on contact with fuel
and fills your filters with crap

best to swill the tank with strong solvent ( paint thinner or MEK ) to try remove all the red oxide primer then flush it out with hot soapy water before applying an ethanol resistant tank sealer to
seal in anything that is left

I have done a few BSA tanks in the past and learnt the hard way draining tanks and cleaning filters is no fun especially when the suns out and you should be out riding

Yesterday, I took a rag with a little non-ethanol fuel on it and wiped the red oxide paint to test it. It melted easily with contact with the fuel. I also sent and received another correspondence from the manufacturer. (They are really good at responding to questions quickly) Here is the continuation of my communication to them:

Me: SO,... Do I remove the red oxide coating with a solvent to clean the coating off the inside of the tank before I put gasoline in it? Or is the red oxide coating impervious to the solvents in modern fuels?? I appreciate your help regarding this and appreciate your quick responses. Thank you again.

Them: Yes, you should remove the coating with a solvent or with the help of the thinner before putting the gasoline in it. If you need any further assistance then kindly do not hesitate in contact me back.

After wiping the red oxide coating with gas and talking to the manufacturer, I am cleaning the inside of the tank completely before I paint it. The used roadster tank that I bought to replace the original fiberglass tank, I coated with Wurth Rustguard and it's never had any issues for 20+ years. I may go with no coating or use the Wurth stuff... Anyway, the mystery is solved. That coating should be removed or it will disolve and run through your carbs and engine...

I guess I've got that to look forward to, however I just rubbed my finger inside my tank and that red stuff is tight to the inside so far and doesn't rub off on my finger. Not a good test I know. I'm running clear fuel filters for that reason and no stuff in there yet. Maybe my tank is different because it sure wasn't chrome on the outside, just raw steel. I'm keeping my stinky fingers (gasoline) crossed. :wink:
Lance

I poured a cocktail of paint stripper and acetone into the new tank. I added about 25 bolts, 3/8" size, to work as physical scrubbing agents when I aggitated the tank. It did not do what I thought it would do, which was dissolve the red oxide coating. Instead it just removed it's sheen and left it feeling rough. I wish I had left it alone, but that's my trademark, "never leave well enough alone" . I plan to just pour in some Wurth rustguard which is impervious to fuel and most chemicals and hope that bonds to the red oxide primer.

Sorry for bumping this again, but the saga continues and I don't want to leave the impression that stripping the red oxide coating off the inside of the tank worked out well, when it did NOT...

I also figured that for the cost I would get one of those Interstate tanks. It arrived the other day pretty quick and in very good shape. Gray primer bottom, sanded top with some sort of tacky substance to prevent rust and red oxide applied inside. I just set it on the frame and everything seems to line up fine. I used acetone and a rag and was able to remove the red oxide on the filler neck easily. I did want to remove too much because I will not get around to painting it until next spring or summer. I have too much going on in my garage and it is not heated. At the moment I can not see any negatives about this tank.


Pete

How is the fit of the gas cap? I have read that there were issues with the fit on some tanks out of India.

John in Texas

N0rt0nelectr@ said:

How is the fit of the gas cap? I have read that there were issues with the fit on some tanks out of India.

John in Texas

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John,

I haven't tried fitting a cap yet. I will probably get a new one and all new mounting hardware. Hopefully Ausnorton or blipJC will chime in seeing how they are further into the project.

Pete

I removed the Ceandless cap and pin and they, along with my original brass fuel taps from my Dunstall tank, fit well on my tank. No problems and no leaks.
Lance

L.E.N. said:

I removed the Ceandless cap and pin and they, along with my original brass fuel taps from my Dunstall tank, fit well on my tank. No problems and no leaks.
Lance

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Good to know. Thanks
Pete

good to know this information. Might persuade the wife to let me buy these. will need a seat as well for my Roadster though. bugger. Oh well.
Dereck

Initially my Ceandess cap was a bit tight and needed a wiggle to get it open , but I think that was just due to the paint as it now opens and closes no problem .

o0norton0o said:

I poured a cocktail of paint stripper and acetone into the new tank. I added about 25 bolts, 3/8" size, to work as physical scrubbing agents when I aggitated the tank. It did not do what I thought it would do, which was dissolve the red oxide coating. Instead it just removed it's sheen and left it feeling rough. I wish I had left it alone, but that's my trademark, "never leave well enough alone" . I plan to just pour in some Wurth rustguard which is impervious to fuel and most chemicals and hope that bonds to the red oxide primer.

Sorry for bumping this again, but the saga continues and I don't want to leave the impression that stripping the red oxide coating off the inside of the tank worked out well, when it did NOT...

Click to expand...

I'm no chemist, but I can't help wondering if your cocktail was counter productive in that the 2 ingredients worked against each other in some way?

I would suggest trying only acetone, filling the tank and leaving it for a week, then adding some nuts / bolts and swilling around.

I still think it seems a shame to coat a brand new and leak free steel tank and would prefer putting in extra effort to get back to bare steel if I were going this route.

Which I'm not BTW... I went the route of restoring an original tank... which has turned into its own long saga! So it's good to know these new ones are a viable option. Had I been braver I'd have tried one, but I'm in too deep now!

Fast Eddie said:

o0norton0o said:

I poured a cocktail of paint stripper and acetone into the new tank. I added about 25 bolts, 3/8" size, to work as physical scrubbing agents when I aggitated the tank. It did not do what I thought it would do, which was dissolve the red oxide coating. Instead it just removed it's sheen and left it feeling rough. I wish I had left it alone, but that's my trademark, "never leave well enough alone" . I plan to just pour in some Wurth rustguard which is impervious to fuel and most chemicals and hope that bonds to the red oxide primer.

Sorry for bumping this again, but the saga continues and I don't want to leave the impression that stripping the red oxide coating off the inside of the tank worked out well, when it did NOT...

Click to expand...

I'm no chemist, but I can't help wondering if your cocktail was counter productive in that the 2 ingredients worked against each other in some way?

I would suggest trying only acetone, filling the tank and leaving it for a week, then adding some nuts / bolts and swilling around.

I still think it seems a shame to coat a brand new and leak free steel tank and would prefer putting in extra effort to get back to bare steel if I were going this route.

Which I'm not BTW... I went the route of restoring an original tank... which has turned into its own long saga! So it's good to know these new ones are a viable option. Had I been braver I'd have tried one, but I'm in too deep now!

Click to expand...

Actually the stripper which is a methyl chloride stripper has a list of it's active ingredients on the label and both MEK and acetone are listed in large amounts percentage wise. I added the liquid acetone hoping it would be easier to slosh around since the stripper material on it's own has a thick consistancy and doesn't flow easily.

My personal opinion is that the tank is well made and that the coating may be a baked on, so it's not coming off easily. Like you, I wish it was a bare metal tank inside, but it isn't. I think the costumer service person I corresponded with is not familiar with the coating, nor is english her primary language, so somewhere in the translating and her asking a tech person my question, the answer to strip the coating was arrived at and relayed to me.

LIke Pete, I was able to remove the coating on the filler neck with acetone and elbow grease, but it didn't just disolve on contact with the acetone. I can't see how I'm going to apply elbow grease inside the tank to remove this paint, but I have all winter to figure it out... As I said, I was going to coat the inside with a Wurth product (that is now discontinued, I just found out) called rustguard. I coated my roadster tank with it 20+ years ago when I got rid of the fiberglass tank. It's never chipped or flaked off, and it bonds to rust. I actually called the Wurth headquaters yesterday and they said they don't recommend rustguard for inside of tanks, and if it works,... so be it, but it's NOT intended for that use.

So I am here, wanting to use a discontinued that's not recommended to coat a gas tank with an existing mystery coating inside it that resisted a chemical stripping agent. It's just another typical day in my life!! At this point, it's just a temporary setback that I will figure out before next spring.

So I am here, wanting to use a discontinued that's not recommended to coat a gas tank with an existing mystery coating inside it that resisted a chemical stripping agent. It's just another typical day in my life!! At this point, it's just a temporary setback that I will figure out before next spring.[/quote]


Frank,
FWIW:
I believe POR15 is the same as Wurth's. I don't think I would use either in the tank.
I also believe a radiator repair shop might be able to clean out the inside of the tank. If I can't get it out myself that would be my next option. I want to be in the position to prime the outside of the tank with either epoxy or high build metal etching primer immediately after cleaning so I will wait until the time is right to do everything at once. To be continued...............

Pete

Deets55 said:

So I am here, wanting to use a discontinued that's not recommended to coat a gas tank with an existing mystery coating inside it that resisted a chemical stripping agent. It's just another typical day in my life!! At this point, it's just a temporary setback that I will figure out before next spring.

Click to expand...

Frank,
FWIW:
I believe POR15 is the same as Wurth's. I don't think I would use either in the tank.
I also believe a radiator repair shop might be able to clean out the inside of the tank. If I can't get it out myself that would be my next option. I want to be in the position to prime the outside of the tank with either epoxy or high build metal etching primer immediately after cleaning so I will wait until the time is right to do everything at once. To be continued...............

Pete[/quote]
With so many auto companies going to plastic radiators I haven't found a shop close that can clean mine. Closest is 40 miles away.