Best way to fix dents in gas tank?

[Hovmod]

I want to shine up the tank on my Skunk, and have planned to strip and repaint it. How do you guys fix dents and dings?

[GateKeeper]

Wrong forum you posted your question in....

here you should be telling us how you did it and made it look like new....

delete this post and post it in the correct forum would be my suggestion

[Tim Tom]

Hovmod,

I'm by no means an expert bodywork guy, but I have done a bit of it. Generally you can fill the dents in with bondo, or some other auto-body filler. As far as how to best use the bondo, it's a repetitive process of applying and sanding, until the dent is gone and the tank is shaped like new again. This is more of an art form than a science, as its tricky to get it just right.

Depending on the size, shape, and location of the dent, you may have some luck with a dent puller suction cup or something, but I don't have much faith in them. I would be afraid of deforming the tank even more by pulling too far out.

Stick to bondo I'd say.

PS if I'm wrong, and there is a super easy way to remove dents without body filler, some let me know! I'm doing it this winter and always looking for tips

[salty_monk]

Weld or braze a stud and use a slide hammer. Pulling too far out is not a problem, you can always push it back in again.

There is an adhesive version of this that some have used with some success. Other than that you'll have to shape a tool & try to prise it out through the gas cap hole..

Filler to finish...

[chef1366]

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=99549&highlight=dent+king

[G. Bruns]

Some additional thoughts... if you don't weld, perhaps you could use some epoxy for metals to glue some sort of improvised dent puller. Cut it off with a Dremel when you are done. Most dents don't require much encouragement to come out as the metal has a sort of memory and wants to return to its original state. If you can manage to wriggle something through the gas fill hole or the fuel sender opening and push out the dent, that works too. For the filler work, I use the Professional Bondo Gold. Well worth the extra money. For primer, I use a Rustoleum high build primer to get things perfectly even before painting.

[Sci85]

I used the rebar with ball on the end trick to push them out from the inside and it worked like a champ. Search the forums and you will some good info along with pics of how to make one.

[jfman]

fill with water and put in freezer....


... and let us know what happened

[rustybronco]

When metal gets dented (deformed), it usually raises the metal around the outside of dent, so it's always best to undo (remove) as much of the dent before filling it with plastic. Just filling up the dent is 'hack' workmanship at best.

[850 Combat]

I tried using dry ice to shrink the stretched metal. It worked a little. It was easy and kind of fun. but its no final solution.

[jfman]

The hairdrier and air can trick works on tanks?

[Mekanix]

N0, but yes .

I admit I tried it. Using a heat gun and cold spray did help the dent a little but I think it was mostly the shop vac on blow that did it all.