1950 Jawa Gas tank lining

[Jdunham]

I have a 1950 Jawa what had its tank lined with what i think was epoxy around 1974. the liner is now soft and goey. i am looking for any information available on solvents that could be used to dissolve this old lining so that i can start fresh. The tank has some rust on the outside so sovlents that could damage the paint are not really a problem. i will be repainting it anyway.

thankyou

[MagicRat]

The liner was likely put in there to seal a leaky tank. I suspect you will find the tank to be pretty porous from rust if you remove the liner.

I suggest finding a shop that rebuilds and seals gas tanks and radiators. They like to "boil" or immerse the tank in a cleaning solution (possibly caustic soda) to remove all rust, paint, sealer etc, leaving just bare shiny steel in preparation for new paint.

Then they can re-seal the inside with epoxy or solder/braze up any rust holes they find.

If you go this route be sure to remove everything from the tank that is not steel, including any tank badges, fuel line fittings etc, so they will not be damaged/dissolved by the cleaning process.

[Jdunham]

The tank was lined becuase it was rusty, but leaky. However, the process you describe is NOT cheap by any means. the tank is actually cut open and then welded shut again. This can cost anywhere from 300 to 500 dollars. this is not a restoration bike and will never be show worthy. i cannot justify that investment.

[MagicRat]

Originally Posted by Jdunham

The tank was lined becuase it was rusty, but leaky. However, the process you describe is NOT cheap by any means. the tank is actually cut open and then welded shut again. This can cost anywhere from 300 to 500 dollars.

Are we talking about the same process???

I had a 1968 Thunderbird tank ( a huge 22 gallon tank) repaired in this way. It was rusty and leaking. The shop did not have to cut it open at all. It was boiled, cleaned out, all rust holes closed up and re-lined for about $180 (with a guarentee) Since the tank is about 20 times the size of your bike, I do not see how any shop can charge $300-500.

Respectfully, I would suggest to take your tank to a radiator and/or gas tank shop and ask for a price. It should be no more than $100.

If you really want to do this yourself, you can try what I have done, clean out the inside of the tank with paint stripper. Let it soak for a couple of days then use a high pressure washer to blast out all the gunk from the inside. You may have to repeat this several times.

Then the rust holes can be sealed from the outside using epoxy or brazing (if you have an oxy-acetylene torch. The epoxy or brass can be filed smooth in preparation for paint.