There's a hole in my metal gas tank on my mini bike

[brother chris]

I have a 1971 Arctic Cat 50cc mini bike and when I let my sister take it for a spin, the bolts came loose on the tank and the tank fell off and my sis ran over the gas tank, thus putting a hole in the tank.
I was wondering if anyone had any ideas how I can fix this at home, or would it be better to take it to a shop (and what kind of shop should I take it to)?
Thanks for any ideas/tips.
Brother Chris.

 

[brother chris]

Re: There's a hole in my metal gas tank on my mini bike

BTW...I forgot to mention that the tank has been sitting for a year and the inside of the tank is rusty and there are flakes of rust inside the tank.
I don't think I can get a new tank....it's 38 years old!

 

[jeffnick]

Re: There's a hole in my metal gas tank on my mini bike

http://cgi.ebay.com/HALF-GALLON-GAS-TANK-FOR-MOTORIZED-BICYCLE-ENGINE-KIT_W0QQitemZ260439642339QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3ca36990e3&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12|66%3A4|39%3A1|72%3A1171|293%3A1|294%3A200

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: There's a hole in my metal gas tank on my mini bike

There are a few ways to repair it.

You can use epoxy to seal the hole and actually fill the dent. http://www.pcepoxy.com/puttyepoxies/pcmetal.asp

Or since it is in poor shape...... find a good welder. Ask if he could weld two halves together. If he can...... cut the tank open ...... clean the inside with a wire brush and then have it welded together. You can pound out the dent and have him/her weld the hole shut too. After it is welded use a gas tank kit to epoxy coat it on the inside (available at most motorcycle shops).

The third option would be to google it and you will see there are hundreds of tanks that may work. Ebay has a wide selection too.

 

[brother chris]

Re: There's a hole in my metal gas tank on my mini bike

Thanks for the replies.
I would rather keep the mini bike in original condition instead of buying an after-market gas tank for it.The mini bike is in great shape and it would look so much better if it was kept original. (altho I must admit the $20 gas tank on Ebay looks like a quick fix/replacement)
Guess I'll have to look around for a good welder. Thanks again guys!
B.C.

 

[salty87]

Re: There's a hole in my metal gas tank on my mini bike

the hole is saving you from the rust. there are products made for re-sealing the inside of the tank but i don't know if they're as cheap as the new tank. add the time you'd spend fixing it inside and out...new all the way.

 

[joed]

Re: There's a hole in my metal gas tank on my mini bike

Depasnding on how big the hole is you might be able to just solder it up.

 

[BuzzStPoint]

Re: There's a hole in my metal gas tank on my mini bike

Look in the yellow pages for any metal fabrication shops in your area.

They will be able to clean the inside of the tank, bang out the dents and solder/weld the tank so it doesn't leak.

 

[mars bar]

Re: There's a hole in my metal gas tank on my mini bike

Go to crappy tire and get a tube of SEAL-All made for gas tanks.

 

[RollingWanderer]

Re: There's a hole in my metal gas tank on my mini bike

How much is it worth to you? It may cost you a more than a few $$, but what you need to find is a custom motorcycle or street rod builder. Someone with some skills could definately split that just below the existing seam rehab it inside and out, then reweld it. Done right and repainted would look just as good if not better than it did in 1971. I know a couple street rod builders here in the midwest that are wizards with sheet metal, but I bet you could find someone closer.

-RW

 

[BF]

Re: There's a hole in my metal gas tank on my mini bike

for a quick / dirty fix I'll say +1 for going to Cdn tire and buying a tube of "seals all". Then you could screw in one or two sheet metal screws/bolts globbed with the stuff and make it seal. It wouldn't be pretty but I think it would hold... at least until you get a new tank. A friend had a punctured tank on his 1/2 ton from driving on gravel roads up in northern Alberta... He just put a glob of this stuff on a sheet metal screw and screwed into the hole (as gas was dripping out)... He sold the truck a year or two later... still had no leak. Since he told me that, I keep a tube of that stuff in my tool box... I've mostly used it for fixing holes in vinyl water toys.... works good for that too.

Good luck.