Here's one for all our paint experts!!
I'll need to paint my fuel tank, I've spent hours and hours getting rid of the outside rust, underseal, glue, etc and it's now bare metal, although still with a few bits of minor surface rust, and some of the galvanising still in place.
What's the best way to paint it. I can kill the remaining minor surface rust with Jenolite, or can I etch prime over it? Also, can I etch prime over the remaining zinc coating?? I've heard Upol 8 is the way to go?
Or...do I have to get the entire surface completley to bare steel. will all the nooks and crannies that will still be a pain, and I'm tired of covering my entire garage and everything in it with crap! But if that's the right way I'll do it of course.
Also, any suggestions for a top coat? I plan to paint it silver to resemble the original, but obviously durability & toughness is important under there.
thanks
Painting fuel tank question
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Painting fuel tank question
Gavin Chisholm - 414ci W2 Stroker SmallBlock Panther Pink '71 Challenger convertible - in bits
Car progress can be viewed here
Car progress can be viewed here
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latil
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You sure thats galvanised? Every tank I've seen has been tinned all over as part of the soldering/sealing process. Originals don't seem to be primed just flashed over with black laquer of some sort or,unpainted.
1965 Belvedere 2 426 Wedge.
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Good question!
I've had another look and it's hard to say. One thing that I have found is a very odd matt-type coating on at least the bottom half of the tank. Despite a good wire brushing there was still a greyish dull coating in places. With a lot of solvent and elbow grease I've removed a lot of it, but still not sure what it is and whether I need to completely remove it - it's gonna take a lot more effort before a rag comes up clean
Difficult to capture on the camera, but I've had a go - before and after a major solvent rubdown!!
Do you reckon that it's tinned then? If so, still the same questions, what's the best way to prep and what's the best silver paint to live down there??
thanks!
I've had another look and it's hard to say. One thing that I have found is a very odd matt-type coating on at least the bottom half of the tank. Despite a good wire brushing there was still a greyish dull coating in places. With a lot of solvent and elbow grease I've removed a lot of it, but still not sure what it is and whether I need to completely remove it - it's gonna take a lot more effort before a rag comes up clean
Difficult to capture on the camera, but I've had a go - before and after a major solvent rubdown!!
Do you reckon that it's tinned then? If so, still the same questions, what's the best way to prep and what's the best silver paint to live down there??
thanks!
Gavin Chisholm - 414ci W2 Stroker SmallBlock Panther Pink '71 Challenger convertible - in bits
Car progress can be viewed here
Car progress can be viewed here
Thanks Trev, good idea on the Smoothrite, maybe I'll go with that. Pretty tough although it does seem to chip a bit in my experience.
I could try the acid dip route but the inside of the tank is so good I don't really want to strip the coating. I'd assuming it was zinc plated but sounds like it might be tinned, but it's really good in there. That's another reason I was looking for a method of painting it without stripping off all the plating outside - would like to have kept what I could if possible for protection.
The dull finish is odd - like I said i've spent probably 7 hours continuous just stripping the outside, including angle grinder wire brushes and the old Clean 'n Strip discs, normally more than enough to get it shiney clean. I must have stayed away from some of the dull areas since I thought that was some of the coating (never seen it before). So, I was surprised when it came off with solvent.
Obviously I wouldn't usually dream of painting anything that a solvent rag would come away dirty from, it's just that this coating is very strange - the rag comes away shiney (can't see it in the picture).
So, I'll do what I have to - which probably means the clean n strip out again, but with the car and all my parts in the garage it makes a REAL mess - the rust has settled on EVERY surface, despite a vaccum running all the time I was stripping it
I've even partitioned my garage and it still gets around it.
Well - I'm gonna make a 'mini spray/stripping booth' inside to sort it out. I'll start another post on that later!
In the meantime - any other contributions welcomed......
I could try the acid dip route but the inside of the tank is so good I don't really want to strip the coating. I'd assuming it was zinc plated but sounds like it might be tinned, but it's really good in there. That's another reason I was looking for a method of painting it without stripping off all the plating outside - would like to have kept what I could if possible for protection.
The dull finish is odd - like I said i've spent probably 7 hours continuous just stripping the outside, including angle grinder wire brushes and the old Clean 'n Strip discs, normally more than enough to get it shiney clean. I must have stayed away from some of the dull areas since I thought that was some of the coating (never seen it before). So, I was surprised when it came off with solvent.
Obviously I wouldn't usually dream of painting anything that a solvent rag would come away dirty from, it's just that this coating is very strange - the rag comes away shiney (can't see it in the picture).
So, I'll do what I have to - which probably means the clean n strip out again, but with the car and all my parts in the garage it makes a REAL mess - the rust has settled on EVERY surface, despite a vaccum running all the time I was stripping it
I've even partitioned my garage and it still gets around it.
Well - I'm gonna make a 'mini spray/stripping booth' inside to sort it out. I'll start another post on that later!
In the meantime - any other contributions welcomed......
Gavin Chisholm - 414ci W2 Stroker SmallBlock Panther Pink '71 Challenger convertible - in bits
Car progress can be viewed here
Car progress can be viewed here
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Anonymous
I would paint it with Etch primer, then conventional 2 pack. If it don't react with whats on there it should be fine. Looking at your photos i'd say you had done enough prep already!
I personally wouldn't use soothrite/hammerite as its too brittle to withstand high speed stones.
If you were really keen, put a layer of smooth stonechip compound on after the etch primer on the bottom of the tank, in particular the leading edge. If you use grey stonechip it wont even be obvious when the silver paint on top gets chipped! But hey, probably no one will see the chips!!!
Anyway, thats what i'll be doing.
I personally wouldn't use soothrite/hammerite as its too brittle to withstand high speed stones.
If you were really keen, put a layer of smooth stonechip compound on after the etch primer on the bottom of the tank, in particular the leading edge. If you use grey stonechip it wont even be obvious when the silver paint on top gets chipped! But hey, probably no one will see the chips!!!
Anyway, thats what i'll be doing.
