Cutting open a Penton tank...

[brian kirby]

I've got several tanks that were coated with Caswell and now they are worthless because the coating is peeling off. I've tried putting things like big nuts a bolts in them to break the loose stuff off, but it continues to peel. Since they are basically useless as they are, I am thinking of cutting them apart, removing the coatings, and glassing them back together. Has anyone done this? If so where did you cut? If no one has done it, what are the opinions on where I should cut?

Brian

[checkcrew]

Brian,

by no means am i an expert on fiberglass,
but if you have a body shop in your area that specializes in Corvetts i would take the tank to them for an opinion or a good boat yard that does fiberglass repair,

hope this helps,

PS: say hello to Ernie for me :-))

regards,

Mike Gallagher, NJ.
[email protected]

[brian kirby]

I raced jet skis for years so I have a lot of glassing experience, I was just wondering what people thought would be the best way to cut the tank open. I am thinking on the bottom just inside the bond flange, that would keep the structural integrity of the top and you wouldnt have to deal with the filler neck.

Brian

[Daniel P. McEntee]

Hey Brian;
    I would try to find one that is damaged already as a guinea pig, and measure up a couple of inches from the bottom flange into the tunnel area, and draw a line all the way around. Then gut it on this line. All you want to do is be able to reach in and scrub the inside, correct? get it like you want it, then epoxy a layer of glass to form a lip on the inside of the tank. This would give you a good mating surface to bond the cut out piece to. Epoxy that piece in, with a layer of glass over the resulting seam to help seal everything.and give you something to sand. This should accomplish all that you want to do, and keep the outer surfaces untouched. I was curious how the giys that restore aluminum tanks did what they do, and they essentially do something similar by grinding away the welds that hold the tunnel section to the top of the tank. If they grind away too much material, they can always weld in more. You can't doo that with fiberglass, obviously, but going in through the bottom like I described seems like the logical path. Good luck with it and let us know your progress, maybe with some pictures along the way?
  Type at you later,
  Dan McEntee

[brian kirby]

Thats what I was thinking too, but with the Penton's having the leather strap on the top, you could cut it in half, but the problem there is the filler neck.

I have 4-5 tanks that look good on the outside but are unusable as a rider because of the peeling Caswell coating.

Brian

[thrownchain]

Open it up from the bottom.

[Kip Kern]

Bottom line, don't coat them! Drain them after you use them.  I have never seen a coating that works yet very well without peeling or bubbling.

[brian kirby]

I didnt coat them Kip, they were already coated when I got the tanks. I dont use ethanol gas anyway, and protection from ethanol is the only reason to coat one in the first place.

Brian

[joe novak]

I would consider cutting the tank around the circumference somewhere between the filler cap and the seat area (like cutting a loaf of bread).    Get in there and clean it out, then fiberglass it back together.