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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Suggestions for undenting a tank?
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Message started by wrenchbender on 04/16/08 at 13:36:55

Title: Suggestions for undenting a tank?
Post by wrenchbender on 04/16/08 at 13:36:55

Found my first Suzuki last week, an 06 S40. Guess the seller dropped it on her knee in the drive and gave up riding after that, so it sat.

Realizing it'll never be perfect, I'd like to hear suggestions for popping this back out. Attempted to add a photo, but due to this being my first post, guess I can't. Will see if I can reply to this with a photo. thanks

Title: Re: Suggestions for undenting a tank?
Post by wrenchbender on 04/16/08 at 13:38:00

http://www.clunkercycle.com/6dbc3520.jpg

Title: Re: Suggestions for undenting a tank?
Post by eanon on 04/16/08 at 14:05:41

As long as there are no actual creases, I've heard dry ice works really well. Drain the gas, freeze the tank around the dent, up to a couple of inches around the dent. Then watch as it warms up and the dent comes out! :D

Title: Re: Suggestions for undenting a tank?
Post by Mr. Hyde on 04/16/08 at 14:06:16

If you look in the 'tech section' under 'contents' there's an article on Tank Dent Removal. May or may not apply to your tank but take a gander.

Title: Re: Suggestions for undenting a tank?
Post by verslagen1 on 04/16/08 at 14:14:21

dry ice?
suction?
time machine?

Title: Re: Suggestions for undenting a tank?
Post by Jerry Eichenberger on 04/16/08 at 14:18:52

How do the Dent Wizard type of car guys do it?

I've had two cars heavily hail damaged, and they did wonders.

Title: Re: Suggestions for undenting a tank?
Post by Jonny_Chicago on 04/16/08 at 16:07:32

I have heard a plunger for dents in car. Not sure if it will work on the bike...

Title: Re: Suggestions for undenting a tank?
Post by Paladin. on 04/16/08 at 16:58:34

Haven't done it, but I heard that you can tack weld a pull rod to the dent, pull it out, then grind off the weld.

Title: Re: Suggestions for undenting a tank?
Post by viper on 04/16/08 at 17:18:38

Jerry the dent doctors in most cases have to get behind the dent to work the steel. Todays cars an light trk.s have rather thin sheetmetal and are really not that hard to repair our shop uses them offten and they do very good work price not to bad eather. As for the tank dent he might want to stop at a well equiped body shop some have a spl. tool that hooks to a slidehammer then to a vac. supply the amount of suction and the pull from the slide hammer pull some pritty nasty dents out. It's worth the trip to check it out.You may luck outand one of the body guys may be a biker mite do you a favor.
Ride on Ride safe
viper

Title: Re: Suggestions for undenting a tank?
Post by KwakNut on 04/17/08 at 03:50:32

Looking at the position of that dent, you just might be able to get to the back of it with something like a curved length of 3/8 bar through the petcock hole to push it out.
Pressure blowing tanks can also work well - just rig the thing up to an airline.
Alternatively, slap on some filler and repaint!

Title: Re: Suggestions for undenting a tank?
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 04/17/08 at 07:04:23

Iheard using air would make it leak, maybe even split a seam. Pressing it out with a round piece will screw it up royally. A relatively flat piece with softened edges woud help. I would consider taking it to a paintless dent repair place & just talk to someone. Maybe if you pull the tank & air it out a couple of days, so a spark wouldnt be a disaster, ( I dont know if that will work, is 2 days enough?) Maybe someone could go up thru the petcock hole & spank that dent out. Your assessment of how it got there seems reasonable. Mine is bent there, too. I was walking away,parked on a downhill( Dummy!) & it was rolling off the stand, jumped back at it & stck my right leg under it. Lucky I didnt wreck my knee again. Its been operated on once. REflexes dont run thru the "Is this a smart thing to do" part of the brain, tho. Apparently, from looking at a lot of my posts, I do a lot of living on reflex.

Title: Re: Suggestions for undenting a tank?
Post by drharveys on 04/17/08 at 21:58:44

Here's what I used in a similar situation.

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e204/drharveys/Hyosung/BILD0211.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e204/drharveys/Hyosung/BILD0210.jpg

You heat up the sticky stuff with the "glue gun", then stick the tab to the dent. When it cools down, the "gear puller" will pop it out. It takes a few tries, but the key is that the sticky stuff pulls at the dent till it fails. When it fails, it doesn't stick to or damage the paint.

Title: Re: Suggestions for undenting a tank?
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 04/18/08 at 00:11:27

If you can get a flat bar that will get between the feet on that thing & wrap the bar with a soft rag & very, ohh very lightly spank on the bar, worink the "eyebrow" down as the bottom of the dent comes up. 100 light taps is better than 5 smacks. Its okay if you cant see the metal move, be patient, A dent like that has a high ridge around it, sometimes just on one side, but thers one there somewhere. Just make sure all adges are rounded off. You can even use wood. Still have to wrap it, tho. I wish you the best.

Title: Re: Suggestions for undenting a tank?
Post by wrenchbender on 04/18/08 at 02:17:31

I went with a Pops-a-Dent (As Seen On TV) which is similar to Billy Mayes Ding King sans his glowing endorsement. Many that I've spoken to at work are certain it won't work, but then confess to never having tried or known someone that tried one. I'll let you know after this weekend whether it was $20 well spent or wasted. Thanks, for the suggestions.

Update:

http://www.clunkercycle.com/6ddbf4f0.jpg

I chose this angle and lighting to reveal as much of it that now remains which is mostly ripples. I may try dry ice if I can find any locally to see if it'll smooth the ripples out. The dent puller by any name it's sold under worked better than I thought it might. Again thanks to all for the suggestions.