1975 CB125 Tracker project

Tanks mostly stripped. Found a good stripper very close the the old stuff. Inside is close to being de-rusted. One more good soak of viniger and it should be gtg. Will have to treat it with wd40 as it flash rusted inside overnight after rinsing and leaving it to dry.

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So the bucket ain't gonna work. Thats 10 min. Flash rust. So put it in a bin, not enough to cover. Ok fill the jugs and some other containers with water and displace the viniger until it covers the whole tank. Better.
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Ok so pulled it after 30 ish hours between christmas chores and fixing a siezed caliper on the Pilot. Still puking huge chunks but every round removes rust and leaves nice clean tank. So back it went again. We will get there. Oh and I scooped all that up and dumped it in the trash can.
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Must be getting thin in a few spots. Might pay to pressure test it for leaks.
 
Nope. Still as solid as a rock. The rust is huge but the tank is as sound as new? Aboslutely no worries on a leak at all
 
Good to hear. Guess it just looks like a hell of a lot when you see it laid out like that.
 
Yep, its almost fluffy? The tank is thick steel. Thicker than newer tanks. Once its clean Ill treat it for rust inside and prime it outside until we can paint it etc
 
I think most of that gunk is actually crystallized gasoline. The 30 year-old crud that came out of my XL100 tank looked just like it.
 
I bet you are right. It has some rust but it also stinks and is fluffy. My wife keeps saying it smells funny and that would be why
 
Old gas often comes right out with an acetone soak. That might be from internal baffles that were cheaper steel, too.
 
That is a whole lot of shit better out than in. Looks like you're on it - it's at this point that I'd usually wheel out the MEK suggestion, but if you value your eyeballs, brain stem function and any significant sections of your central nervous system then leave it alone. I had good results with a couple of jugs of Metal Rescue too. It's got the guy from American Pickers grinning all over the label so you know it's good.
 
It's clean enough for now. Rinsed thoroughly and now roasting on the bbq to dry it all out. 200 deg should cook all the water out. When steam stops coming out of the top we'll cool it and put some 2 stroke oil inside then wipe with acetone and hit with primer for the outside and move on to other parts. Can't paint it till likely March anyway.I
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Mmmmm, BBQ Tank Steak! Served thinly sliced w/ a drizzle of 89 Octane sauce!
 
Ha, and the inside has already flash rusted. I think I will grab a jug of metal rescue and use that for one last cleannout then just drain it and add wd40 or 2stroke oil immediately. It was all clean bare metal inside. The water rinse to get rid of the viniger flash rusted before it got dry.
 
Wow, it must be really damp where you are! I had the tank for the Hedgehog empty for years with only a squishy "stress ball" stuffed into the filler hole and didn't have flash rust problems at all. And during the time between when I cut out the original filler and when Levi got the Suzuki filler fixture welded in rust didn't seem to be an issue.
 
Idk. Maybe I didnt get all the vinigar out? It turned brown in 10 min. The rust comes right off? Anyway. Ill do what I can until we can paint it and fill it with gas.
 
The acid in the vinegar causes the flash rusting. You can rinse the tank with water and baking soda to reduce the oxidation.
 
A few hours in the shop together. Simichrome and elbow grease and it's cleaning up well. Pulled all the signals etc and all socketa arw good and clean and work. I noticed 6V bikes have a shit ton of grounds they are everywhere so we will be cleaning and fixing all of them ive ordered 6v led bulbs for the tail and signals so that should help with stuff. Need a flasher relay but that can wait. Tank is in a soda bath and staying for a few days as the rust and crud is coming off in there.
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