AJS & Matchless Owners Club

A friend bougnt my 1947 AJS 350cc and ?.Rebuilt it and lined the Petrol tank some years ago .NOW this lining is peeling off ?Any one cleaned a tank out and re sealed it 100% OK ?
Trouble is the tank was resprayed and is as NEW .
Ride with CARE and LIVE LONG to ENJOY your Bikes and Scooters.
Insured with Peter James.

I guess only if the sealent is tollerent to todays fuel Rex. It sounds like the sealent used was not suitable for ethanol, which some years ago was not found in fuel.

When I had the same problem & since alcohol is the culprit, I half filled the tank with methanol. It loosened up the old sealer enough that with long scrapers & one of those grasping tools I got it out. Then I sealed it with Caswell's two-part epoxy. Two years ago & no further problems. Cheers, Don.

I will pass the infomation on ,Thanks Don.
Yes Rob it was done some years ago,before Ethernol was thought of.
Ride with CARE and LIVE LONG to ENJOY your Bikes and Scooters.

We have has ethenol in our fuel here in California for at least 10-15yrs. We have the strictest envirnmental standards in the world, often have to fight the federal "Gummit" to implement them. But we also had the dirtiest air & it is improving. Cheers, Don.

This is a problem I'm facing up to with two of my own bikes. In the August issue of 'Classic Motorcycle Mechanics' there was an article that told you how to go about it. The obvious warnings apply; seal up the tap holes and protect the paintwork etc, then get stuck in with some nasty chemicals that dissolve the old tank liner (and probably any rubber bits or paint you forgot to remove or mask off)
The chemical was apparently used in paint stripper previously so perhaps you can scrounge it from work etc. If not, then it's available via ebay (!!!) (and some firms sell a dedicated tank liner remover-made of the same stuff?) and it's called DICHLOROMETHANE also known as METHYLENE CHLORIDE and yes, you'll need the kinky rubber gloves, eye protection, prophylactics, safety shoes, hard hat and a responsible adult before you start the job. At least.
The magazine was issue number 298 if you want to order a copy.
If it all goes wrong it's not my fault.