Advice/tips on spraying a drop tank

[havavb]

Going to spray my drop tank silver, and my straps red. How should I go about it for the best result, this is my first time spraying them, and I don't want them looking like a bodge job. Any tips/advice would be great

[ari666]

have a trawl through here for a bit: Spray Painting and Panel Beating

is it an alloy tank or steel? is it old? i.e. used. does it have paint on it? what sort of tools do you have?

[DAKSTER]

Also depends on how much else you eventually plan on painting. Since you havent sprayed before, is it reasonably safe to assume you have no equipment?

Firstly, spray packs are useful for windscreen wipers, door handles, and not much else. Please dont consider them an option if you want the finished job to look good and be durable.

Since its underneath the car, its going to have a hard life. Choose your paint appropriately. You could maybe consider an industrial hammertone, for an individual look and great durability. At the very least, it needs to be 2K.

I like to do my own spraying, and I always recommend people at least have a go. In this case though, you really need to examine how keen you are. The cost of buying equipment and paint, and the dangers of spraying 2K yourself, would make me lean toward simply paying someone to do it. Will you be spraying anything else? Is it worth the equipment outlay? Dont consider hiring equipment, its just not worth it unless you know you can get it right the first time. By the time you get halfway decent at using rented equipment, it will have been cheaper to just buy the stuff.

[havavb]

Vp tank, and that's all I was going to spray, I was going to use wheel paint as it doesn't chip etc, really would like to know the best way to prep tank and straps for best result

[ari666]

Best way is to take it down to a car wash with some heavy duty degreaser or kerosene. Spray it on and let it soak for 15 mins then blast it with hot water.
Take it home then hit it with a wire wheel on an angle grinder.
Once thats done cover it in rust converter and let it sit overnight. Come back next day and check the converter has covered completely and redo it again paying most attention to the missed spots.
Leave it for a further week, then wizzy the whole lot dow with120. Hit it with a couple of thick coats of 2k epoxy, and 2 thick coats of 2k black.

Or the cheats way; wirewheel really quickly and layer on a metric shit-tonne of stone guard.

[DAKSTER]

oh ari thats nasty lol... clean a fuel tank with an angle grinder without first getting rid of petrol fumes.. you are so cruel, a man after my own heart

[ari666]

lol. i welded my tank. took me 3 days to get the courage to do it. everyday id walk up to it with my BBQ lighter in my hand, stand there for a few minutes and think "one more day cant hurt" then walk off.

[Dr HaxZaw]

lol. i welded my tank. took me 3 days to get the courage to do it. everyday id walk up to it with my BBQ lighter in my hand, stand there for a few minutes and think "one more day cant hurt" then walk off.

fill it with water first, then empty it and try maybe? lol

[VR38]

After washing the tank out with soapy water running the car exhaust into it with a pipe will purge any left over fumes that arn't washed out.

[ari666]

fill it with water first, then empty it and try maybe? lol

i did. you do it. there is always that little voice in the back of your mind saying:

"you do realise your about to blow your face off, right?"

[bj42turbo]

I just used 3M wheel paint that Supercheap used to sell, seems OK so far but I dont drive it very often and not on dirt or gravel roads..
I figured it didn't need to be perfect as its under the car and I still have the plastic stone guard in place..

Dazz

EDIT...I did first strip it down to bare metal using a wire wheel attached to grinder then undercoated

[Drawnnite]

ill just add this.

once you go the spray gun youll never go back.

ari and dak and a few other on here are superb for advice.
they certainly have the good advice to get things done.

[Dr HaxZaw]

i did. you do it. there is always that little voice in the back of your mind saying:

"you do realise your about to blow your face off, right?"

i always get that when starting up a grinder thinking the disk may shatter... too many stories from work about that happening lol

[ari666]

Also just to note: the wire wheel doesnt throw sparks so its safe to use on a tank

[DAKSTER]

ill just add this.

once you go the spray gun youll never go back.

ari and dak and a few other on here are superb for advice.
they certainly have the good advice to get things done.

Thankyou kind sir However, Dak just offers advice. Whether its always good or not is very debatable

Ari on the other hand is a man who definitely knows his stuff...

[ari666]

Pfff. All smoke and mirrors mate. 90% of the stuff i post is info from other members on here. I just listen, give it a shot and if it works then spread the word.

The quiet users are the ones to listen to. Bv6 hatch, delcowizid, naaf, greenfoam to name a few. The list goes on and on. Between us all we make a pretty good crew. Yourself included dak.

[DAKSTER]

Thanks mate. Frankly, most of my advice comes from having made a mess of it a multitude of times before lol.. I often dont know the right way, but I have tried and proven the wrong way many times in the last 30 years.. the only thing I can offer is the benefit of bad experience. And there is no smoke or mirrors involved in your Silverado.. that job would scare the bejusus out of me.. omg all that spaghetti..

[bj42turbo]

ill just add this.

once you go the spray gun youll never go back.

.

I dont agree completely, I own 3 guns, compressor etc.....but its a fuel tank under the car and unless its a show car, to me it was just easier to just use spray cans and not have to worry about the clean up etc.......

But If your an experienced spray painter then spray gun all the way, which I am not or I dont think havavb is

Dazz