CJ750 toolbox
	Stripping a fuel tank by Richard Cook
Things you will need: A quart of liquid paint stripper. I often use Jasco, there are several types including epoxy stripper which makes Bondo removal easier. I just stole the stripper my wife had in the basement. A scraper. I like the plastic type since it does not scrape up the metal. My wife also had this in the basement. A wire brush. An old paint brush to apply the stripper. A container to pour the stripper in to. Metal is better since some plastic will melt. I used an old plastic container my wife had, you guessed it, in the basement where she was stripping the wall. I better get some more stripper next time I’m at the hardware store. Cardboard to protect the surface you are working on. Rubber gloves and protective clothing, a mask is also good.
Remove all critical trim. Dress in old clothing that protects you and use rubber gloves and a mask. Only once I tried stripping paint wearing shorts and flip flops. This has very similar results to welding in sandals and can make your life very exciting. I suggest a shower will dull the pain and dilute the stripper. A long shower. Put down your cardboard and put the tank on it. Read the directions on the can. Pour out some stripper in your container and brush on to the tank. Give it a while to bubble and remove the paint while timing it. Most strippers have removed as much as they will in five to fifteen minutes. It’s hard to go wrong here as you can adjust your technique as you go along. After all what are you going to do if you screw up? Ruin the paint? After you know about how long it takes to work you can put some on and do another job. I don’t suggest you mix this job with car polishing though. Somebody did that. Only once I imagine. Use your scraper to remove the old paint and the remover. This will truly be messy. After you have removed as much paint and Bondo with the stripper as is practical you can go to a paint remover disc on a grinder or a sander. When I finished with the grinder I had most surfaces shiny. You may notice I put together a temporary stand to hold the tank up while I work on it. I did not use this while using the liquid stripper as I don’t want to mess up the stand. The stand is just a saw horse kit with some scrap 2X4, set up with a wooden tank mount that the tank screws down on like the bike frame. It can be worth the half hour to make a quick mount as it holds the tank solid while grinding to bare metal, during Bondoing, final sanding, and painting after everything is washed down. It also brings the surface up where it keeps you from bending over to work on it. The final reason is that you can carry the entire thing into the garage after working. Right now my tank is in bare metal and I don’t want the dew to rust it so it’s in the garage. After primer and painting the ability to move the tank and stand can help keep dust off if you work outside like I do.