You can see in the photo where the dent is coming out by the angle of the studs.

Now, I mentioned the big problem earlier. Here it is. The puller pulled the stud right off leaving a hole in the tank

In an application like pulling a dent out of a fender, it really wouldn't matter too much but a gas tank needs to be watertight obviously.

I ended up with a number of holes in the tank. I was under a second with each application of the welder and I went down to a fraction of a second on some of them. It was still hit and miss with pulling them off with the puller. I wasn't yanking on the puller real hard either.

My solution was to solder the holes. If you're going to solder a tank, be careful. Some of my solder jobs cam out real nice, other were kind of blobs.

I cut the studs off with a hacksaw.

You can see the dent is pretty much gone. I will need to use a grinder to grind down the remaining parts of the studs and I hope I don't develop any more holes. As the tank sits, it's full of water and no leaks! With some body filler, I will be easily able to fade out the rest of the dent.

 

You have my interest sir....



I missed out on a very old, used one of these about a year back for $50.

 

The gun was about $90 USD I think. I noticed that CX500C tanks are all over ebay but it's much harder to find a deluxe tank so I figured I'd try to save it before I scrapped it.

 

Wow!

I have a very similar dent in my tank from falling over on a trailer from previous owner!



I got another tank being shipped this week, but am interested in repairing the dented one eventually too!



Def will check more into that setup! Very cool

 

Looks like it works. Good job! You'll have to give us more pics as it progresses.



Would filling the tank with air (I don't know what psi) help push the dents out as you pull? I know it wouldn't work with the holes.



Another random thought. I wonder if you filled it with water before you put the studs on. Would that keep the metal from getting hard under the studs and possibly keep the tank metal from breaking out?



I haven't used one of these, so ......well, you get the idea.



http://youtu.be/qkbFhPrJ14w <--- someother ideas.

 

I think it's more a thing about metal thickness on the tank and the amount you pull/abuse the studs. The trick besides the holes is to use a lot and just lightly pull it in to the direction desired. Those who over pull make dimples and domes.





I have debated getting one for a while because I use to use a more expensive model.

 

i would float a layer of lead over the repair area to make sure it does not leak ever a rad shop could do that for you if you cant

 

A straight pull would also be essential using these.



If you pull these in anything other than a straight line one side of the spot will tear, followed by the rest.



Changes in pull direction will induce metal fatigue.



Stitch is right on material thickness though, if the tank has lost metal to corrosion in the work area you're starting well behind the 8 ball.

 

One thing I noticed is that I pulled an inordinate number of the studs off near the edges of the dents. Along the big crease it went smoothly. That's why I decided to just lay off trying to pull any more on that area where the knee dent is in the tank. I actually did fill tank with water at one point while I was welding and ended up with (hot) water spray somehow from the area I was welding. The main lesson learned to this point for me is that you may pop a hole in the tank so you need to have a plan to combat that. Even more so if you're a rookie and it's you're first time using one. The tank was empty this morning but only because it compromised a junk petcock I had on it. I had the tank filled with water and toilet bowl cleaner. Acid + rubber parts in the petcock = you know the rest... I might try to line it depending on how well the inside cleans up but it's pretty bad. Not sure I want to risk sinking a whole lot of money into it.



I've heard of guys filling tanks with water and putting them in the freezer and stuff to try to get dents out. I never tried it and I've heard it won't work judging from the sohc4 forum I'm on. Air pressure might exert equal pressure on each part of the tank like the freezing water would. Of course with a tank this bad, nothing could hurt to try.

 

... And is it just me or does that one "hole in the tank" picture look exactly like the side of someone's head

 

I better check my shed.. That looks like a old tank I had.



I've down that type of repair before. It can be tedious. I would weld a rod to the tank and pull the dents with a slide-hammer. Some dents I could use a simple come-along.



I've been getting into restoring old garden tractors lightly.. (Honda tractors) And been taking a shortcut and cutting the dent completely out of the gas tank. And welding new sheet metal in. While I was inside the tank, I sanded the rust out. Few spots with a dremel. A person can spend more time on a tank, then they really want too. But anyways, all I have left now is paint and seal coating.



Eventually I want to use the tractor for stock sled pulls, work, tilling, snowblowing, mowing.

 

Don't do compressed air because it will try to blow the tank up like a balloon. All areas will spread even the underside and you don't want that.

 

From the pictures and considering the state of the tank I think the unit did remarkably well. If you tried this on a new dented unrusted tank Im sure you would have had fewer holes, as old tanks get really thin. I must say after seeing your picks I think Im going to pick up one of these units for some misc car body work and because its cool lol.

 

I think it would be fantastic on automobile dents since there's not so much worry about yanking holes with it. The studs I welded right at the bottom of that crease itself seemed to pull up some domes. Perhaps I would have done well enough with the two rows I welded initially and just body filler the bottom of the crease. As it is, I probably shouldn't have pulled the dent all the way up because now I'll have to grind them down flat on the tank. If I left it a bit depressed I could have left those knubs on the tank and body filled over them. Of course then, you lose a little tank capacity (ok very little) and the emblem may not have leveled out right. FWIW, I picked up a rubber cork to seal the petcock hole and have another water/acid solution brewing in it. Sat over night, no leaks. I didn't have any problem with the welder or even the much-maligned puller. One review on HF talked about its duty cycle but I ran off one weld right after the other with no problem. I still need an appropriate grinder and my can of bondo was hardened solid in the can

so I guess I won't be able to get much more done until the weekend.

 

Thanks for the review on the HF stud gun.

I've been eyeing them forever but never pulled the trigger on one.

I've also read the mixed reviews and wasn't so sure but now I think I'll give it a shot.

How much was the total cost?

 

It was $90 - $100. I had a 20% off coupon but they aren't good on welders

 

Here's a quick update with some photos. I'm really rusty at bondo work...

All the studs smoothed down with a angle grinder

Some bondo work

Inside cleaned up ok

A quick coat of paint since I had no primer. Just so it doesn't rust up before I can get back to it.