Need Advice/Pointers on Kreeming a steel tank?

[KTM Mike]

Does anyone have any advice or pointers on Kreeming a tank on a bike? I have not done this before, but am about to. Directions that came with the Kreem seem pretty clear (I bought the kit with the A and B prep stuff as well). But it seems someone always has some brilliant suggestion to make stuff like this go soooo much easier!

 

[Vince Stokes]

To be honest I would think twice about doing it,lots have had trouble with it not sticking and coming off in lumps,if its rust in the tank that is the problem the best way is to have it dropped in a cemical bath and fully striped,it will take the paint as well.Your choice of corse.I have had problems with Creme but I hear there is another product that is 3 steps,dont
remember the name but the first part strips and cleans,ect ect
I think they sell it in the back of Classic Bike Mag.Good Luck.
Just read your post again and it said you had the part a and b
so maybe its the improved kit?Main thing is to get it clean,
have you tried the nuts and bolts in the tank with petrol and give it a shack,knocks off any loose rust,when the product is in the tank keep turning it so you get a light cover and it does not go hard in lumps.

 

[KTM Mike]

I have heard of similar experiences as you had - then again have heard of sucesses! Deal with this tank is evidently a prior owner discovered a variety of pin holes rusted through the bottom, and patched them with some ribbon epoxy or JB weld sorta stuff. It appears some of these patches are seeping a bit - not bad though. So my thought was to make sure no leaks - and Kreem seems to be a low cost way. When you peer inside the tank - it really does not look that bad at all - 99% nice fresh shiney metal actually. A few minor spots of rust that look like they woudl clean up really easy.

Now - i just read your post (you musta edited it after I got the email notice!) re: parts A B etc. Yep two stages for cleaning. A cleans and etches the metal (dont have the instructions handy to verify) and B is the final cleaning step. AFter that you put the actual "kreem" in, so 3 steps in total.

Sounds like the turning etc is important. Instructions say turn to coat all over, let set in one position for 8 to 10 minutes, turn, set, turn set etc. Seems the 8 to 10 min of setting would allow it to clump up though? I have not done the nuts and bolts inside (have not done any steps yet actually!) - but did plan to.

Thanks!

 

[Britt Boyette]

What bike is the tank on? You might check with Eastwood.com as they have some of that three part tank treatment stuff.

 

[KTM Mike]

Britt - the tank is from a 76 Suzuki GT380 street bike. Seeing the spots the prior owner patched up was a real suprise to me given how nice it appeared inside the tank!

I will take a look at that web site - though I already bought some Kreem. Like I mentioned above, what i got is the 3 step stuff 2 steps cleaning/preping, last step the actual Kreem.

 

[Vince Stokes]

Sounds like you got the improved version,the nuts and bolts bit is only needed if the rust is flacking off and blocking the taps,yours does not sound to bad and with the cleaning steps in the product I would not bother.Let us know how it goes
Does you bike still have the ram jet,its the hood over the head
that was suppose to help cooling,have not seen one in years.

 

[KTM Mike]

I hope to do the Kreeming this weekend (boy that sure could sound odd taken out of context couldnt it?!). I will let you know!

Yep - this has the "Ram Air" shroud thingy that goes over the head. I really like the looks of them with the polished aluminum look etc. I also have always liked the way they set up this 3 clyinder with a 4 exhaust pipes. I think Suzuki was trying to compete looks wise etc. against the 4 cylinder 4 stroke 750s of the day - and could not possible sell a bike with only 3 pipes! I sure do love the sound of these old 3 clyinder 2 strokes to! When I get the bike done I can post some pics here. Big bummer is I am doing all this work simply to stick it up for sale (still trying to make the wife happy in return for the new KTM I bought last spring and the used one i just bought for my son!)

 

[TimberPig]

I haven't heard of issues with using Kreem if the person who did it followed the directions and prepped the tank properly. Any problems I have heard of, have been due to improper prep causing poor bonding of the plastic to the steel of the tank. Follow the directions, make sure it is good and clean and use their prep solutions, and you will be fine.

 

[originaldirt]

In my experience the Kreem problems are due to users trying to rush the job. The biggest problem is trying to use the latex coater before all of the liquid from the etch and neutralizer (A&B) are completely DRY. After using part A&B wait several days making sure that there is NO liquid ( even tiny drops) left in the tank. Store the tank upside down and use tissue to mop the area where drops may accumulate (near the filler ring) for several days to make sure the tank is COMPLETELY dry. When applying the sealing coating take your time. You only want to do this procedure one time. Use as much of the coating as possible. The let it dry for several days ( I wait a week) in a dry/warm area before beginning the tank reassembly. So then I've got almost 2 weeks in the whole process at least before gasoline ever touches the inside of the tank. This is one process where the "tortise beats the Hare" !

OriginalDirt

 

[Vince Stokes]

The problems I had were with the kit that only had the coating,problably very early on before they came with the cleaning parts.