Will Suction Cup Based Dent Pullers work on VF Fuel Tanks?

Does anyone have experience successfully using suction cup/hot glue based dent pullers to remove dents in VF tanks? Sample dents in my tank are shown in the images below:

 

Being a PDR tech for about 15 years now I can honestly say that I would doubt the suction cup dent pullers would be able to pull the dents in your tank. Some of the glue on tab dent pullers you have shown in the last picture would have the better chance. The only trouble with the glue on tabs is that if the paint is damaged near the edge of the dent there is a strong possibility that the glue will pull the paint off along with the dent.

I have a glue pulling system that I use from time to time and it can pull out some fairly strong dents but any time the dents are severe enough to crack the paint, like the one on the right side of your tank, it is unlikely that you will get the whole dent out. The other thing you would have to worry about is that if the glue tabs are used near the decals on the tank (like the Honda wing) you will pull the decal off. Most of the decals on the tanks are either just straight vinyl or they are vinyl decals that are cleared over and the glue will usually pull the clear off and take chunks of the decal with it.

With the dent on the left side of the tank, just above the Honda wing, I think you find that you have a reasonable chance of getting some of the dent out but if you get any glue within about 1/4' of the wing it is likely that you will pull the clear off and the decal at the same time. There are also some pressure brows at the top edge of the dent that would need to be knocked down in order to relieve the stress at the top edge of the dent. This can be done with a plastic knock down punch that is sometimes provided with the glue pulling kits.

With the dent on the right side of your tank, I would start pulling near the edge where the paint is cracked as this is the area where the dent has the most strength. I would start near the top edge and work my way down slowly. The glue may or may not be strong enough to pull that particular dent out. If you can manage to pull the edge of that dent out you will likely find that a good portion of the shallow part of the dent will come out with it.

The tank will obviously require painting will likely still need a bit of body filler putty to get it perfect but you should be able to get a good portion of the dent out. If you aren't sure whether or not you want to get in to doing it yourself then maybe try and find a local company that specializes in paintless dent repair and see of they can push the dents out and/or pull them using a glue puller. I have personally repaired quite a few motorcycle tanks and though they are more difficult to access the back side of the panel directly with the tools they can be repaired.

Good luck with the project.

 

Thanks alot for your detailed reply. Given your experience and what you have told me, I will definitely give the glue on tab pullers a shot. As you said I expect to have to use some body filler and to repaint the tank including new decals so damaging the paint and decals is not too worrisome.

 

I used the hot glue on my VF tank and had reasonable results. The dents were on top and not as creased as yours. I was left with some very small dents the glue technique didn't work on but the big dents were gone. Harbor Freight sells a cheap kit.

 

Thanks, I'll look at the harbor freight kit when I get ready to start working on the aesthetics of the tank. Right now I'm trying to deal with a couple of fuel leaks. One at the petcock and another at the carbs. I have a new (used) petcock on order that the ebay seller claims is verified not to be leaking. I decided getting an entirely different petcock versus trying to rebuild mine would be a better approach. I can then rebuild the one I remove after getting the bike running.

 

One thing you might consider is getting the dents looked at by a PDR company. The only reason I suggest this is that given their expertise with paintless repairs they might be able to get the damage closer than someone who is unskilled in PDR work. I am not trying to offend, so please do not take it that way. Whether you work the panel from behind with the specialized tools or use the glue puller method there are most always some spots that are too high and need to be tapped down in order to level the surface. The money spent buying the glue on kit plus the cost of shipping might end you up in or near the territory of getting it done by a qualified PDR technician. Might be something worth considering or at least costing out before you attempt the repairs yourself. If you would like any suggestions when trying the PDR work yourself, should you choose that route, please don't hesitate to shoot me a PM.