Any One Know a Good Plastic Welding Service

[umberto]

I am having a lot of trouble getting an oversized tank to fit Goliath. I have tried IMS and Clarke tanks for both the 07 and 04. I even pestered zz3gmc, and we weren't able to come up with a solution. The tank hits the head on top of the head and by where the petcock comes down. I just don't think I can reform the tank around the problem areas. It hits in areas that are really reinforced. I think my best option is to cut those areas out and have them rewelded, but I don't have any plastic welders in my area. Does anyone know a person or company who specializes in plastic welding or gas tank welding?  I don't want to buy a tank and cut it up before I talk to a welder.  Thank you!

[umberto]

I found this thread from 2014. I'm going to send him an e-mail and see what he says. If anyone else knows of a welder, please let me know.

http://www.kxriders.com/forums/index.php/topic,12477.15.html

[Abbott]

MEK (methyl ethyl ketone)

use with caution but you can use chunks of ABS plastic in a sealed glass jar with MEK. it will melt down to a thick paste if mixed correctly. You then apply with a tongue depressor where you want to "weld". I've used this method on sport bike body work and it works very well. I would youtube or google search to look up more information.

[umberto]

I got a reply back from Chris Bailey with Bailey Plastic Fabrication.  He actually responded back very quickly.  He gave me some suggestions on how to mold the tank before I try cutting and having him weld it.  I haven't see a price yet, but if he is too high I will definitely try the MEK method.  I have a spare tank that came with my son's 04 250 that I can practice on.  Thank you Abbott.

[FL_Sharpshooter]

The way I've heard the guys doing the honda 500 conversions is that they're supposedly putting a pot full of boiling water into the sink and using pressure and the hot water to concave in the bottom of the tank. I have heard of guys also using a heat gun, but way too risky IMO. I believe CP500 uses the hot water method as well when reforming the crf250 tanks.

[umberto]

I used the boiling water to mold the stock tank.  Unfortunately, the places I have to mold are very thick and would be hard to bend with the boiling water method (it doesn't seem to get as hot as using a heat gun).  I think I will need more heat than that, so I may have to try to the heat gun.  If I push through the plastic, he said he would be able to just weld it up. He suggested I try first and he would be able to weld it up if I had any issues.  He seems like a really nice guy, and I was impressed that he tried to help me before selling me services.

[zz3gmc]

Did you try a 05-07 Clarke? I thought you only tried the IMS. Any large capacity tank for a 03/04 KX250 or 03/06 KX125 wont work. Ive never tried a 05/07 IMS tank so they may shape them a bit differently than the Clarke. My Clarke only needed a very slight reshaping to clear the spark plug. Mine is also spaced up a tiny bit. Can you post a few pics?

[umberto]

I went ahead and ordered a Clarke tank from JustGasTanks.com.  I'll post some pictures once I get it in.

[FL_Sharpshooter]

I used the boiling water to mold the stock tank.  Unfortunately, the places I have to mold are very thick and would be hard to bend with the boiling water method (it doesn't seem to get as hot as using a heat gun).  I think I will need more heat than that, so I may have to try to the heat gun.  If I push through the plastic, he said he would be able to just weld it up. He suggested I try first and he would be able to weld it up if I had any issues.  He seems like a really nice guy, and I was impressed that he tried to help me before selling me services.

Ah, sounds like a real mess. Lucky for me, my acerbis tank fit on my 09 with no problems.
 

I went ahead and ordered a Clarke tank from JustGasTanks.com.  I'll post some pictures once I get it in.

Hopefully its a clean swap for you. These things drink so much fuel its pretty much a necessity for any offroad riding.