:first off,to let you know i have min. bodyshop skills,but i rec. bought a 88 lt80 with badly faded gas tank,blue, tried a couple of plastic renew products,& rubbing compound. just made it shine, then sanded it with 320, then 600 looked much better 70%, but not as nice as i liked, so i then painted it with krylon plastic primer,"supposed to bond to all plastic", then went over it with krylon yellow, then 2 coats clear 3 days later, looked beautiful for 3 weeks, then started to bubble now for last week there's new bubbles every day, it's now 60% gone. I painted my son's lt80 with krylon blue ,then clear, a year ago, still looks great. I'm thinking i screwed up by sanding and gas fumes are bleeding through plastic some how,i read another thread were guy had this problem with decals,IS THERE something i can use to reseal outside of tank?? I only tried this after taking my son's to bodyshops last year & being told you need special bonders,@500.00gal,primers@ 500gal,special paint, they told me with everything being so $$$,it would run me $225.00-300.00, i got 3 quotes, i can buy a new tank for less,krylon had just came out with that new paint& it worked on my boy's but i just cleaned his, i didnt sand. CAN SOMEONEgive some advice??. I'm on a budget as this EBAY lemmon has already cost me a fortune . sorry so long but i didnt want to leave anything out. thanks.. I want to get this done ,CATFISH season is coming

 

I have some advice about your tank and plastics, I am a automotive painter by the way, first you need to clean them off good, old paint or paint thatis not sticking to them then lightly scuff them with a 3m scotch brite pad available almost every hardware, automotive supply housr or paint store. then clean well with warm soap and water,then i suggest finding an auto paint supply store and purchase an adhesion promoter i have used one called Bulldog Adhesion promoter on atv plastics before it also comes in areosol cans for ease of use, the break down and get yourself some single stage two part paint and ask for a recomended flex agent. this is about hte only way paint will ever stick to these plastics, they are a pain to paint hope this helps

 

thanks pk250 ,i'm glad to finally hear from somebody ,i'll def use your advice,sounds like you believe my whole problem to be in the paint/bonding, i was worried that fumes were somehow bleedin through, cause of the 3 weeks it took to start " bubbling". Can you recommend a stripper to remove the rest, that wont hurt the plastic tank ?? thanks much[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/img]

 

yes the same company that makes the adhesion promoter makes a plastic bumper stripper, but follow the directions close

 

IMO.....

Don't waste your time/money, it WILL bubble again. It is the solvents in the fuel bleeding through the plastic. My yellow LT80 tank blisters the decals for this same reason. I covered the sides of the tank with fake carbon fiber graphics, and various stickers that I pre rolled over with a "woodpecker" tool from Tower Hobbies. This pokes a bunch of little slits in the decals to allow the vapors to escape without blistering.

You will never get any automotive paint to stay on this type of plastic. It is not the same material(s) as used in the automotive industry that are designed to be painted.

It will get all scratched up the first time you ride it it the mud anyway.

Radical

 

I disagree that the paint won't stay on ATV plastic, I own a 87 LT500 painted all the plastic in my shop. Follow pretty much the same as the above outlined procedure an that was 6 months ago no problems as of yet. I think the biggest thing is that people that paint there plastic wash there new paint as if it were plastic still an not paint. Therefore ruining there new finish. Just my 2cents thou give it a try cheaper then a new tank for sure, besure the plastic is clean an don't use no harsh chemicals on it to clean the outside before painting, cleaner the better an chemicals used to wash automotive parts prior to painting will bring out the release agents that were molded into the plastic when it was made. Use a soapy water solution an air dry with air gun would be ur best bet if ur lost. Good luck!

Jay

 

I heard the gas tanks have to be able to breath. So you won't be able to get your paint to stick. If it were like some atvs that have a seperate plastic covering over it than you would be able to paint it. I wouldn't do it

 

Hey fastpolaris hows that LT80 with the big bore kit work i was thinking of doing that to the one i have won't be for a few yrs yet its an 04 model but i'm curious if ur happy with the results.


Jay

 

I guess it all depends on what you are going to do with it. I only dune ride so i need alot of top end. It works great! climbing hills it really gets yup there perty good. I had someone local do all the work and wasn't impressed at all. I hooked up with Jack (lt80) and he made it come alive. If you are going to race it on the track then i wouldn't waste the money. Jack brought his lt80 down to AZ and it has a stock bore, stock carb, and stock pipe. That bike totally kicked my big bores butt. Now I don't know what hiswill do on top end climbing a big hill with the stock pipe. I just recently put a ct pipe on mine and it woke it up even more. I had a dg on it before. Hope this helps..feel free to ask ??s But the real man is Mr. lt80.

 

Ya thats helpful i can't say that i've raced it yet can't seem to find to many tracks here in canada as of yet. But i was mainly thinkin of as he grows older or wants some more power ya know how we all luv that [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] that, that could possibly be an option if it still worked good an pulled hard. Thx for ur input.


Jay