The Hodaka Club Forum

That's a really good idea to weld washers onto the tabs after straightening them. I'll have to have a bracket welded on for the missing one, tho. Would you weld the washers on the inside or outside of the brackets? It probably doesn't matter, I guess.

Thanks for the tip on the rust removal, too, hydraulic jack. That sounds a lot easier than the vinegar-salt thing.

I don’t know how tightly yours would fit, but I would think you should weld them to the outside. Inside might make it too tight of a fit with some tanks & frame dimensions, but only you will know for sure! I know it wouldn’t work on the inside with my Road Toads. Victor

Here's the rusted out tank the bike came with. It has good tabs, even has the rubber grommets. The chrome isn't as good as the tank with the chewed up tabs. It has rusted out holes in the underside

As always, Jack is spot on. I would add only a couple additional tidbits. After emptying and rinsing out the chelation treatment the inside of the tank will flash rust-over immediately - practically as you watch - or so I've read . If the integrity of the tank is confirmed (no rust through leaks) and the tank will not be immediately sealed or filled with fuel and returned to service, give it a good swish with premix and leave some in the tank swishing occasionally. WD40 is also a decent rust preventative. Empty any residue and flush the tank with fresh fuel and discard the flush prior to filling the tank for the maiden voyage. Always use an inline fuel filter. The use of a tank sealant in a nonleaking tank is debatable. I've rescued three chrome (toaster) Hodaka tanks and one aluminum alloy Suzuki RM tank using Caswell 2-part epoxy with zero failures. Follow the instructions EXACTLY. If you can find it, get the 2-part burst pack for simplicity and no mess.

Hmmm, I think maybe I should wait to de-rust the tank until just before I put it back on, then. I have LOTS to do before then anyways!!

I would put reinforcing washers on the outside of the tabs for the reason Vic mentioned.

The rear tabs are, as you say, under the seat. Unless you stand on your head, you won't see them. If welding is needed here, I would weld tabs, but have it done by someone with a TIG unit or a means of keeping weld heat localized, such as using a heat dam.

The rear tabs are a bit less important than the front ones in my opinion. You can support the tank with foam rubber on the frame backbone under the tank hump, and the front of the seat cushion tends to capture the rear of the tank a little. You could probably get away without rear tabs all, but a little careful repair should be unseen when done.

As for flash rust after chelate...yes and no. I did a steel tank, didn't treat the inside, and also didn't see serious sign of flash rust for the day or two it went empty. If you thoroughly wash the tank after treatment with hot soapy water and hot rinse, it will tend probably tend to rust, depending on where you live, but flash rust is very thin and not a serious problem as long as the tank is going back into service right away. A fog of WD40 will slow and stop flash rust. The HT3 custom exhaust pipes are sold with no finish on the steel at all, and they don't rust if wiped down with WD from time to time, so I would use that. Just spray away in there and fog the tank. It will be okay.

I agree with Jack. I made the rookie mistake of shelving a tank for four months after processing it and with the Iowa humidity, it had developed enough rust that I felt a repeat treatment was warranted. Here now you can learn from my mistake.

Agreed, it depends on the environmental humidty. Even with oily premix, in the humid South it is a good idea to use a tank liner. In the dry desert Southwest, rust is much less of a problem. RedKote and POR-15 tank liners are commonly used. My preferred tank liner is an epoxy-based liner by Caswell.

Thrownchain, its amazing what happens when the opposite sex gets involved. isn't? That's a good thing, too. A lot of subjects being covered here that pertain to a lot of us, I'm guessing, especially those of us with similar projects like Hodakagirls (Ace 100's). The subject of petcocks is just one example. Hodakagirl, I'm fairly new on here too and the tank on my bike was real nasty inside when I got it and I tried just about everything to get it clean inside. Just be patient. You can do it. As far as the outside of the tank goes, leave it alone and just polish it up. Mine shows it age too, but a little polish and elbow grease will do wonders. You have to get up close to see the small scratches, etc., but looks good from 10' away.

Thought I would tell you how I polished up my Ace tank! I used a Mother’s Polishing Cone & bought both the Metal Polish & the Chrome Polish! Usedcthe Metal Polish first, then did it again with the chrome polish! Victor

I think I get the best finish on my chrome with mothers aluminum or mag wheel polish. I use hand rub to prevent swirls. I think that I would straighten the tank brackets and install the grommet's. It would be hard to get the the grommet to fit with an additional washer welded on. Then I would place the washer on the outside and bolt it down. The tank is cushioned with the rubber grommet's. ------------Clarence

Jack, I think most of the things we talk about is needed info by someone here, if not now then in the future. I learn stuff here as well as pass on info if I can. Great board to be on.

I bought this stuff called never dull wadding polish, we'll see how it works. There's a lot of metal polishes out there, and I'm sure a lot of opinions about what works best. I stopped by the machine shop and I got a guy to replace the tab that's chewed off. He'll see what he can do with the other ones. I'll let you all know how this experiment turns out. I live in a pretty dry climate but I think I'll wait to de-rust the inside of the tank until I'm close to putting it on the bike. I have a contraption I use to hold pre-mix in lieu of a tank, so I can use that if I get that far and don't have the tank ready. I'm tempted to put it all together and see if it runs ..... but I know I should replace seals and bearings first ...... so impatient.

Got the manual today!! Looks complete. I tried to put it in a binder as some of you suggested, but the holes are spaced weird so I'll have to take it with me to the office store to find a binder that fits. Nothing can be simple, I guess. The carburetor is on the way (thanks again, Bruce). Tonight will be attempting to degrease everything to see what's under all that black stuff.

Oh, and JackM, your bike looks fabulous.

You're on the right track.

Nevr Dull. Been using it for more years than I'd care to admit. Good stuff. The polishing process is a two-step: first, Polish, then Protect. Protecting the surface is needed on these weathered tanks because of tiny "rust pinholes" that occur and reoccur. I favor a very fine polishing compound for the polishing process and a good Carnauba wax for the protectant. Im not sure that "carnauba" wax is available any more, so use a quality auto wax.

I forgot to mention in my earlier post that I had recently gotten a tube of "Simichrome" that I had not heard of before until seeing it mentioned somewhere on this site. Its made in Germany and a small tube runs about $10.00. A little of it seems to go a long way and works great on chrome, silver, etc.

I’ve used NeverDull a lot too! Great cleaner and it leaves a coat of an oil base of some kind behind which can be cleaned off or left on for rust inhibiting! Great stuff for chrome pipes that gets plastic melted on it too! Victor

The tank is getting 'fixed' so I'll worry about de-rusting later. In the meantime, I'm degreasing. I sprayed everything down with wd40 and let it sit for a day, then went to work. The dirt/grease combo is like cement, but it is coming off. Also, the nuts/bolts/screws are hard to budge. I can't seem to get all the case bolts loose on the magneto/chain side so they're basking in penetrating oil. Should I try heat? I don't want to strip the screws. I got one loose tonight but the others won't budge. It looks like someone else has also had some trouble with this as one of the bolts for securing the fuel tank (front) is sheared off in the frame, and the nut for the front axle is missing (along with the threaded end of the axle). Kind of thinking the axle will be tough to remove. Any ideas to loosen it so I don't snap the end off?

I tried out the ultrasonic cleaner I ordered tonight. Since I'll be getting a new chain, I figured throwing the old chain in there would be a good test. After 24 minutes it is SO CLEAN. What an amazing device. I'm going to try cleaning the petcocks in there tomorrow. Then maybe I'll take apart the carb and clean that. Then maybe some jewelry, lol.

show a picture of your ultrasound cleaner, how much$$ I use engine bright for cleaning grease off. -------------Clarence

Case screws, use an impact driver. I have always used the kind that you strike with a mallet, but an electric one will work.

Front axle, not sure what's missing. Post a photo.

WD40 isn't a penetrating oil, it is a water dispersing oil. WD tends to work, but isn't as good at loosening old bolts as other brands.

The front tank screws frequently get stuck over the years and shear off. Drill the old bolt out and retap the hole for a slightly larger bolt, but keep in mind that the tank mount holes go all the way through the steering head, and the stem and bearings are inside that head. Best practice is to remove the entire front end, clean out the steering head, then drill and retap. The bearings probably need cleaning and new grease anyway.

Reference removal of case screws, best and safest way, 1/4 impact driver, electric not to expensive and really comes in handy, works good for fender bolt removal as well, speeds things up. You will tell yourself why did I not think of that. Don,t use the one you use with a hammer, then buy a #2 Philips head bit from any hardware store, they will come right out. No need to soak in WD-40 or any other product, save the WD-40 for bolts and nuts and etc. Those screws need to be impacted out, the impact action will break everything free. Bruce PS if they don,t come out then, you will have to drill very carefully the head off the screw and drill a hole in shaft remaining and use an easy out to get the rest of the screw shaft out of case. Be very careful here. Bruce Young

I Use the block of wood and have the engine on a really firm base. I have always used the hand held impact, if the electric impact dose not quickly remove the bolt, I would go to the hand held impact. I t takes a 16 ounce hammer or slightly larger and heavy severe whacks, try and turn it each time. like Bruce said you might have to drill the screw heads off. I use a drill bit slightly larger than the screw head and stop when you have drilled trough the screw head. Then when you remove the cover or engine half the screw is exposed and you can usually easily remove it. The small screws on the backing plate for the points point I take the right sized bit give it a couple of whacks and it removes easily no impact here on the small screws. Weall get the job done but in several different ways. Can someone show the picture of the block of wood, I have to admit I seen it here first. ----------Clarence

If you drill the head off the screw and the remove the cover or split the cases whatever you happen to be working on, the leftover under the head will be left standing proud of the case, sometimes once the head is off you can unscrew them out by hand, sometimes you need vice grips. I use a bit the same size as the screw, once the head pops loose you're good to go.

One of the best purchases I made was a Dewalt 20v impact driver with battery pack, on sale at Sears for under $100.00. I had used a hand-held one with a big hammer for years and the impact driver will work circles around it. When drilling out screw heads, make sure to use a good quality, sharp bit.

taber hodaka wrote:show a picture of your ultrasound cleaner, how much$$ I use engine bright for cleaning grease off. -------------Clarence

I got this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HL ... UTF8&psc=1

It looks like the same one at harbor freight.

Hydraulic Jack wrote:Case screws, use an impact driver. I have always used the kind that you strike with a mallet, but an electric one will work.

Front axle, not sure what's missing. Post a photo.

WD40 isn't a penetrating oil, it is a water dispersing oil. WD tends to work, but isn't as good at loosening old bolts as other brands.

The front tank screws frequently get stuck over the years and shear off. Drill the old bolt out and retap the hole for a slightly larger bolt, but keep in mind that the tank mount holes go all the way through the steering head, and the stem and bearings are inside that head. Best practice is to remove the entire front end, clean out the steering head, then drill and retap. The bearings probably need cleaning and new grease anyway.

I was actually using liquid wrench penetrating oil to loosen them up. I borrowed my neighbor's electric impact driver so I'll give that a shot. I'll post a pic of the front axle later today. Maybe I'm wrong and it's not missing anything, but there's nothing holding it on to the left side.

Thanks for the tip on the front tank screw. It's good to know I might mess up the stuff inside if I just go drilling right thru.

taber hodaka wrote:I Use the block of wood and have the engine on a really firm base. I have always used the hand held impact, if the electric impact dose not quickly remove the bolt, I would go to the hand held impact. I t takes a 16 ounce hammer or slightly larger and heavy severe whacks, try and turn it each time. like Bruce said you might have to drill the screw heads off. I use a drill bit slightly larger than the screw head and stop when you have drilled trough the screw head. Then when you remove the cover or engine half the screw is exposed and you can usually easily remove it. The small screws on the backing plate for the points point I take the right sized bit give it a couple of whacks and it removes easily no impact here on the small screws. Weall get the job done but in several different ways. Can someone show the picture of the block of wood, I have to admit I seen it here first. ----------Clarence

What is this block of wood thing you mention?? My motor is still in the bike... should I take it out first?