Gas tank dent on 130

Hey everyone,
I have a 130 with a dent on the top of the gas tank. dent is about 1/4" deep and about 2" across. It"s a soft shallow dent. Any ideas on how to get that out, short of filling it with bondo?
Thanks.

When i did auto body work, i had several long steel rods, bent into various shapes that i could insert thru a small hole in the bottom of a door, and poke the dent out to get it to where i didn't have to use a lot of plastic filler.
Also, we'd solder a penny, or a flat washer, onto a gas tank dent, and then use vise-grips and a steel rod to pull it out. We'd use one of those big plumbers soldering irons to do it with. Also, back in the olden days, when we used auto body lead to fill dents, we'd tin the clean metal, then solder one end of a stick of body lead to the tank, bend the stick into a loop, clamp it with vise-grips, and use a bar to gently bring the metal out as far as we could. Then we'd tap the edges down, and then fill it with auto body plastic. We used a big old plumbers soldering iron, and heat it with the acetylene torch, away from the tank.
Auto body lead had a different make-up than plumbers lead, was how we coud use it. It didn't suddenly melt and run off--no, it would gradually soften up and we could work it as we wished!
they now sell an electric spot welder that spot welds little nails onto the dent, then ya pull out the dent with a hook, and fill the remaining dent with plastic, after grinding off the nail, and the paint, etc.

I use a pipe plug the size of the sediment bowl fitting with a hole drilled in it so a tire tube valve stem with the rubber removed will fit. I JB weld the stem into this hole and after it cures put the tank cap on and apply air pressure. I have never had to use more than 5-6 psi for the dent to pop out. I do have a spot welding slide hammer tool, but this air pressure method has worked very well for me.

I like the sounds of all these methods. Thanks for the replies guys. As long as I can get a good seal at the gas cap, the air pressure sounds the easiest, and cleanest too!

As long as it's just a dent and there's no crease.

I've heard from many many people that you want to shoot for no more than 1/16" of body filler on any repair, and if you're really good you can do it with zero filler.

Luckily the is no crease on this dent.

I was at the body shop yesterday. They use a hammering type dent puller and glue the end on the car. If glue breaks loose, they glue again till they get it. Either pull it out or use the sliding hammer to knock it out. Then alcohol takes off the glue without hurting the paint.

You can get the screw in hammer type dent puller fairly cheap and drill a small hole in the top to pull it. Then fill in with jb weld or something and grind it smooth.

You can buy the schrader air valves that already have a pipe fitting on them over in the lawn sprinkler section of lowest or home cheapo.

Ed: I've had decent luck using a good toilet plunger, as long as the dent is no larger than the plunger. Apply lots of petroleum grease around the rim of the plunger to make it seal on metal surface. Didn't always work, but worth a shot.

<--- Nervious about using a stud welder on a gas tank. Not that you can"t do it I"d just be scared of "boom". Also applying air pressure creates possible bomb if you go crazy with air pressure. Eithor of these tricks the guys recommended will work just BE CAREFUL. Remember gasoline vapors are explosive!!!

I seen motorcycle dents remove by filling the tank with water and putting it it the freezer.
Be sure to check on it often.

You could also slip some type of L shaped tool/angle iron/flat bar into to filler spout and lift up on it. If close to the spout, then maybe even some type of J shape tool or even a C clamp. Then pull it up or put a 2x4 block on top and tighten it up. Could do the same thing with some C clamp style vice grips.

Let us know what works for you.

If you fill the tank with water first you won't get the explosive effect. Use air pressure through a paint regulator so you can control it better increasing until the dent moves.

Hugh,
That one is insanely simple solution. I think I"ll try that first.

Ed: At least the price is right, should it not be successful. If you get the vacume seal tight, and the arm is strong, it should do as well as 5-10 psi on the inside.

Hugh or anyone, got any ideas for rigging up a homemade vacuum pump? Apply that to a suction cup and I could come up with multiple uses. Don't suppose a shop vacuum cleaner hose would pull out a dent. For a larger dent, could remove the plunger handle and put the vacuum hose over the rubber part.

Wonder if the dry ice hail method would work. Warm up the metal or wait for a hot day, then spray the area down with a water bottle, and then lay a piece of dry ice wrapped up in a rag on the dent to pop it out. Haven't tried it yet but I have a few hail dents I'd like to. Dry ice isn't all that cheap anymore though.

I've got a "Ding King" at home. I bought it to pull a couple of dents on my old truck, but traded it in before I had a chance to use it.