I'm on the home stretch on my 1977 RD400 project. I was preparing the tank to install and I am sad to say I dropped the tank and now have a good sized dent in the top. Can anyone recommend where I can get this repaired. I am in San Diego area, so I would prefer Southern California, but any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks, Bill
might want to try 1 of these...
https://www.harborfreight.com/crossbar-dent-repair-kit-59757.html
I bought 1 but haven't tried it yet. Some good reviews on it. Anxious to practice with it.
I've used the tool before with good success on a dent but on a smooth part of the tank. this dent appears to include the defining contour of the tank. Will be hard to completely remove.
yeah, the tank is so shiny I have a hard time making out the outline of the actual dent. 1 other suggestion might be a "paintless" dent removal service. They can do some amazing things with their expander tools in tight place and includes creases. I used to live in San Diego and know there are multiple places that offer this including some mobile businesses. It might all come down to how much $ a person is willing to spend...
Based on a good amount of years working as a bodyman, I would say that's going to be a tough one to fix without going the traditional dent removal route - pull, grind, fill, shape, prime, paint.
I have fixed dented tanks using a "stud puller". They get "roughed out" so the filler is minimal, but they still require filler and a repaint.
Paintless dent repair guys can do some amazing work, but the dent is significant and access to that area is pretty limited.
Thanks for the suggestions/comments. I have an appointment with a local paintless dent repair guy on Sat. Hopefully he will be able to remove the dent (fingers crossed). I will follow up with the outcome after the weekend.
Interested if you find a good paintless dent guy
I would say there is maybe a 1% chance that could ever be fixed without needing to be repainted in some manner, the way that's been hit.
Good luck
I am very happy to report that my dented RD400 gas tank has been resolved (see the after pic below). I took the tank to PCH Dent Repair in Oceanside, CA. Igor Lumertz, the owner, did an excellent job removing the dents without any damage to the 50 yr old original paint. I watched the entire process and was amazed at how well it turned out. Igor was very gracious and tolerated my many questions and comments as he worked out the dents. I would highly recommend him.
Wow!
Great news!
I didn't think that was possible.
Wow, that's amazing. :clap: Igor is the man! Congratulations. He's not too far from me (60ish miles) so I'll keep him in mind if I need his services sometime.
I had a similar outlook on it as Randy. Great to see it fell into the 1%.
In case anyone is interested in his services: PCHDentRepair.com (https://www.pchdentrepair.com/)
:whoop:
looks fantastic! Glad it worked out for you :celebrate:
:taz: :taz:
Wow :thumbs:
I guess miracle's still happen, looks pretty good...surprised the paint didn't crack anywhere
I am happy to be a 1%'er... I'm on my way to buy a lottery ticket.
Welcome to the blue '77 RD400 tank club.
Quote from: bkrbl on March 01, 2026, 03:29:14 PMI am happy to be a 1%'er... I'm on my way to buy a lottery ticket.
Well how did the PDR guy do it?...I'd venture to guess it was a combination of glue stick tabs, relieving stress with just the right light hits of a rubber mallet along with just the right hooked/right angle type rods pushing from the inside via the fuel filler opening, and maybe even some heat.
Ya know it's not that there's a 1% chance so much as it is that there's a 99% that you will have mediocre workmanship performed. FWIW there's plenty of PDR videos of much worse damage done to cars on You tube. Repairs done buy PDR guys that just wanna show off their skills.
RE: Igor Lumertz (PDR guy) process. You are correct, except no glue stick tabs. He had several right angle rods inserted through the filler opening used to apply pressure from inside the tank. He also used a little heat and some taps with a small mallet on what looked like plastic tipped punches on the exterior. Everything was done slowly and in small increments. I was impressed with his skill, and very pleased with the outcome.