hi Carl,
If you go down the tank-sealer route, I would suggest Caswell. A very nice lining that (if applied correctly) will see you in good stead. Next option for me is Red Kote. Cheaper but maybe not quite as good. It all depends on what you can get - whether you in the UK or USA. Anyway, both of these liners are pretty good.
Try soldering - you need a good acid flux and a good soldering heavy duty spldering-iron for this to be effective.
Then try PetroSeal or whatever its called (from local car shop) - basically a metal filled epoxy which i have found to be EXTREMELY effective.
I've also used metal filled Plastic-Padding before now.
I would not resort to a lining the tank - i've had and heard nothing but trouble with this process.
I lead wiped the bottom of the A 10 tank that looked like a sponge it had so many holes.
Worked a treat.
Rode with it raw for a tad too long because I was not sure that it would hold but it did.
Washed out the tank with a very agressive detergent and stripped the bottom.
The lead actually flowed quite a lot inside as well as under the tank.
I recently sealed a couple of leaks in my ES2 tank using instant metal/2 pack resin, which works brilliantly and doesn't burn your paint off. I only used a smudge in the right place and you can smooth it over with a wet finger, then touch up the area with paint. I also did this on my Trident tank over 25 years ago and its' still petrol tight.
I don't think the sealants are particularly problematic now that the manufacturers have got on the case with ethanol resistant products...
I'm inclined to repair tanks that have been stripped to bare metal but once they are painted and particularly if it's a chrome plated tank, sealant is the least destructive option...Ian
Ian - i tend to think that the problems with tank-lining compounds, are caused by the inability to properly clean/prep the parent metal.
As a result the epoxy doesn't really adhere to the inside of the tank.
I also suspect its used as a bodge - where the inside of the tank is so flaky with rust NOTHING would adhere for long.
I have used them with success - on the inside of a tin-plate Brought-Superior oil/petrol tank (an internal leak, almost impossible to repair any other way) and inside the CCM GRP tank (starting to break up) - but not really had any success with rusty steel tanks (easier to cut rotten bottom out and start again).
I have however been very surprised by how good PetroPatch is !!!