Petrol tank refurbishment

[jhg1958]

As my engine and gearbox near completion I can start thinking about the frame.  Also as I need to get the clutch actuator rechromed I am specifically looking at the tank.

As you can see from the photos there is a little bit of work to do on the tank.  So I need advice on the approach.

1. Give it to a tank specialist and get it done properly.  (Any recommendations for North Derbyshire)

2. Get the chrome removed, get the dents fixed then rechromed

If I go for 1 how do I get the rest of the bike to match?

If I go for 2 how the hell do I get the screws out of the knee grip brackets.

John

[RDfella]

You may be better off painting that tank. I say that because on the LHS the rust is prominent and there won't be much metal left after the chromer has linished back to clean metal. Also you have dents to remove. Knee grip screws - just do the best you can - drill out if necessary - but put a length of tube over the drill bit so you don't go right into the tank. If going for rechrome just remove the brackets and send to a chromer as is.

[trevinoz]

Rust pits can be filled with lead after copper plating.
Labour intensive but worth it.
You could do the hard work yourself.

[Jules]

the tank looks far from a basket case in my eyes, definitely worth repairing/chroming/repainting I reckon. Mine was far worse and repaired/chromed and repainted (years back now and I still haven't filled it with petrol to check for leaks, but am thinking that the POR 15 trick should fix that if necessary ). The biggest question for you really is finding an old style panel beater who can work through the filler hole with dollies, then metal finish, perhaps cleaning up per Trev's suggestion if necessary......the dilemma these days though is repair costs vs an all new Indian tank???

[KiwiGF]

It would cost in the region of $1500 (750 quid) to refurb a tank in NZ, that’s assuming its not TOO bad. The process varies but usually the bottom is removed to get at large dents, I’ve heard a coarse sanding wheel is used to grind the weld/edge off, as very little metal needs to be removed. It’s either tig or gas welded back on and pressure tested.

A reputable chrome plating company is needed of course, I’ve no personal experience of using one for a tank, there is one well known plater in NZ who most people use for the bigger jobs, maybe someone can give some tips on the processes needed to get a good result eg base layers etc. 

As someone else said, the tank ends up thinner due to the heavy polishing needed on the bare steel (usually done by the plater) so it will be more prone to dents even tho it cost a fortune to refurb. That’s why some go for new Indian made tanks.

Painting is also expensive as it involves quite a few hours of work, the only “special” part is preparing the chrome to be painted over (and getting the shape of that area right) I used fine wire wool and then sprayed my B31 tank myself using an airbrush bought just for that job (sticky tape pin stripes), but any experienced painter should know what to do.

[Tomcat]

Indian tank you say? Beautiful and cheap as chips but won't fit on the motorcycle. If these people actually had an A10 to trial fit parts they could sell a lot more products. The second tank is on it's way, see how that one goes.

[trevinoz]

This is my "new" '55 Flash tank.
When I got it, it was badly dented and had some corrosion on the top surface.
The bottoms were not much good.
The repairer removed both bottoms and beat and filed the tank back into shape.
The bottoms were replaced with a set from a donor tank.
As can be seen, the plater did a good job and the repairer then painted it.
The total cost was a small fortune but it was all covered by the insurance company.
This job took six years of heartache caused by the first two amateurs that the insurance company wanted to do the work, against my better judgement, but the quoted price was the determining factor.
Four tanks were involved in this, five if the donor tank is counted.
The amateurs wrecked two, number three was bought from an idiot who assured me that the tank was good but when it was stripped it was tossed into a corner and left.
Eventually the insurance company wrote off the bike and paid me out, with me keeping the "wreck."
It all turned out well in the end.

[sean]

local body shop should have or know of a pdr guy .
I made this tool up to tap a few dents out of my tank before plating but you need to get it perfect chrome wont hide imperfections .
you can get access through the filler hole and I used a dolly on the outside.
as mentioned you have a lot of pitting in the chrome which has to be polished out  .

[muskrat]

G'day John.
In the "old days" consecutive coats of copper, polished between coats were used to hide pock marks.
I had a tank lead wiped to hide imperfections, but you could see a slight discolouration in the chrome.
Imagine how much that would cost these days!
Cheers

[trevinoz]

This is tank number two.
First is the tank after stripping and before repairs.
I don't have any of the tank before it went to the plater but I was assured that it was excellent.
The copper pictures are what came back. A total write-off.
Needless to say that the plater closed up shop after he sent the tank back.
Good riddance.

[sean]

have you tried to see if another plater can salvage it ?

[Slymo]

I sorted most of the dents in my tank without cutting the bottom out, not that I don't agree it can be the only way sometimes, because whilst my tank was dented it was otherwise sound. I used the dolly on a stick in the attached picture and beat the tank on the outside with a length of quite soft 3x1" pine timber. This helped me lift the majorty of dents out to my complete satisfaction. The tank still has a few signs of age on it but noting that isn't in keeping with a 62 year old machine.

[Greybeard]

My story:
When I stripped the paint from the tank I found light rust pitting and a shallow but large dent on the upper surface. I made a dolly by sawing off the dome from a ball-peen hammer and welding it to an old broken swivel handle from my 1/2" socket set. I managed to get most of the dent removed, albeit the surface was not great.
I made a tracing of the side pear-shaped area that would be left unpainted so the painter had something to guide his masking tape.
I took the tank to a recommended plater in the UK. The ripply surface where the dent had been would be in the painted area so could be dealt with by the painter so I asked the plater to concentrate on the side panels. The plater dealt with the rust pitting by heavy coppering the whole tank and polishing back before chroming. My painter did a great job of filling the damaged area; I cannot see any evidence of it. After painting I had a local sign writer do a gold line around the sides. Seven years later the chrome looks as good as new, (I do not ride when there is salt on the road) . The paint has some scratches and signs of use but still very good.

From memory I think the tank plating cost about £300. Painting all of the tinware with two-pack cost another 300, maybe a bit more.

The only problem was that the interior of the tank came back from the plater with fresh rust. I tried various ideas to clean it, (I was not on this forum back then or I might have got some better advice). In the end I used POR15 to seal the rust. Again, it's still solid after 7 years.

[trevinoz]

Sean, the tank is a write off. The metal is as thin as tin foil as you can see with my finger pushing it in.

[Slymo]

There are a lot of valuable old bits written off by a hamfist with a skurfing bob. My old man sent the knock on hubs from an old Riley 9 we were restoring to a local plater and they came back with all the instructions and logos polished off. The rusted again in a heatbeat too. Didn't use enough nickle. A good plater is a very important find in this business.