indian petrol tanks

[Pete Gray]

I bought a tank from Bantam John. It was said to be a reconditioned one and looked great in chrome and green finish.
But on the first run after fitting it imediately showed 2 cracks running from the central securing bolt hole from which petrol leaked over the top of the tank. In fairness to John he exchanged it for a new one without too much persuasion.
This was a newly manufactured one, China I thought but maybe India, chrome and finish painted/lines @ £350.

No problems in the 3 years since then.

[Goldy]

bonny- The tank was £300 from C & D including the badges and fittings. I dont know about the type of plating. Goldy

[trickytree]

I bought a T140 export tank that had 2 leaks in it. As I had already painted it BBB gave me some tank sealant. Also one of the petrol tap holes was not tapped straight...when the tap was fitted there was a 20 thou gap on one side and required a fair bit of fettling to sort out.

BBB reckoned they had sold about 150 of these tanks and mine was only the second that leaked. Possibly true, I dont know, but I would hazzard a guess that the majority of these tanks are OK for what they are, ie. pattern parts.

[groily]

Don't think I'd have been even a tiny bit happy with that Trickytree! About the only thing a tank really HAS to do apart from fit on the bike, is . . . not leak!
My thought was that a new one, even from wherever, would be better than another tired old one, possibly disguised with some nice paint and a smear of polish. And it would be cheaper than a proper repair job and restoration.

What tanks really need is properly attaching to the machine. BSA don't win points here on s/arm models at least, however convenient the single-point mounting may be. Good old multi-point bolt-on fixings via ears across headstock or from underneath at each 'corner' (with double rubber bits all round the mountings) can be a pain in the proverbial to align, but they avoid some of the troubles we're talking about here.

[A10Boy]

At the last MOT on the flash at Vale Onslows, Pete V.O. asked if my tank was original or Indian, [its original] he went on to say that the Indian tanks were as good as the Brit made tanks, which were outsourced by BSA and not always of the best quality.

[groily]

Now that's very interesting. PV-O should know. What goes around comes around.

[lawnmowerman]

I got a kit that neutralised the rust and sealed the tank, the tank wasn't leaking but I thought it prudent to seal it and prevent any future rust getting it's wicked way.

Bill, What was the kit that you used? I was at a show last weekend and somebody pointed out that I had rust on the inside of my tank by poking a finger in the filler and feeling around. On an earlier thread I mentioned that a lump of resin (petseal?) or petrol evaporation residue had fallen out when I flushed the tank to get rid of the paint overspray so I am not sure what the PO had done during the resto although the tank doesn't seem to leak (yet). Did you have to chemically clean the tank before using the sealant? Like you, I am keen to avoid future problems.

Thanks
Jim

[bsa-bill]

Hi Jim - I got the kit from Frost Restoration www.frost.co.uk
It is a three stage process , Chemical clean , rust neutralise and then seal.
As I had not had fuel in the tank I skipped the Chemical bit, had enough of the rust neutraliser to do it twice ( you tip it back into the bottle and can use it again, ~I filtered mine into the bottle ,I still have some left.
Also you can buy all the stuff individually if you need any more, I bought another tin of sealer as I had my doubts that it would be enough actually it would have been enough I think but the extra came in handy as the guy I use to paint the tanks and toolbox found a rust issue with the oil tank that he fixed (several pinprick holes), when I got it back I sealed it as well as he reckoned in time the rust would come back.

Good luck with it and as they say these days - other sealer's are available

[lawnmowerman]

Thanks Bill

I did not know they did it - and I even have a catalogue which came with a copy of "Old Bike Mart" which I kept for bedtime reading! I will send for some to avoid future problems.

Jim

[muskrat]

G'day all,
                just a word on tank sealers. Most of them don't like ethanol blend fuel, which is becoming more popular these days. I have been told that POR 15 is OK.
Cheers

[lawnmowerman]

Thanks Muskrat - Don't want to create even more problems for the future by removing the rust but then dissolving the tank lining and blocking everything up again.

[bsa-bill]

I would have to look but I think it is Por 15 they sell

[andy2565]

not a big fan of sealer,it always forms pools in the low points whichever way you leave it to dry,and you never know if its covered everywhere,had a nightmare recently with a triumph tank which the sealer was coming off inside in big lumps,i nearly always comes off after time,just a good biodegradable rust treatment left for a few days and always keep your tank filled up when bike is left standing for long periods,as for indian tanks,i spent some time dealing with motorcycle dealers in delhi and can guess how they're made,so wouldnt touch them,look at the bullets,the standard tanks are machine made but when it comes to anything different like an ally tank,its made over here,

[lawnmowerman]

Hi Andy
I don't actually have a leak in the tank but I think Petseal may have been used in the past as a lump of amber coloured resin in the shape of the front corner of the tank came out when I was flushing the tank a few weeks back. I think that there may still be bits left in the tank but how can I get it out? There were flakes of paint and laquer overspray and other debris also.
I would like to treat the rust but not sure whether the tank needs to be chemically cleaned first and is this likely to cause problems if it dissolves any remaining Petseal which may be plugging leaks.
I am not really sure what to do for the best - perhaps I should just leave it alone and keep the tank topped up - better than money in the bank nowadays bearing in mind how fuel costs are rising!

Jim

[muskrat]

Acetone will dissolve most of them. It is organic like ethanol.
Cheers