Well, after a fruitless search over the last couple of years for a replacement tank for my 1951 rigid B33 I decided I'd have a go at an Indian tank..
First impressions are it's pretty solidly made and looks the right shape....
I found straight away though, a petrol cap wouldn't fit...However, just a few minutes with a smooth file to slightly alter the pressings that the cap operates over fixed that one...
I could also see without measuring anything that one of the pump brackets is not in the correct position...That will be job number two. Then I have to check the positions of, and the threads in, the knee rubber tapped bosses.
Also, run a tap through the petrol tap hole and the two rear fixing holes...
Visually the shape of the tank looks OK so I'll test that by fitting it up to the bike...
Next on the 'to do' list will be getting rid of the Indian 'chrome', which I know from previous experience is of pretty poor quality..
At the same time I'll be able to lose the silver paint from the underside that starts to come off with a light application of a WD soaked rag!.
Then I'll rig up a pressure test to ensure all the welded seams are good...
If that works out OK it will be ready for refinishing to an acceptable standard...
I'll keep everyone updated as I go along...It may help in making a decision if anyone has been thinking of trying one...Ian
email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com
Hi Matt,it's a reversal of the putting on process,IE they reverse the polarity and
plate it off,prolly costs the same as plating on
cheers Rick
email (option): richardholt@rocketmail.com
Hi Matt..Rick is correct..though there are also other methods of removal..
I have a plating shop not too far from me so they will get the job.
It's a lot cheaper than the replating process actually, as they have to supply the copper/nickel/chrome and more electricity for that job and there are the polishing costs between each process...(the Indians get around that by not bothering with the copper and nickel!)...Ian
email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com
When all else fails I suppose it's good that somebody somewhere ie India, are still making pattern parts even if they need a bit of reworking cos, no one else is going to bother!
Just bear in mind that dealers have to get stock from somewhere and items sold as new are much more likely to have come from India than BSA!
Let us know how you get on, Ian, thanks
70%of all the parts for my Ariel WNG have come from India and the quality is as good if not better than British parts and at a quarter of the cost! I have just tested out my Indian girder forks over 18 miles of rutted fields and backroads and I,m still alive..
P.S
Ian rather than remove plating why don't you just sand it,then use etch primer,thats what I do
18 miles ? Still some way to go to equal the MWEE 10,000 mile tests then.
I always like to start with the bare metal..'Let the dog see the rabbit' as they say...
As for Indian made stressed components I'm nowhere near ready to trust life and limb to those, from what I have seen of them....Ian
email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com
My 60 M21 had a leaky tank, so I was looking for a new one, phoned up loads of places in the UK, one bloke, in Wales I think..? Said he had one, saying he'll call me back...
After TRYING for a few months, I gave up, got in touch with Delhi, and 10 days later my NEW unpainted and PERFICK tank was here. Got it all sprayed up, and it's served me well so far...
Then back in 2006 a lorry crushed my A10's tank, along with everything else..! Got yet ANOTHER Injun tank, this time with the Chrome stuck on, and it's STILL as good as the day I fitted it, well it would be if I polished it once in a while..
Craftsmen ARE indeed in the UK, but sadly I don't earn enough to pay em..
I agree..I'm having an aluminium tank made here in the UK at the moment and it's going to be the other side of £500...and that's not the most expensive...
Assuming the Indian tanks are the right shape, which isn't always the case for sure, I'm happy to spend a little time fiddling with brackets and other details to achieve a correct fit...
The material gauge is good and there is the additional benefit of having 'new' material to work with...
However, I'm not on a 'buy Indian' crusade...far from it. A petrol tank is basically a welded up mild steel box...Technically and therefore structurally, it's clearly within the capabilities of the Indians to put one together that is functional, even if not right in every detail...
Forks and other stressed components are an entirely different matter in my opinion...Here material specs, welding and brazing techniques and dimensional accuracy are far more important...In fact I would say critical.
To date none of the forks I have seen come anywhere near a good enough standard for me to trust them...and I'll definitely pass on the Indian replica M20 crankpins thanks..
I'm too old to die young but I wasn't planning on putting my neck in a noose just yet.....Ian
email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com
There is a lot of variation in standard and I am forced to conclude more than one manufacturer is involved...
A while back I got a T120 Bonneville tank for a customer...It was a nice looking job...All the bottom was made of pressings, not knocked out over a sandbag as some appear to be. Shape was good, it fitted straight on after a few threads were cleaned out with a tap and it never leaked....
On the other hand I have seen tanks that are plainly wrong...The shape of the back of the Goldie tank doesn't look right and some others are worse...
The pre war Tiger 100 tank I helped a mate fit to his bike was very poor...Not at all symmetrical and the mounting brackets etc. etc. were all wrong...
Assuming there is more than one manufacturer the problem is sorting out the wheat from the chaff before purchase..
....Ian
email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com
The fuel tank on my Ariel W/NG was replaced in the late-90s by an Indian copy as the original was wafer-thin and leaking.............
The shape was spot-on and the overall quality very good.....the tank is still on the bike today.......
The only issue was the front mounting points didn't quite line up with the frame brackets, but resolved without too much bother.........apart from that all threads were good and spot-on with the original fittings..........and back then I think this item cost me less than £70............I balanced this over the cost of repairing my original and the difficulty with finding an original replacement that may also have required work and expense.........
Fully agree that Indian products vary in quality and standard, and it is a bit of a gamble, but overall those Indian-manufactured items I have bought and fitted are reasonable......