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| Best photo I could find of the right side of the tank. |
I sent this tank to Ross Thompson. For those of you who don't know Ross, he does amazing bare metal tank repairs. I'm not sure if he is retired now, but I got in under the wire. I also sent the side covers which were also dented. Note that there are a couple of large dents on the right side, and the left side has only a small one, but it is on a crease in the metal. The top also has some tiny dents like something repeatedly poked it hard!
What I got back was this...
These were seriously amazing! The metal was so straight, you would have thought that it had just been molded. Most impressive to me was that the tiny dents on the top of the tank, which are clearly notable in the third photo above, were not visable and could not be felt. They were gone, as were the bigger ones! The tank was pressure tested and sealed on the inside with POR-15. I was very happy!
Thanks Ross! (This is not the last that I'll write about Ross, because he also knocked the dents out of my fenders and fender braces, but that is work that is still in progress.)
Now, this was bare metal that I got back, so it was important that I get it at least primed very quickly, so off it went to Ottawa Valley Custom Paint. Chris, the owner, is a very talented painter and has an eye for colour matching, which was very important because the paint formula no longer survives. It is Candy Paint, and we looked at several photographs, including one that I found online of a '68 that had been stored indoors since almost new. We guessed at the formula, and I think that we came pretty close if not right on. I almost went for larger silver flaking, because it would have looked cool and made the paint job more extravagant, but I really want this to be as close to original as I can make it. Chris had never seen Ross's bodywork before. He thought it was pretty spectacular. There is no Bondo on this tank, a thick coat of primer and a sanding was all that he needed to do. (Another bow to Ross Thompson)
I had Chris attach some replica "450" metal decals that I sourced from Badger Replicas in Australia to the side covers. This is what I got back:
The last step was to add some reproduction emblems that again were from E-bay and the polished gas cap. Voila! My new tank!
I also had my frame and all the black metal parts painted, but by a local painting and powder coating shop. Black enamel paint looks good!
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| Before - This photo was taken around Christmas, 2018 as I was cleaning 36 years worth of accumulated oil, grease and dirt. |
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| After - This photo was taken a month ago. |
The COVID-19 Pandemic restrictions are giving me more time to work on the bike, so hopefully I will be able to post more often as it progresses. The problem with COVID is getting parts in from the United States, so I can only work with what I can source locally or already have.
Luckily, that is a lot.
