T: Fuel Tank Price of Repro Vincent Petrol Tanks

CarlHungness

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
After 60 plus years of studying various disciplines from sales to journalism to publishing to race car fabrication, violin making, sculpture, etc. I decided that I want to become a journeyman panel beater. This task used to take a seven year apprenticeship, while the machinists served five years. My prior knowledge might give me about a 1-2 year head-start.
Thus I've been considering making a buck and trying to clone my '54 Shadow petrol tank. After spending three decades in the auto racing industry as a publisher and part-time fabricator I thought I at least had a pretty good introduction to the panel beating art. Then I've spent a couple of dozen hours on YouTube watching many journeymen turn out complete car bodies. I feel as though I can make a wooden, or even wire buck that would fit the bill.
For fun I looked on eBay to check prices of reproduction Vincent petrol tanks and they started out at $600 US which surprisingly is 490 Pounds Sterling! The last time I was in the UK the Pound was $1.80, so everything cost me almost double. After scrolling through 20 eBay pages I found I could buy an aluminum or steel Vincent tank for $250 US dollars. Then I noted the approval rate for the sellers was at about 60%.
Surely 'they' (probably from India) are stamping the tanks and welding them together. Has anyone seen or bought one of these repros? I've never had in mind that I'm going to sell a tank, and more than likely it's going to take me 2-3 tries to make one that is acceptable. I want to make the tank because it'll involve lots of shrinking and stretching, they keys to working steel and aluminum into the compound shapes.
I had not checked the currency conversion from US dollars to Pounds Sterling in years, and I am gob-smacked the Pound is now so very low. I sure wish I had the time and revenue to once again visit my beloved Chipping Campden where I spent three summers in the 90's.
So, what is the verdict on the repro Vincent petrol tanks?
 

chankly bore

Well Known and Active Forum User
Non-VOC Member
I just finished a Comet. I bought a steel tank from "Vintage 24/7" in India. Unlike many others it fairly faithfully replicates the original stamping pattern on the underside. There was one very minor oversight, the failure to weld the top centre of the rear attachment tab. This was easily fixed. It fitted up perfectly and didn't leak. Since then two mates have bought from the same supplier with similar good results. All these tanks were primed but unpainted, as the lines and transfers are positioned wrongly on the painted ones. The gentleman replies to emails, so I sent him some transfers and the lining layout by Registered mail to help him. Unfortunately some mother's little foetus in the Indian Post Office must've fancied them; he wont be hard to spot, he'll be riding a 350 Enfield with "VINCENT" on the tank. I'm not sure about the alloy tanks, the front mounts don't look correctly spaced to me.
 

LoneStar

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
A couple of members of the Lone Star Section have bought and installed these tanks:


An advantage of this supplier is that returns can be sent to California if necessary, rather than India.

Here is a discussion:

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The Indian tank fit on my Model C Shadowized Rapide quite nicely. No interference issues with any tabs, center piece fits nicely, fuel taps in and fit well, oil tank inlet tube fits pretty good. The only issues so far established are.

1) front tabs align nicely, but need to be each moved in 1/4”. The fit is acceptable and could be improved with a 1/4” rubber washer installed on each side.

2) The rubber bushing holes are a little large in diameter, but Velocette bushings fit perfect.

3) The tabs are too close together for a Vincent tire pump, but a shorter Velocette pump fits perfectly fine. This potentially could be opened up by hand grinding and filing the points back. The distance between centers need to be lengthened about 1.0” for a Vincent pump to fit.

It all nestled in quite nicely after I got all of the cables correctly routed underneath the tank and between the oil tank and fuel tank. It simply went right into place with all threads aligning nicely. The right rear tab was not an issue and the centerpiece and washers/nuts snugged right up. Only thing, I would like to see the gap on the front tabs brought closer together, but the tank is not going anywhere. It is secure. The larger Velocette rubber buffers help the fit.

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CarlHungness

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Back when I had Vinparts I bought six steel tanks from India, three fitted with no work, two needed work to fit and the one I still have needs major work to fit. Looking on ebay I found this and would be worth a punt for the cost. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/133113428603?hash=item1efe2dba7b:g:pcoAAOSwoptdLakN
I couldn't even come close to making the buck for that price much less the whole tank. They have to have stampings an glad to see they are fairly close to
the originals.
 

Jim Bush

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
I have on these same tanks from 24/7 Vintage, which has turned out be a good buy, fits well and is properly made with new metal.

I have posted previously my troubles with some other tanks that seems to be made by welding many hand shaped used/recycled metal pieces together and grinding the contaminated welds away - beware any tanks that have a red coating on the inside.
 

Cyborg

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
I saw this tank advertised on Craigslist for 300USD. I’m assuming it was made in India.

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