T: Fuel Tank Vincent fuel tank fibre glass cover?

Ben Langton

Active Forum User
Non-VOC Member
Evening,
I’m putting some bits together for the Shepton Autojumble and not sure what I have here?
It’s a cover for some kind of petrol tank. I’ve looked and can’t find anything like it.
Where’s it from, what’s it used for and what’s its worth. It’s well made but I’m not going to use it. It’s completeley hollow, no base to it, never been used as no holes drilled at back for mounting?
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Thanks
Ben
 

timetraveller

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
It might be one of mine but I am not sure. I made one for John Renwick years but that was a copy of a normal tank and the one in the photograph is heightened to give increase capacity. The one for John Renwick was intended just to be an empty cover to hide various small tanks mounted next to the oil tank so that the bike looks more complete. I did make some other tanks in GRP but I used a modified Phil Primmer mould which I gave a more rounded shape to as it cut in at the back for ones knees. Despite what one reads there are polyester resins which will withstand alcohol containing petrol but they are a bit of a pain in that one has to bake the finished product for several hours to cure the resin.
 

davidd

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
I purchased the John Renwick Comet. After the Girdraulic caused the crash that forced me to design a new steering stem I made a plug from the old tank cover and made another mold. The tank was not quite deep enough on the sides and the small petrol tank would hang out a bit.
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These covers are great for specials. The small tank is 1.25 gallons US, which is good for just under 50 miles at full throttle.

David
 

vibrac

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
I went for an alloy tank with same shape as original but a bigger space for front head carburetor it costs a bit more than a fake, but I think its more appropriate for racing. I pinched it from our Comet Racer. Eagle eyes will note the front is attached with cable ties this was the first race with the tank on the twin and we will move to a permanent soft solution once we have sorted the more appropriate carburetors (probably TT) for next season. Perhaps we will even have enough money for a proper paint job and a Vincent scroll... but I doubt it.
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Peter Holmes

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Tim, the coil over shock on the Bramptons looks interesting, do you have any information for it, how is the lower mounting achieved.
 

davidd

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
The only problem with the alloy tanks is that they crack. Dave Tompkins has had to weld his up twice in two seasons. Soft mounting would cure the problem.

Mine is strapped onto supports with foam on them, so it is designed for soft mounting. I put some foam dots on the UFM, also.

David
 

Cyborg

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Despite what one reads there are polyester resins which will withstand alcohol containing petrol but they are a bit of a pain in that one has to bake the finished product for several hours to cure the resin.

I have been waffling back and forth about making a tank for the Mongrel Comet. My first choice is aluminium, but finding the learning curve may take me beyond the point where they take my license away and have me institutionalized. So... for now version 3.0 is a fibreglass tank. Ethanol free fuel is easily obtained locally, but just in case... the tank is constructed with a marine epoxy instead of the usual resin. The benefits being that it doesn’t stink (which helps maintain marital bliss) and isn’t frightfully expensive. While it is resistant to ethanol, there is some debate about the long term results. The blush from the epoxy was removed and the inside of the tank was sanded prior to assembly. Once cured, the tank was washed and rinsed out several times to remove any new blush that may have formed around the bottom seam. Now it gets a complete internal coating of phenol novolac epoxy just in case I do encounter some ethanol down the road. Using the phenol novolac epoxy for the last layer of fibreglass might have made more sense and I may explore that avenue if there is ever a next time. Anyway.. the point being that phenol novolac epoxy doesn’t require baking, although I did warm things slightly because the temperature in the garage was a little less than ideal.
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