Adding a bit of Chrome

Hey folks

I just redid a tank for my cruiser, and this time 'round I took a few pics as I did it. This may have been covered before, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to show some pics anyway.

For some of our builds, it's the finishing touches that really make it stand out. Here's an easy way to dress up your tank a little.

'Chrome' door edge trim is available many places. To wrap around the lip of a stock peanut tank, you'll need a piece just over 29 ¼" long.

So, all together you'll need:

• 29 ¼+" door trim
• reliable cutters
• a staple
• pliers
• clips (I used small biner clips, clothespegs may even work)

1. Start the trim as close to the front center as you can, clipping it tight against the tank lip. Press the trim into place around the lip, placing clips as you go (extras on corners).



2. When you get back around to the end of the trim, match the angle and cut off the excess as closely as you can.



3. I'm using a 3/8" staple to make sure the ends stay together, so with the smallest bit I have for my dremel, I made a hole through the underside half only of the trim, as close to 3/16" from each end as I could, freehand.



4. Slide the staple into one hole, and bend it with pliers. Work the other end of the staple into the other hole, and gently tighten up with pliers. Putting a staple in like this will act as a clip to help keep the ends from eventually pulling off.



5. Push the ends in toward the tank as tight as you can, and put one last clip over the staple.



Leave it for a day or two before undoing the clips, as the edge trim has some contact adhesive of it's own in it. When the clips come off there will be indent marks in the trim, but they will relax out within a short time.

For finished appearance, look in my cruiser album.

Thanks for reading.

A bit of heat would probably help, but the product I used didn't say anything about it. Gentle use of the heat gun would make the product more pliable, but I found running it between my fingers a few times would warm it up just enough.

2door: I knew I'd seen it here somewhere before. By all means, if you find the link please add it.

Thanks for digging up the link, 2door.

buba - I haven't had a problem with sharp edges on the tank flange (yet), but that's another good reason to put some trim around the seam.

I have only done this for one of the three in my garage. On the others, it would stand out but it wouldn't work as well visually. The cruiser though, it came with those nice chrome fenders. Once a 'silver' motor and exp. pipe were dropped into the frame, it just (to my eye) needed that little bit extra.