DIY tank... even if you can't weld

[BarelyAWake]

Haven't been on in a while forgot how I ran across this thread but glad I did. Wondering though I have been toying once I get my bike and engine of using copper sheet for a tank wonder if that would work in place of the steel any thoughts? Oh and I have a friend who does copper flashing so the price would be pretty cheap for me. Love your bike though sweet style.

Thankee bikebum (great name BTW lol) While I've not made a copper tank, others have w/great success and looks awesome painted or unpainted Here's a coupla bairdco's bikes w/copper tanks http://motorbicycling.com/members/bairdco/

http://motorbicycling.com/f38/1942-colson-imperial-done-20659.html

http://motorbicycling.com/f38/1930s-colson-motor-bike-my-new-14764.html

...and another thread w/some info on tank makin' alternatives: Different Style Tanks?

 

[zappys]

I have one question. What did you use for the threaded tube for the gas cap, and where did you get your petcocks?

 

[BarelyAWake]

Chopped it outa a used utility motor's tank & cleaned 'em up... recycling is good right? post168273

The petcock is part of the glass bowl fuel filter, pics # part number here: post168272

 

[Nikko]

any one got ideas of a gas tank design for a mountain bike? with just the standard diamnond frame and not pockets in the frame like beachcruisers? maybe same thing but have it hang from the top tube?
also
thats one of the coolest Motorized bikes ive ever seen! props on your hard work

 

[BarelyAWake]

Ifn ya mean my ol' Rollfast, thankee There's more pics here if yer bored or w/e: Rollfast pictures - Photobucket

If ya mean baird's bikes pictured above, I agree lol - and his build threads are here;
http://motorbicycling.com/f38/1942-colson-imperial-done-20659.html
http://motorbicycling.com/f38/1930s-colson-motor-bike-my-new-14764.html

 

[charliechaindrive]

Hey thanks for the tips I've allways wanted to build my own tank for a btr but never found the time bu not that. See how easy it is I just mite start on one

 

[jayson]

Thanks for the tips my dad and I are building a few tanks and this helps . Great lookin bike

 

[Eon Cycle Works]

Excellent documentation, well done indeed!

 

[ghost_rider]

The tank welding done, it wasn't quite flawless - but far, far better than I feared. A "small" detail overlooked when setting alla this up is my poor buddy's lack of a foot control on his TIG machine... essentially just a stick welder with a TIG gun instead of a clamp - he's got no amperage control and the machine's lowest setting 'bout twice as much as needed for this lil project. With that in mind - I've nothin' but respect for my friend as he managed to not incinerate alla my work lol

Upside? While the welds may not be the most cosmetic in the world - they're freakin' strong and with the over-penetration developing a consistent bead on the inside, it's "gusseted" so to speak. So... a lotta grindin' and a lil filler... and a bunch more sanding and I've my fuel tank FTW ...and no, it's not gonna stay flat black heh - there's more sanding and painting to be done ofc... which is all that managed to prevent me from stickin' my nifty fuel filter and sight gauge on it for the pics.

The temptation was there tho lol, bad enough I hung the chainguard just for the pic - let alone the tangled nightmare of cables

Have your buddy go to the welding supply or shop that tig welds stainless steel and buy few 1/16" x 36" stainless tig rods, clamp one end to metal table the other to ground clamp the farther down the rod gives less power farther up more power you get.

 

[silverbear]

Barely,
Your sticky is a great addition to the site and a trip down memory lane from the days of the Rustoration thread. It was such fun being part of that and week by week seeing your bike come together. It remains one of my all time favorites. You and Bairdco were my mentors, the young guys helping Grandpa with his motorbike.

I just went through this thread from the beginning and it is timely for me in that I am about to finally make my own steel tank and intend to weld it myself once I get in a little more welding time. I'll be referring to this thread again before all is said and done.

Your Rollfast made a big impression on me at the time, not just the good looks, but also the three speed shift kit... putting that on my someday wish list. As it turns out I'll be doing the same 3 speed S.A. rear hub with SBP shift kit parts on a bike this summer, a 1934 Elgin 4 Star step through, very much like the bike I worked on in the Rustoration thread which later burned up in a truck fire. So, an old dream is coming to be and you have your part in it. Thank you, my friend.
SB

 

[BarelyAWake]

Thankee silver

I dunno if ya knew this, but I didn't get to ride the ol' Rollfast last summer as the engine ate it's lower bearings. As I was up to my eyeballs in crap for the taddy project, I jus' parked it and rode the crusty Schwinn last season (& through the winter ofc). A shame to be sure - but I'd b'damned if I was gonna buy a replacement motor during the spring/summer rush lol, but even w/o the jacked prices the taddy was demanding all of me time & resources anyway heh

Yet I couldn't stand another year not runnin' the comfy cruiser, so I picked up a motor early while the prices were good, figurin' I'd throw it together once the taddy was running... but no sooner than it got here the weather broke (literally methinks) and Maine suddenly started havin' 50, then 60, then even all the way up to high 70 almost 80°F temps in March???

Obviously this was weather not to be missed so I switched gears and rebuilt the Rollfast... I was jus' s'posed to throw the replacement motor in it ofc, but it never quite works that way naturally. As I'd managed around 4000 miles or so on it before I popped the engine, I'd accumulated a lot of lil things I wanted to fix, upgrade or jus' plain change, so I've spent the past week vroomin' around breakin' in the new motor & tearing somethin' else apart, makin' some lil alterations & vroomin' s'more...

It's been a blast, I've really missed riding this bike and now it's better than ever - but the downside is I've had no time left over for the taddy lol - too many projects & not enough fingers aargh >.<

I was gonna take a "finished" pic yesterday, but our fluke weather has finally passed and it's raining, gray & dreary again, so for now jus' this pic w/the new motor (slant) will hafta suffice. All the other changes are pretty minor anyway & stuff you'd prolly not see in a pic in any case - like getting rid of the dual pull brake lever (never liked it), rebuilding the somewhat problematic shiftkit (plate flex fatigue) and a new freewheel bearing, header wrap (wonderful stuff), adding mirrors (finally found some I didn't hate), new tires, chains, shielded plug wire (cosmetic braided housing) & custom made cap (angle w/slant looked wrong), better lookin' pedals with adapters/extensions and all the lil adjustments & tweaks that comes part n'parcel w/such an overhaul;

old motor: & new:

This is still w/o a doubt my fave pic tho... I'm gonna hafta hunt down that ol' roadster again heh;

funny - pretty much the one thing I didn't mess with was the tank lol... well that & the 3sp Sturmey, which continues to serve me faithfully w/o any complaint

 

[silverbear]

Barely,
No, I had not known about the engine throwing up on the road and being without your cool ride last summer. But now it is better than ever in it's new incarnation. I'm so glad to hear about the reliability of the Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub. May your Rollfast keep rolling along for many miles to come.

My Elgin will is almost ready to go once I get back to Minnesota and can give it some time. I have the hubs built into wheels, a PK-80 engine with SBP expansion exhaust and this winter purchased shift kit parts used from Cannonball2. He made his own jack shaft which mounts on the seat post and had purchased the freewheel from SBP.I'm very much looking forward to riding the old Elgin with gears. I have to put together a three piece pedal crank, but I don't think that should give much grief.

So good to know your cruiser is cruisin' and now you'll be ale to get back to work on that fantastic taddy.
SB

 

[BarelyAWake]

Defo lookin' forward to seein' the ol' Elgin on the road silver - I think you're going to really like the capabilities of a bike w/jackshafted gearing. While acceleration is obv improved what I really think you'll appreciate is the drastic reduction in cruise RPM & thus vibration & noise, making for a much more comfy ride. With the addition of a bit of header wrap & the extended silencer, the ride is quiet enough it's equivalent to factory mopeds, I can even have a convo with another rider - but prolly most important is I can hear other traffic, like a car coming up behind me.

There is a small problem w/the three piece pedal crank & freewheel bearing setup I feel I should give ya a "heads up" about tho, it can be frustrating if you've not encountered it before & can lead to long-term component fatigue issues if not addressed...

The problems I mentioned above w/the shiftkit side plate flex stem from the dependence on utilizing the bottom bracket as part of the engine's drive train, necessitating a freewheel bearing that takes the engine's load. The flex itself can be lessened by simply using an additional lock collar on the outside of the left plate & one on the inner of the right (necessitating a longer piece of 5/8ths keyed shaft ofc) - but as the freewheel bearing is threaded on to a pedal crank w/the sprockets bolted to it, then the pedal crank is pressed on to the square, tapered shaft of the spindle - it's that press fit on a square shaft that's the source of the problem as it is next to impossible to achieve a perfectly centered fit on the square shaft with the supplied aluminum pedal crank arms (perhaps issues w/arm castings, it's variable);

Symptoms in the following vids, note chain movement;

Secondary chain/jackshaft to crank
http://s305.photobucket.com/albums/nn210/Serenity151/vroom/?action=view&current=MVI_1624.mp4

Tertiary chain/crank to hub;
http://s305.photobucket.com/albums/nn210/Serenity151/vroom/?action=view&current=MVI_1622.mp4

Pulsing demo ride;
http://s305.photobucket.com/albums/nn210/Serenity151/webjunk/?action=view&current=MVI_1186.mp4

I've replaced everything, a new 3pc cartridge crankset complete with a replacement freewheel bearing, pedal arms & sprockets and then each component individually to verify. Unfortunately, it seems the drive train "pulse" can be lessened, but not eliminated. As it turns out the most successful procedure is simply to press the pedal crank on & test, removing & repressing it back on if necessary, even rotating it to a different face on the square shaft in an attempt to find it's best placement.

Usually with some patience this can reduce the "pulsing" effect to tolerable levels if you encounter it

 

[silverbear]

Thanks for the heads up. I have yet to purchase the three piece cranks set, but did purchase the adapter. A crankset from a donor bike won't work then? Or is it that I need for it to be extra wide?
Thanks also for the videos, as I could both see and hear what you were talking about. Maybe I'll get lucky. And maybe I won't, in which case I now have some idea of what's going on. Are the kit arms standard to any three piece hub? I know nothing about three piece hubs as you can see.
SB

 

[BarelyAWake]

NP man No they're not standard, to use the SBP freewheel bearing, you'll need at least the right side pedal crank as it's threaded to take the bearing (pic above) and the sprockets are mounted to the bearing & not the arm, you'll need those too. As ya might as well get both arms so they match... this leaves just the spindle, which may or may not be wide enough for your build, but they're easy & cheap to replace.

The one that comes with the kit is a cartridge type & it's 131.5mm, which worked fine for the Rollfast if that's any help & it's only like $17, but you'll need a splined bottom bracket cartridge tool for installation, but that's only another 10 bucks if you don't have one.

With the miles, muck & filth I encounter, I do prefer cartridge types over cup & loose bearings as they're sealed & maintenance free, but that is ofc yer call (they do take different BB adapters tho BTW)

 

[silverbear]

NP man No they're not standard, to use the SBP freewheel bearing, you'll need at least the right side pedal crank as it's threaded to take the bearing (pic above) and the sprockets are mounted to the bearing & not the arm, you'll need those too. As ya might as well get both arms so they match... this leaves just the spindle, which may or may not be wide enough for your build, but they're easy & cheap to replace.

The one that comes with the kit is a cartridge type & it's 131.5mm, which worked fine for the Rollfast if that's any help & it's only like $17, but you'll need a splined bottom bracket cartridge tool for installation, but that's only another 10 bucks if you don't have one.

With the miles, muck & filth I encounter, I do prefer cartridge types over cup & loose bearings as they're sealed & maintenance free, but that is ofc yer call (they do take different BB adapters tho BTW)

I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it this summer. I'll have to look through my box of stuff from Cannonball2 to remind myself of what's there and what isn't. I have donor bikes I can look through and can always order what I need from SBP. Thanks, no doubt I'll be back with questions when the time comes.
SB

 

[BarelyAWake]

Anytime silver, hope I can help some

...but no sooner than it got here the weather broke (literally methinks) and Maine suddenly started havin' 50, then 60, then even all the way up to high 70 almost 80°F temps in March???

Obviously this was weather not to be missed so I switched gears and rebuilt the Rollfast...

...and then, no sooner than it's on the road again;

*shrug* Maine >.<

 

[tooljunkie]

great work.made something that seemed difficult look easy.
great instructions.
i have abused jigsaws for many years on sheet metal.i put blade in backwards and clamp saw upside down in vise.makes control very easy,two handed if anything.

nicest bike i have seen so far.
i have lots of 20/22 guage sheet metal,may start playing.the english wheel needs to train me anyway.

oh,ya-its snowing here too.

 

[Goat Herder]

Wow nice picture. Could put that on a post card

 

[flmotorbikes]

Is it leak proof even without the welds ?