The tank trims and rubbers were not a job I had been looking forward to. The trims were a bit mangled - they are thin aluminium, available new but very expensive and of course as I have said multiple times, I won't be a 'cheque book' restorer - and I knew they would have to be 'manipulated' to get them back on.
They fit around and underneath the welded plates that retain the rubbers, bending down into a depression on the tank (the bit I had cut out and rewelded) with a beaded edge laying flat (!) on the tank, around the knee rubber. Like this:
It doesn't look too bad does it! I removed a lot of dents with some purpose ground punches and a simple hardwood dolly, with grooves to suit the beaded edge:
The next bit is a job I don't enjoy very much - I am always afraid of tearing the rubber or scratching the tank. A smear of silicone grease helps, as does remembering (eventually) that you start fitting these at the rear, narrow end and move forwards.
If you start at the back, the bottom edge will go in easily and you can work along the top edge; you can then slip the front over, as there is quite a lot of length to stretch and it will move, leaving you with a bit in the middle of the top edge which is a bit of an effort. Very rewarding when it pops in though, and made much easier by the fact that the tank, on the bike lift, is at shoulder level.
A couple of other points - I polished the trim up on the wheel before it went on, and secondly it's much easier to fit the rubbers when the tank is bolted in place on the bike.
Talking of which, as a 1958 bike this tank has the single centre fixing beloved of BSA. I wonder whose idea it was? A Val Page idea or a BSA idea? The easiest way to fit this is to assemble the bolt, washer, nut and the rubber with it's tube and insert it into the hole in the tank. With the seat pushed to the rear, you can lift the tank and wiggle the head of the bolt into it's slot on the frame - then you lower the tank.
You'll be able to feel that the bolt head is still engaged as you do up the nut.
We'll fit the chrome strip in the next episode!
Coming around to filling the tank, experience has shown that a petrol tap cork that has not had a tank of fuel sitting above it will dry out, shrink, and leak profusely. I've removed this one and it is spending the night soaking in fuel.
The tap itself is fitted with a Dowty washer which will make a far better job of sealing than the fibre washer originally specified. I've sanded the paint off the sealing face in order that the seal works properly, and a miracle has occurred:
The tap is positioned perfectly and it is fully tightened!
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