Hi all
Does anyone have any recommendations for restoring my tank please.
It needs the chrome doing and painting too.
Tank is solid
Thanks
It is so expensive to have a tank rechromed that you would find it cheaper to buy an Indian tank as I have done.
Thanks for the reply idie, the tank I have is the original tank and the bike belonged to my dad many years ago which is why I'm looking at restoring the tank.
Have a chat with Roger at Cake Street Classics. He's an A10 specialist and restorer.
Had mine done by Lewis Templeton. Excellent job.
:) :) :) :)
My son has just had his A65 tank re-chromed and repainted with (hopefully) original spec paint. Plus side panels.£1300. I think his financial advisor is about to sell his Sloper so that he doesn't get any more strange ideas.
The Indian tank I have on my A50 £310, including a litre of paint so that I could have panels done exact same colour.
Mike 8) 8) 8)
Thanks for the replies, please be heard Lewis Templeton is good but I don't think he does the chrome
Hi MJM, Like you I wanted to stay original. I have reported this story to the forum in the past but here is a brief version for you. In Oct 2013 I contacted Ashford Chroming in Kent to have my tank re-chromed and a tale of woe started. They quoted £540 + VAT and I sent them the tank. I had to pay up front "as soon as the work started" but after they had seen the tank the price was now £650 + VAT (£780) and this was paid on 21/11/13. After a few e-mails and phone calls, I was told in March 2014 that my tank was no good and my 1954 tank would be returned to me eventually as unusable, see first pic. They taken that much metal off that the tank was covered in brazing and then they eventually gave up. They had also renewed the front studs, after I had told them that I had already run a die down them and they were fine. A refund was not possible, but on 14/04/14 I was told that if I could obtain another tank they would chrome it for nothing. Fortunately, the next Stafford was at the end of that April and I was lucky enough to obtain a 1957 tank (a further £235). I told them on 28/04/14. On 21/05/14 I finally got a reply from Ashford Chroming and I agreed to travel down with the tank on 1st June. Except that I was given an address for "the factory" on an ind estate in Lewisham. I later learned from them that Ashford Chroming is (or was then) just a web site. I duly went, stayed overnight, and was presented with my two tanks. See the pics, enough said except that some of the roughness in the new tank was 2mm deep (and, after 8 months, stood me at more than £1000-before the painting). I have since heard the Derby Plating is an excellent company but have no personal experience of them, and now it rests on who does chroming any more due to the new safety laws, a few have given up. Hope this lot is of interest.
Hi Restorer
That really is a tale of woe, I have heard a few nasties about ashford chrome even recently.
I've used quality chrome at Hull for a two stroke I restored and they were good, they said they can do my tank but I was thinking if anyone on the forum has been through it I can gain experience of what to look for from there.
My last post went a bit funny (fat fingers I think) but I also messaged a guy called Alan Olner who I think runs marque restore at Coventry, he recommended Lewis Templeman for the painting.
I think reading your post, before I commit to anything I will go and see whoever does it face to face.
Hi, That sounds like a good idea. Incidentally, it was a guy at Lancaster Bronze who mentioned Derby to me, when they were pulling out of that market. Good luck with it anyway.
Avoid marque restore.
They took 6months to return my work after saying it would be a month then each week said it would be another week. We called down on spec in the end and demanded my parts back.... surprise surprise it was done
However, I think this was the reason they were dodging the parts return. Anything that had a thread on it was destroyed (bike in question was a Honda 400/4 so swing arm, wheel spindles
All in chrome) the heads of bolts had been ground down so much that metric spanner's no longer fit and had to use whitworth. In some cases the chrome chipped off without putting a spanner on tight and left the bare nickel surface. It cost me about £200 to replace the parts which they had screwed up on top of a £400 chrome bill.
Since then I started using a local chrome plater, their work was really good and whilst I lived I cheshire I used them for everything since: "Niphos" Well priced also.
I now live in West Yorkshire and use a company in Mexborough. Which also do a great job of chrome.
My tank was done in Canada, or rather I couldn't find anyone at the time who I could Trust to knock the dents out of my tank and have it chromed. Least in the UK, I met Ross Thompson a year earlier at the North California rally (2014) and his metal work skills were the best I had seen. He used to use Browns plating in the states as they had a fantastic reputation but they had now closed, so by then used Deco Chrome in Canada. (An equally good job) for £800 he sold me another used tank, lined the inside and sent it to Deco for the chrome. Deco then did all the chrome work, sadly they polished the complete tank instead of leaving the painted area unpolished (it would have been cheaper had they not) but all that for £800 including shipping. For a couple of hundred I repainted the tank and side panels myself.
The side panels take a beating because I have rear sets on the A65 and my leathers have the zip on the inside but the tank still looks the biz. There's enough lacquer on the size
Panels though so it polish's back ok.
Well after reading all those tales of woe I am really glad that I went non original and got all my tanks from India.
Ha ha Idie, I could see that one coming!
How does the import tax work etc when getting the Indian ones?
Surely the bill for bringing them in must be very steep, and what if the part is damaged or worse still just plain old rubbish?
Hi,
I use a company called Doug Taylor for chroming with great success, it may be worth a look at their website as a confidence boost. They specialise rather than being general plating for industry, only downside is the time scale, usually 2 month wait time. They will quote if you take it to them or send some images. I send the parts with images and my requirements to stop confusion. I have used other companies who have lost parts and produced something quite different than I asked so I'm now very wary.
https://dougtaylor.co.uk/
As others I now use Indian tanks, seller name royal choppers on Ebay. However it looks like Indian tanks are on hold at the moment. He lists with best offer, I always bid low and agree a reasonable price around £250. Then ask him to throw in badges, cap etc, worked every time. He will also adapt the tank, I recently asked to leave the knee pad fixings off with different paint and he his quite happy to accommodate. I have had to run taps in the threads, adjust the caps and use a tank sealer like 'slosh' from Draganfly. But generally the tanks are fine and if there was an issue you have Ebay refunds to fall back on. Image of the latest purchase. You will however pay import tax about £20 plus £12 clearance fee to Royal Mail but its worth it,
https://www.draganfly.co.uk/bantam/product/26797-slosh-tank-sealer-425ml/category_pathway-758
Whatever you choose good luck.
Best wishes...
I have been lucky I have not had to pay duties on any of the tanks I have bought. I did have a bad tank once, well it was ok to me but not the guy I got it for. He wanted it for his Gold Star. I contacted the seller and told him of the problem with the chrome and he sent another tank. What about the old tank I asked of him. Keep it he said. Twelve years on and it still graces my Shooting Star. No rust, yes there are a few blemishes in the chrome but hay! it cost me nothing.
Quote from: Trev on 16 May, 2020, 11:24
Had mine done by Lewis Templeton. Excellent job.
Had a B31 tank done by Templetons and it was mediocre at best.
Well that's a pretty comprehensive response thank you to all the go have taken the time to contribute.
I've previously spoken to Doug Taylor (If I remember right he is over near Weston super mare). I think I'm going to get an Indian tank as a back up and then have my own tank refurbed, that way I can use it over the summer once I get it rebuilt!
Martyn
:) :) :)
I use Hampshire electro platers Southampton. Never a problem so far.
Mike 8) 8) 8)