motorbike tank info needed

[ozzmonaut]

Could someone who has a 36-37 motorbike tank possibly post close up pics and maybe measurements of the gills, length and height of the access door, etc. My intention is to fabricate one from an existing non-schwinn tank and I hope to make it look as accurate as possible, at least from the outside. I know this is a heavy request, but it may benefit all of us in the long run. Thanks

 

[markivpedalpusher]

There's lots of reference pics on Tim's site. And I would be happy to trace a door for you, scan it and e-mail it to you. I can measure the gills as well.

http://bicyclechronicles.com/

 

[ozzmonaut]

That would be awesome. I'll pm you my info. I've looked at tons of pics, but without accurate measurements as at least a point of reference, all the pics in the world are useless. Thanks

 

[ozzmonaut]

The bicyclechronicles site is a bit vague as well. There are pics of 36 tanks that have gills, then one without gills that says hanging tanks did not have gills in 36. I have been noticing a lot of differences online as well. Such as instances where 36 motorbikes that are supposedly all original will have differences from t.r. findleys site or bicycle chronicles, and from each other. Such as differences in the downtube, fenders, fender braces, prescence of tank gills, handlebar styles,rack etc. There was even one instance where one(supposedly original) was pictured with what appeared to be wood core-metal clad rims, while the rest have steel rims. And some have a dropstand while some have a kickstand. Which options are correct?

 

[Xcelsior]

Tanks a lot

36 motorbike or cycleplanes had non gilled smooth tanks and 36 autocycles had gilled tanks. Most of the information on Bicyclechronicles is correct but you are right, some of the bikes in the photos could have had parts switched out. Stick to catalogs for the best info. If you have particular questions on one single motorbike, just ask and I will do my best to answer. It just gets harder to explain and is also more confusing to answer every rant and question all at once.

 

[ozzmonaut]

Sorry for getting all over the place. What basically happened is that in the course of wanting to piece together a 36 motorbike on the cheap (somewhat), I realized that I will need to manufacture my own tank for now. Even in catalog pics I noticed many differences. The answer to one question will help a great deal. Is the catalog pic for the 36 motorbike at t.r. findleys 100% correct? I do know this:not needing gills in the tank is going to make my work a lot easier.

 

[aasmitty757]

Like Xcelsior said "36 motorbike or cycleplanes had non gilled smooth tanks and 36 autocycles had gilled tanks." Here is a picture of a 36 motorbike tank.

 

[ozzmonaut]

thanks for the pic aasmitty. I'm waiting for exact measurements on length, width at several points, and door size info befor I commence welding and grinding. I have a non-schwinn tank to work with. It is a two-piece tank, but I am going to wrap thick steel around the seam, after bending the halves how I need them, weld it, grind it down, fill the recesses with jb weld, grind some more, then worry about cutting for the door. Then tack in a hinge from a hawthorne motorbike tank door and manufacture a new door from some leftover steel from an old VW door. Than I get to buy one of those nifty tank latch repros. Some riveting... it's definitely a job, but to save spending $700 on arusted out tank, I'll try it.

 

[ozzmonaut]

Also, could someone quickly drop me the width of a 36 motorbike fender at the widest point? Thanks so much guys.

 

[Xcelsior]

I have a set of fenders I could sell you. They are flat braced which is correct for 36., They will need some work like blasting the house paint off , rolling out dents and trimming and reshaping the ends, but they are correct 36 and again, have the flat braces.