gas tank question/comment....

[john HD]

i was sanding and priming a stock set of gas tanks i got for my '55 fl and i noticed two small weld marks. one on each tank.

the weld on each tank is at the rear, and a little smaller than a pencil eraser. it is just a spot weld about 3/8 of an inch away from the main seam that joins the front and back.

now this is the question, when the tanks are hanging on a piece of wire between the front mounts the weld spot is at the very lowest point. could this have been a hole for draining interior paint when the tanks were made?

the tanks are an original set that is unmolested, and do not appear to ever been apart. the welds look like they were made using a oxy torch.

so if the spot welds are original, could this be a semi reliable way to tell real ones from repops?

thanks

john

[panz4ever]

John, I have a set of stock 48-50 tanks on my 49 pan. When I got the bike as a basket case the tanks needed some fixing. My welder did an excellent job of fixing one small pinhole and a cracked tank mount. It almost sounds like maybe they were patched by a very good welder at one time. I think a better way to tell if you have stock tanks is to look at the emblem mounts on the tanks. I do not think any aftermarket places make the tanks with the tank emblem mounts welded to the tanks. A lot of places sell aftermaket mounts that are thin metal and made to be glued on. I think that would be the easiest way to tell. If your mounts were ground off, I would look to see if there is any trace of where the mounts should have been.

[john HD]

panz

thanks for the reply, these tanks have the original emblem mounts...

i just noticed the spot welds when i was sanding the tanks. the welds seem to be in a place that would allow an interior coating to drain before final prep for paint.

a couple of books i have concerning harley paint mention a phosphate dip used as a prep for paint.

i was just wondering if the spot welds on my tanks were a way to let the excess coating material out.

john

[panster]

Hi,
I looked earlier and my '54 tanks have those small welds.
Well spotted John.
(my tanks are untouched apart from paint).
J.

[john HD]

well i got them mounted this weekend and tried them out today.

no leaks!

john

[VPH-D]

Quick question: Is the Pepper Red as orange in real life as it appears in this photo? P.S very nice Pan!
VPH-D

[john HD]

yes it is, the guy at the paint shop said " i know that color, it's chevy engine orange! "

john

[VPH-D]

Thanks for the response. I have an NOS Pepper Red tank and it's screaming orange. I figured the color must have changed over the years,
for it to be so orange. I guess not. BTW, the phosphate coating you refer to is clearly visible inside the tank, and on the top of the tank bung.
VPH-D

[rigidpanman]

i had a 68 dodge charger,the color was charger red,it was so close to hugger orange it wasnt funny.

[VT]

Nice...nice machine john. Really looks like a rider.

[BigMike]

That "Pepper Red" is a strange color! I had an original fender that color and had it scanned at my paint jobber. When it came up to formula, the computer picked it as a '70 Ford color. I thought it was faded or something too. That's it though. (Looking for an easy match for Hi-Fi Red, I used "Viper Red" and it's not perfect, but I sure like it.)
The purist gods are likely lining up to kick my arse for using an improper color on a stock looking Pan.

[john HD]

one of the other comments i got from the paint guys was " that's a fleet color, omaha red..."

i assumed it was a common color for a trucking company or a railroad.

here in wisconsin we once had a railroad called the chicago milwaukee st. paul and omaha railway. later known as the chicago and north western... perhaps that was its origin...?

john

[partshunt]

[quote]one of the other comments i got from the paint guys was " that's a fleet color, omaha red..."

i assumed it was a common color for a trucking company or a railroad.

here in wisconsin we once had a railroad called the chicago milwaukee st. paul and omaha railway. later known as the chicago and north western... perhaps that was its origin...?

john[/quote]
Well, its quite noteworthy, when you mention railroad colors and Harley Davidson. I say that becouse one of the poineers Harley or Davidson worked for the railroad just at the time they started up in 1903. The one of them quit the rail road to build the machine in its early years. They offered colors in the later years like "coach green and Brewster Green" you see even today on rail cars. Its almost like they or the old guy, (young then) snuck out some paint colors he liked while picking up his last paycheck.history in the macking possibly....

[john HD]

partshunt,

yes i have read that about the early days at HD, i believe davidson worked at the milwaukee road. they also used a bright orange color in their paint schemes.

when i had the bike at davenport this year i got a couple of odd looks as you rarely see bright orange/red 50's bikes.

john

[partshunt]

John: Thats a nice color, the graffiti days were colorful. I built a 48 in the early sixties with a Hydra Glide front end and 80 Flathead flywheels, stroker plates and bored to 84 inches, footshift. I had it sprayed your color from a Ford formula but very close to Chev Engine color. It was well accepted in those days and sold quickly, even tho I didnt really want to sell it but the price was right then. Be a givaway price nowadays tho...Joe