TANKING ALONG

Rick Parkington agonising over repairing a leaking Velo tank (Rick’s Fixes, April) took me back to 1973. As an impoverished London medical student, I depended on my Sunbeam S8, but had abused it commuting to Oxford to see my future wife. I knew sustained high-speed use wouldn’t be good for the ’Beam’s somewhat undeveloped engine, but I was only 22 and eager to get there. This wore out the engine, necessitating an urgent rebuild, and I had the tank blasted and stove enamelled at the same time. Imagine my consternation when, on my first ride out from the house of my long-suffering inlaws-to-be, where I’d used their garage for the reconstruction, I discovered petrol leaking onto my trousers from a seam that had opened up. I drained the tank and repaired it in their kitchen (they weren’t pleased about the smell), with Araldite used liberally along the join. It was still holding six years later when I sold it.

Rick may tell me that modern alcohol fuel will dissolve Araldite, but in ’73 I knew it was good stuff as I had repaired a leaking core plug on the engine block of a Land Rover in the middle of Afghanistan a couple of years earlier using a cork and Araldite that lasted a few years. Michael Powell, London

Hi Michael, good story! I don’t know whether Araldite would still cope or not – but I suspect it wouldn’t, given the aggressive nature of ethanol. Chewing gum used to be an old favourite, too. I remember springing a leak on my old Excelsior 98 miles from home – I hate chewing gum but bought a pack from a garage. I jawed my way through a whole pack of Juicy Fruit, only to find it wouldn’t stick and the petrol made it all gooey and even more unpleasant. I stupidly didn’t realise that the tank would have to be dry and drained – and it probably needed to set overnight. I can still taste the wretched stuff all these years later! Cheers, Rick Parkington