Richard Phelps Q&A – and how to make a tank!
How long has TAB II Classics been in business?
The name TAB II Classics was created back in 2010, after Terry Baker’s sad passing. We did not want to trade off his name, so we renamed the company TAB II Classics – as a nod to him, but also to add our own identity.
How are your tanks made? What processes do you use?
We are incredibly old-school, just as Terry would have wanted. All of our tanks are hand-panned, English-wheel rolled, and gas-welded, just as it is supposed to be. We manufacture the tanks based on patterns and formers inherited from Terry, who had the foresight to make patterns for almost every tank he made; it’s just a shame he forgot to label them!
So, reveal all: how do you make a tank then?
Okay, we are always asked this so let’s show you how to make a fuel tank, in a few steps:
▪ First you cut out the shape of the components, based on the respective pattern
▪ Then press a rough shape as appropriate
▪ Then you form the individual panels of the tank on the English Wheel
▪ Next, you tack weld the top and sides together
▪ Now, back on the English Wheel you crush the tacks and start forming the shape of the tank
▪ Back to welding now, where the panels are fully welded using oxy acetylene, parent metal rods, and a flux
▪ Then on to the English Wheel again, this time to crush the welds and to form the finished tank shape
▪ The base of the tank is formed on the appropriate frame, trimmed and then welded into the tank. All of our tanks have internal baffles
▪ The surface of the tank is then prepped using a DA sander, starting at 180 grit through to 500 grit
▪ The tank is then polished on a 3bhp polishing machine, using various hardness of mops and the appropriate polishing compounds
▪ The tank is leak-tested in a water bath by filling the tank with compressed air and holding the tank underwater for air bubbles. This process is repeated no less than three times
▪ The fittings – tap bosses, cap rings and mounts – are made in-house on our lathe, and brazed on to the tank
▪ The tank is taken back to the polishing wheel for a final buff before shipping
Why do you continue to use oldschool techniques?
Terry left us a workshop full of old tools and machinery, which we are proud to continue using to this day. People often comment that visiting our workshop is like stepping back in time – we take that as a compliment!
The gas-welding vs TIG welding debate rages on – we sit firmly in the gas-welding category. TIG obviously has its place, but in our opinion oxy-acetylene welding is the only way to go. We use parent metal rods, so our welds are invisible. The gas-welding effectively anneals the weld-seam, softening the metal in that area. This means that we can wheel the welds as opposed to grinding them.
Some parts of our tanks are roughly pressed to give an initial shape, but the main shaping takes place on the English Wheel by hand (or Wheeling Machine, which is the correct terminology). We have a Ranalah wheel here, which any wheeling aficionado will tell you is the ‘Rolls-royce’ of Wheeling Machines. Originally used in the manufacture of aeroplanes in WW2, it is often referred to as the ‘Spitfire’ Wheel, and we are extremely proud of it.
Once the tank has been shaped and welded, it is then painstakingly polished to a mirror finish or ‘scurfed’ ready to accept paint. We are incredibly proud of the shine we get from the aluminium.
How long does it take you to make an aluminium fuel tank?
It varies from tank to tank, but all in all it takes anything from 15 to 30 hours per tank.
Are the tanks pressure tested for leaks?
All of our tanks are leak-tested in a water bath no less than three times before being shipped out.
What does the future hold for TAB II Classics?
It’s hard to believe, but it has been 50 years since Terry made his first aluminium tank. We are more than aware that times are changing, and we can’t rely on our old models forever, bearing in mind that when Terry started making tanks, they weren’t exactly classics! With this in mind, we have been looking into some more modern bikes. We already make tanks for the Hinckley Triumphs, and our latest, and probably our most ambitious tank yet, is for the Norton 961.
Saying that, regardless of whether it is for an old featherbed Norton or a new Moto Guzzi, we will never deviate from that hand-made, café racer vibe that we love so much.