J Model Tank Lining

[MikeW]

I'm restoring a 21F and have a question about the striping on the gas tanks. By 1921 and the introduction of the wider 21-24 tanks, had the lining on the top of the tanks, along the line of the tank-to-frame fixing screws, been discontinued?

I have a couple of 16-20 left hand tanks shown in the picture below. Both are olive green although most of the paint is gone from the one at the top.



The lower tank is the earlier one with the cast lugs underneath, is in better overall condition and clearly shows the remnants of the dark green striping along the top flange. The close-up in the next photo below should show this better. I can - just - make out remnants of this striping in one or two places on the later tank at the top but it doesn't show clearly enough to photograph.


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(I've just edited this post as I had the age of the tanks around the wrong way. I think I have it correct now. Cast brass lugs for the bolts that join the tanks were on the early tanks, replaced by bent sheet metal on the later tanks?))


I can't recall seeing this lining on any of the 21-24 tanks which have been through my hands, but most of them were pretty rusty. Has anyone on the forum seen an original-paint 21 tank with this centre stripe?

As an aside, one thing I noticed for the first time when I pulled the tanks outside for the photos was the difference in the "Harley-Davidson" lettering, something I would never have picked up had it not been for a discussion on this forum. The later tank on the left has the "avidson" in line with the top of the "D" (though this is not the side with the cut-outs for the rocker towers). The earlier tank has it in line with the bottom of the "D".

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It might have been easier if I'd flipped the pictures through 180 degrees but if you increase the size of the images it should be clear enough.

I've been "off-air" for three or more years. Some significant health issues not helped by Covid lock-downs knocked my restoration mojo for a time; but all is now well and I'm "back with the programme".

Mike

[Steve Slocombe]

Dear Mike, I'd get a copy of the new Harley JD restoration guide from Replicant Metals, if you are in the US, or me if you are not. There are pictures of original paint and well restored bikes, and tanks, in there to check out. As far as I can see they all have the top tank striping.

[MikeW]

Thank you Steve. A copy of your book is, in fact, wending its way to me through the Covid-disrupted international shipping system. Perhaps it's now stranded in a container park in Dar-es-Salaam! As you especially will know, in the early 20s cost-cutting had begun in the H-D factory and, with parts that might have been nickel plated in 1915, coming out of the factory on 21-24 machines in painted or parkerised finish, early 20s motorcycles had much less "sparkle" than the earlier gray fellows.

I don't want to "bling up" my restoration and, without being too obsessive about it, would like to keep the nickel plating to where it was in 1921 and parkerise or paint the correct components. Getting the striping near correct is part of the plan. I've seen restored machines with a lot of striping on chain guards and fender valences which doesn't seem to be there on original olive painted motorcycles for example. So, while I'm impressed with the quality of many restorations - far higher than I could achieve- I do remain a tad sceptical of the accuracy of some "concours" machines.

My problem is that photographs of original paint motorcycles are scarce and most are, naturally, side-on views, rather than of the tank tops.

The three photographs below ( from the many that I have sourced from the internet over the years) pose more questions than provide answers.

First, Steve McQueen's restored 1921 combination has no tank top lining.



Nor has this circa-1920 restoration in a European auction house.
Harley-davidson-1921-21J-EH-7.jpg

This is the only pic I could find of the tank top of what looks like an original motorcycle. However, t could be an older restoration or perhaps a 22 in very worn Brewster Green, if so irrelevant in this context.)

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I have a few other photos of tank tops but the bikes have been painted in such non-original paint schemes that they aren't much use as guides for period correct painting.

So I'm not disagreeing with you Steve, just saying how difficult I've found it to be reasonably confident about this minor detail.

Cheers, Mike

[Steve Slocombe]

Dear Mike, it's not a minor detail when you're trying to get it right. The book has great pictures of earlier unrestored Wheels Through Time bikes, from the side of course, but I'd check with Matt to see if he has an unrestored '21 for you. On the nickel, all JD nickel was originally flat nickel, then polished on e.g handlebar spirals for decoration. Modern nickel plating contains chemical brighteners, so the plating looks polished and over-restored compared with original.

[MikeW]

Hi Steve. I'm pretty sure that the Harley-Davidson collection in the Milwaukee Museum includes a 1921JD (as the first of the 74 c.u.machines) but I don't know if it's an original paint example.

I have been able to get a commercial plater to do dull nickel plating - he seemed a bit puzzled at first ("Is that what you really want?") but finally understood what I was after. The result can be seen in the photo below: the rear wheel sprocket he plated in dull nickel compared with the countershaft sprocket I acquired some years ago, already plated in bright nickel.

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As I looked at this photo I thought that the stainless steel spokes might be too bright and could benefit from a gentle rub down with a scotchbrite pad. But at least they are butted and the nipples have two flats!

The AMCA judges must have a tough time with some of the finer details - e.g.whether the such-and-such nuts were plated or parkerised in 1922 - particularly if the Milwaukee factory used up supplies of the plated nuts during assembly of the first batch of 1922 machines.

I have a question about Corbin speedometers but will see if I can find the answer elsewhere on the Forum before opening another thread.

Mike