Desperately seeking drop tanks!

[Whiteshoreservices]

Greetings,

Like you all probably regularly do on this forum, i often bemoan the RAF/RNAF reluctance to offer surplus to the general public...If i was in the US i wouldnt have to ask this question, i'd just bid on eBay...

I am after some drop tanks, for turning into a salt flat racer to use up an old write off bike drivetrain i have lying around, or possible if i can get my pulse jet engine working properly, a jet powered sled. Or if the wife lets me both. Or if she finds out, neither.

Anyway, i'm more concerned with diameter, i would say around 24'' would give some elbow room. I'm thinking maybe Hunter 100 gallons should be the most common here. But anything considered, based in south east Devon...

Any pointers, suggestions? All gratefully received.

Jake

[Xplumberlives]

Loads of 250 Gallon Ex Harrier Drop Tanks at Wittering, try there before they gt scrapped!

[Whiteshoreservices]

Awesome. Thanks for the tip. Is it best to call first? Do you have a contact you could IM me?
Whats the material for Harrier tanks?
dont fancy messing with that phenolic asbestos stuff...

[Xplumberlives]

Phone 01780 783838 and ask to speak to OC Supply!

[Whiteshoreservices]

Unbelievably useful, thank you.
I shall call as soon as i'm back in the country.

Now my second question!
Anyone have dimensions/materials of the respective sizes of Harrier drop tanks?

As i want to use these to build a salt flats style racer, i dont want it too long, around 3 meters max or the car starts looking like a motorised banana... And obviously mild steel is preferable for welding...

Thanks again guys.

Jake

[MOD]

Are you looking to make a Burt Munro type bike? He also used an aircraft drop tank.
The supposed 'original' is in Sammy Miller's museum at New Milton in Dorset. I have some photos somewhere but I can't seem to find the hard drive I stored them on!!

This is a publicity still from Anthony Hopkin's film "The World's Fastest Indian"


Good luck in your search.

ibw

[Xplumberlives]

Great film!

[Whiteshoreservices]

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=289292

I was thinking more like the 'Old crow' as seen in this thread...

[Xplumberlives]

I begin to see where you're going with this!

[Whiteshoreservices]

I don't want to veer you all away from the aircraft topic too far, but the bonneville scene is fairly iconic in itself. I'm thinking for starters to build it using the simplist of rear engined cars as a donor. So i'll be using a rotted out beetle. The weight should be next to nothing so i reckon on saunton sands or somewhere in Wales it should hit a ton easily enough.

[Xplumberlives]

Knowing people who have built VW Beetle based trikes you'll have no problem breaking 100 mph, your problem will be keeping the front down!

[Whiteshoreservices]

Battery in the nose? lead shoes? We'll worry about that when we come to it. Famous last words...

[Xplumberlives]

Favourite of one of my mates was a 50Kg bag of grain to stop the trike pulling a wheely when setting off!

[Whiteshoreservices]

Well i hope he had it in a shopping basket on the handlebars...

[Xplumberlives]

Bungee'd on to the top of the front mud guard!