Ariel Owners Motorcycle Club

Well I have just about finished the square four restoration apart from putting the stripes on the tank. With help from the forum I have details of the 3M tape type and the correct gold paint but I still are not sure of the widths and spacing of the actual stripes ----Could someone on the Forum help me with the correct details.

Regards Ralph Thetford

Check the diagrams on the Danish Ariel website.

Dave

Thanks for your reply Dave, I did look at the Danish site but was confused as to what was the correct stripe and spacing for my 1938 tank. --still confused.

Regards Ralph

Ralph,

The attached drawing gives you the lining thicknesses and spacing. The handwriting for these is mine and the information came from an original tank which I measured very carefully. I have subsequently seen other original tanks which all match the details on this drawing, subject of course to variations due to the tanks being done by hand. That said, such variations are very slight which tells you just how good the painters were - and, very probably, how difficult it is to reach their standard when you are only doing one tank.

I use fine lining masking tape to do my tanks. I get a good line with the first strip of tape then run other strips next to the first one to make up the required spacing. Then I remove those strips where the lining is to go and paint the lines using lining enamel applied with a brush. I remove the lining tape when the lining enamel is dry to the touch but still soft underneath. This allows you to gently push bits of lining back into place if they come up with the tape, such as they often do in the angular corners of the top panel near the saddle nose.

Good luck!

Paul

Hello Paul, thank you so much for the tank striping details because I was really struggling to get the correct information--could I please ask a further 2 question on this subjest----

1)--The lines showing the path of the stripes on top and side of the tank--which line does this relate to--is it the centre line of the thick or thin line or the centre line of the gap between the stripes ?

2) --The drawing indictes it is for 1934 to 1937 presumably this is the same as the 1938 sqare four?

Regards Ralph

Sorry Ralph,

You have just illustrated very well the hazards of amending a drawing!

The basic drawings of top and side panels with dimensions are for the red or black (or green) painted panels. If you look at my addition for the lining thicknesses you should see that the line for the basic panel shape goes midway underneath the wide gold line. The narrow gold line goes onto the red or black (or green) panel.

The 1938 model year tanks had differently shaped panels but, so far as I know - and I have just checked the archive information, the lining thicknesses and spacings were the same as for 1934-37 relative to the painted panel shape.

Paul

I have no knowledge of 38 models, however the Danish website provides the following. the tank top shown appears for 38 only?
David

Just found this article by Jerry Mortimer which is consistent with the 38 tank top is as shown on the Danish website
David