Header Tanks

[haydn callow]

My son in law can make perfect replica SS bongo tanks at £800 each.
Any takers.??

IOM3 will probably have somthing to say

[mikexgough]

IOM3 will probably have somthing to say

I'd also like to hear what IOM3 has to say about the stress fractures my MOD pal suggests...and if he/she thinks that this is/could be a future issue....
John, my MOD pal, can't go anywhere near indicating If/When etc, the original tanks age longevity is and how many are really affected without evidence and not being an expert with material "make up" like IOM3, other than of course for machining,procuring,repairing and designing, he knows what types of plastic are called as for how they are made err nope........for me plastics are waaay over my head

[haydn callow]

Don't think we will get much response from IOM3......

[mikeonb4c]

The only problem i can see with the alloy one is ,you cant see whats inside , i know the Mazda tanks are cloudy and not easily visible from the outside, but you can see the level if needed with or without the cap taken off.
That's my twopenny worth, i will shut up now because i don't really know what I'm on about .

I tend to agree. Fit an LCA and worry about a cracked tank if/when it happens is my personal preference. An affordable source for spare ones would be handy though, for our ageing Bongo population.

[bigdaddycain]

I'd go for the Alloy option! I've seen plenty on the show circuit with built in level sight strips.

The aluminium version would definitely take any pressure a bongo could chuck at it.

Now i'm no plastics expert, but i'd be VERY sceptical over a spurious plastic copy tank, sorry, but just my personal opinion.

I'd rather chance a good second hand original for a few quid i think.

I've only checked a few tanks, and there was an internal mark in the same place on each tank on the underside. The mark could not be felt by finger or nail, the surface was completely smooth. I'll stick my neck out and go so far to say that even if EVERY bongo tank has that "crack" then i doubt very much it'd fail in a healthy cooling system.

I know that Haydn has discovered a couple that have leaked here, i suppose that "crack" would be the weakest part of the chain... But to be perfectly honest, i'd be more concerned with what's going on in the coolant system to cause the inherent weak spot to fail in the first place!

You make an interesting point regarding the use of the Correct coolant Mikexgough.... Mine has always had OAT coolant in the system, is unstained, and appears to be crack free

[helen&tony]

Hi
I've been thinking of a new tank for a while...just because i think a new one would look nice.
I'm in for a group purchase...but only if it's Mazda original.
Regarding failing of tanks..I suspect the tanks are HDPE , they are handling hot chemical liquid , under pressure at 1.1 bar, and they're old...so a failure rate at the 8-10 year mark would be normal.
If I can lay my hands on a new one, and it lasts another 1/2 dozen years, I'll be rather happy.
By the way, I asked Tony about the plastic...he agrees...he's a Dutch qualified plastics engineer at research level...worked at one of the world's largest companies...so I'm safe in my assumptions
Cheers
Helen

[dobby]

Isn't the reality of this thread fantastic, Helen's post above sums up really well the state of Bongo ownership now. Rewind the clock to when we were first buying bongo's they were less than 10 years old. Move forward and we are effectively restoring future classics.

[helen&tony]

Hi Dobby
I've totally restored a VW Type 2 myself..so I fully agree that the Bongo is a future classic. It's a bee in my bonnet in some ways...piece by piece I'm replacing most components on the vehicle..the tank is just one point.The cooling system is almost entirely new apart from the rear heater...suspension half complete...etc. I fully expect it to last another 8 years.
To restore something completely costs a packet, as I found with the VW...but it was one of the most reliable vehicles I've owned!...i expect no less from the Bongo when it's done!
Cheers
Helen

[mikexgough]

Isn't the reality of this thread fantastic, Helen's post above sums up really well the state of Bongo ownership now. Rewind the clock to when we were first buying bongo's they were less than 10 years old. Move forward and we are effectively restoring future classics.

Exactly........... hence the future need for some kind of "spares club", where you pay a fee on a scale..... say £5/£10/£15 etc per year..... that cash is then converted into a %....so 5/10/15% etc....discount off of any parts you buy/have made and the collected cash from spares club members is put to buy/re-manufacture parts.... should there be any profits then these could be banked and put towards another component and it goes on from there..

You could always sell at a non discounted rate to non spares club members & maybe traders too.

This means that the cash is upfront from club members and not one person is saddled with a bulk purchase of a component that has variable demand rates.....so any financial risk is spread..........worth a thought....

[dobby]

I agree, I suspect that the laws of supply and demand are coping at the moment but forward a few years and will Mazda still supply new header tanks etc.

I wonder if Ian or anyone else is mulling this one over at the moment? Similar examples exist with the MG owners etc. as per the group buy thread elsewhere.

[mikexgough]

I agree, I suspect that the laws of supply and demand are coping at the moment but forward a few years and will Mazda still supply new header tanks etc.

I wonder if Ian or anyone else is mulling this one over at the moment? Similar examples exist with the MG owners etc. as per the group buy thread elsewhere.

I suggested a spares club section last year but it kind of got side tracked......
Happy to look into a Spares Club Section constitution/Committee with view to it's being agreed to at the BF clubs AGM in June...then go from there....
It could benefit us all..... It would not worry about service parts as that would be silly but Bongo/Freda parts that folk want/would like/difficult to obtain or group purchases to keep costs lower than if you were an individual purchaser.
It could also be used to obtain discounts with certain Local/National suppliers too, but that would be for any committee to agree on.

[helen&tony]

Hi
The situation with VWs was that there was a lot of NOS parts available, even after 30 years, plus there were a lot of new parts being made in Mexico, and South America, as VWs were , and still are, immensely popular. In the case of the Bongo, as it was a limited run, as cars go, some sort of spares club will be an excellent idea...BUT...there's a lot of difficulty in things like running gear, as to have joints, some suspension parts and odd components made will be prohibitive, and either alternatives will need to be sourced, or originals will need to be hoarded as you say with a spares club.
I still haven't got around to finding out whether the Bongo shockers are oil or gas...if they are oil....I can go to a town near here, drive in to a specialist here, who will strip oil shockers, cut them apart, renew all the internals, reassemble everything, and offer a 6 month guarantee!
Trim parts can be made...I made all my own interior VW trim, much of the upholstery,and many of the bodywork components I made , after being shown how...two of us lasses were doing Type 2s, but my friend opted out when she had a babbity.
The other thing, as i've mentioned in the past, is to get the bongo recognised as some kind of motoring icon or classic, as there are EU moves to get older cars off the road...poor old manufacturers are losing out to the sensible motorist that realises that by keeping older stuff going, it reduces overall manufacturing pollution!.
The Bongo may not be old enough in years to qualify as a classic, but it has to be almost unique as a ready-made camper/ day-van with sleeping for 4....as most are conversions- I am sure that there are other thoughts out there...
Anyway, whilst nerding it up on t'internet a while back....and being an afficionado of cryptozoology, and mythical things...I chanced across a notion forAN ELECTRIC BONGO...I have to utter that the idea STRONGLY appeals!
http://www.canev.com/KitsComp/Component ... 20page.htm
http://www.evequipmentsupply.com/Adapte ... dware.html
SO.....How about those kits for a group buy
Ultra Kool , or what!!!!????
Cheers
Helen

[bigdaddycain]

It's not a myth Helen... there is an electric bongo!

Love your idea Mike.

Thanks for your post Helen, i agree with everything you say... but might i elaborate a tad?

Given your view (which i share) I wouldn't want to change the tank every 8 years or so.

If the bongo is capable of being around for 30,40 years or more, like classic 21 screen "splitty" v-dub campers, then i really think i'd rather spend a little more now on an alloy tank, which could be fitted and forgotten about forever!

It'd be a very desperate situation indeed if the day loomed where i considered selling the bongo, it stands me way too much ££££'s now to even contemplate selling her.

As ownership eventually does drop off, and forum membership does too (it will happen at some stage) I'll still have my bongo when this forum has long since gone...A sad prospect i know, but reality hurts sometimes.

Feel free to catch me at a show in 30 odd years time when the majority of now forum members are flying around in there hover campers!

[daveblueozzie]

.

Feel free to catch me at a show in 30 odd years time when the majority of now forum members are flying around in there hover campers!

Hover bongo, the mind boggles.

[widdowson2008]

Alloy? or Aluminium? Two different things.
Not sure how you could replicate the Mazda tank by fabricating. Any thoughts?
Reason:
The Mazda tank seems to be manufactured in two sections (joined at the flange). When assembled, the two sections appear to be heat fused together, even the internal baffles, resulting in a floor to ceiling solid (but slotted) baffles. Can't see how this structure can be manufacured by welding.