I thought the fuel tank issue would be simple to fix, there’s a page on it all here. Despite fixing up all the external pipes, coating the inside with sealer and painting the outside, there is a hole in the pickup pipe inside the tank. This is drawing air in with the fuel making for a weak mix and serious problems going up even mild inclines.

To address the issue, I’ve been on the lookout for a second hand tank, however these are as rare as rocking horse droppings. My efforts to source a tank have involved reaching out to Dellboy (who has none left) and those online agencies that contact 250 breakers by email for the part you need. Not a sausage from them…

I toyed with various options like a temporary tank in the footwell for now, or even making a tank from scratch. However I need my van in just over a week as it’s holiday time! So…  I caved in today and handed over £326.11 to the local Suzuki dealer, the new tank will be with them tomorrow. Allegedly.

I’ve explained to the bank manager that I have two weeks off at Xmas so will fabricate a new tank from scratch in stainless steel of approx 48 litres. That will mean the nearly-new tank will go to someone else at a bargain £250. The old tank will be split, repaired and resealed – i’ll want around £90 for that as it costs a lot of money to paint and seal, or may just keep it for a rainy day.