Page 46 - Issue 32
P. 46

PHOTOS COURTESY OF TANK  •  WRITTEN BY RICK LOXTON

























                                 T T T T T
                                 Tank Biltank Biltank Biltank Biltank Biltank Bilt














                                      ast issue we introduced you to       build handlebars and exhaust systems to
                                      the Cherrys of Las Vegas. You        order. The shop became so successful that
                                      may have noticed a rather large,     when it came time to reenlist, Tank opted
                                      bearded gentleman nestled            out and focused on the shop full-time.
                                Lamongst those nine lovely ladies.           As successful as his shop was, he could
                                 That would be the tenth Cherry, artist/   no longer deny his urge to spend more time
                                 fabricator Tank Bilt, also affectionately   on his art. He was burned out on working on
                                 known as ‘The Hairy Cherry.” He attends   bikes and made plans to move to Las Vegas,
                                 all events and appearances and is         where there was an ever-growing art scene.
                                 indeed, a full-fl edged Cherry… albeit the   He told himself he’d give it a month and se
                                 only one who served our country as a      how it went. That was two years ago so it
                                 member of the Marines.                    looks like things are working out so far.
                                   The son of an ironworker, Tank learned to   By day he does sheetmetal fabrication
                                 swing a hammer early in life. He watched his   at Hogue Motorsports in Boulder City,
                                 dad and soon learned how to properly hand   Nevada. (If that name sounds familiar, it’s
                                 planish a piece of sheetmetal. He honed   because owner Kyle Hogue has had two
                                 his skills with hand tools before learning   of his beasts featured here on the pages
                                 to use mechanical planishing hammers.     of Rat Rod Magazine.) But after hours he
                                 He later added painting to his repertoire   turns his attention to his phenomenal palm
                                 and eventually opened his own shop in     frond carvings, among other things. He was
                                 Oceanside, California, outside of San Diego.   initially inspired to do the carvings after
                                   Remember earlier when we mentioned      seeing a bunch of painted ones at a swap
                                 that Tank served in the Marines? He opened   meet. They were ok, but Tank thought he
                                 the shop while still on active duty. Talk about   could do a lot better. Then he saw one that
                                 driven! He specialized in applying custom   had been carved and painted hanging in a
                                 paint jobs to sport bikes. He also would   friend’s offi ce.


             46     RAT ROD MAGAZINE ISSUE THIRTY-TWO



         46x47_TankBilt.indd   46                                                                             6/25/15   7:31 AM
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