Figured I needed a new fuel tank for the '56 as it got pretty smelly when I put in more than a half of a tank. While doing some wiring, I removed the tank cover and indeed, I should replace the tank.....or...should I do one of those sealant, type repairs myself. Any thoughts? Any suggestions as to what repro tank is a good buy? CC, Paragon, ebay, etc.? Thanks.
-
-
Re: C1 Fuel Tank
get new tank from Quanta. they have been doinbg fuel tanks for 20+ years. they ad in driveline. mike -
Re: C1 Fuel Tank
I got one about two years ago from CC for my '62. Works great. I kept dreaming about driving down the road trailing flames. Now I sleep better...EdComment
-
Re: C1 Fuel Tank
Replace the fuel filler neck hose while you're at it, as it's probably dry-rotted and contributes to the "aroma"; NAPA sells proper reinforced and barrier-coated fuel filler hose by the foot.Comment
-
Re: C1 Fuel Tank
Coupla years ago, I was in the same situation. After much research, I bought the Eastwood kit and restored my original tank. Came out great, and is still in the car today. But now after I've finished and thought about it, if I had to do it again, I'd replace it with a Quanta tank. After thinking about why I did what I did, I now believe that I fixed the old tank for sentimental reasons and not for good sound technical reasons. The gas tank was about the only original thing left on my car. I fixed it so as to avoid the "George Washington's hatchet" situation.
To fix or replace. Old tank needs to come out in either scenario. Labor is the same there. When you repair, you will need some upper body strength to slosh all the chemicals around to clean out the tank. But that's do-able.
You'll need to empty the old tank and get rid of the old gas, so that's also the same. But when you finish resoring the old tank, you'll have about 3 jugs of hazardous waste (contaminated lacquer thinner and muriatic acid) that you'll need to take to the recycler in town.
Cost of the new tank (~$200) is not much more than the stuff you need to buy to do the restoration. You'll need to buy the Eastwood kit (~$75), chemicals (~$20), and paint for the outside (~$10). I also bought a long brush to get in there and some chain to slosh around in there. In my town, they have a household hazardous waste day. But some places may charge to dispose of the chemicals.
Finally there are 2 reasons why I now prefer a new tank.
1. Nobody can see it.
2. Safety. A new one will have more metal. An old one may have thin spots that'll leak someday.
Of course this all assumes that the Eastwood kit will work for you. I have heard stories where it failed. You need to get it clean enough and derusted enough for some white latex-type stuff to evenly coat and stick to the insides of the tank. But if it can work on my crummy tank, it should work on anybody's.Comment
-
Do they check for baffles during PV?
Another bonus of getting a new tank is you could get the baffles in the tank to keep the gas from sloshing around. I'm not sure if they check for that during PV though.Comment
Comment