TSCUSA-STAG Gas Tank Solution

Technical Article: Gas Tank Solution

David Graham writes:

Do you happen to have a car with a gas tank made 35 years ago, maybe the car was stored a few years, and now you have rust inside the gas tank? Well I had this problem. My first solution was to pull the tank and take it to my local radiator shop to be coated inside. They will tell you they can’t guarantee to get into all the nooks and crannies inside the tank. However, the process does work in many cases.

In my case it didn’t work. I then decided to bite the bullet and buy a new tank from England. Of course you can’t buy a Mark I tank so they sell you a Mark II tank and a Mark II inlet hose to make it work. There also is not as much venting on the Mark II tank so you have to adapt to that. At any rate I got the new tank at a cost of around $350.00. The new tank was of course made of thinner metal but it did fit in the hole. I put it in the car thinking I know that was expensive but this problem should be resolved.

Well, not so. The new tank leaked around the permanent ring that is under the fuel sending unit. I called the supplier and expressed my disappointment, they refunded my money. Now that was nice of them, but I still had a gas tank that leaked if I fill the tank. Rimmer Bros now has the same tank on sale for 155.74 pounds and the hose for 20.43 pounds.

I then sourced another used tank which I took to a local welding shop and asked them to cut it open so the interior could be properly coated and then weld it back together. Most of them said it would blow up in your face. The ones that were willing to do the job wanted over $350 to do the cutting and welding. My reaction was I can have a tank fabricated from aluminum for that kind of money.

Now I happen to live in the heart of NASCAR country and fabricators are abundant. I found a shop that fabricates gas tanks (mostly for boats and street rods) and would take on the job. The cost was $300; however they said the next guy might have to pay $400. I now have an aluminum gas tank in my car (picture attached) and this problem is resolved.

If you have questions or need assistance send an email to grahamda@charter.net or call me on 704 478 5776.

David Graham

Posted on Wednesday, November 21 @ 15:38:36 CST by triumph_stag