| 47Fordor | -- 05-13-2010 @ 4:16 PM |
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My dad's '48 Convertible and my '47 Fordor have a common problem: both have been stored for DECADES with fuel in the tank. When I was still at home, and driving the convertible frequently, we just carried certain supplies to clear the fuel line whenever a piece of rust or "crud" clogged it. My Fordor is far from running right now but I know that eventually I would face the same problem. Dad's cure was to just let the crud work it's way through, but it never has. My question is if anybody has found a suitible way to fix the problem of rust in the fuel tank? I am definitely pulling the tank on mine and wonder if taking it to a machine shop to get it "hot tanked" would work. I used to consider taking my dad's tank to a place that did chroming, to get it acid dipped, but I guess the EPA has pretty much put a stop to that possibility. I see products for sloshing in the tank that, if I understand correctly, just cover the rust and have to be reapplied periodically. New fuel tanks that I see advertised are obviously not to original specs, since the all say that they can't be used with the original fuel sending unit. I have some older aquaintenced that tinker with these old beasts but they are more into making rat rods out of them and say that getting a plastic tank is pretty much a no-brainer. Of course, the same guys said that the first thing to do with the car, once I got it home, was to drop a 350 small-block in it! Both are very knowlegable in their fields but I want it "like Henry made it" so I figure you guys are the ones to go to. Thanks, Chris
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| Lou46 | -- 05-13-2010 @ 4:26 PM |
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Chris, I replaced my tank with a new Drake unit, no one can see the fuel sender unit once the cover and trunk mat are installed, if that is your concern. I was nervous with the alcohol in the fuel today and the interaction with any coatings applied inside the tank. The installation was on a complete and running 1946 vehicle, I was able to remove and replace the tank working alone. OMHO LouB.
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| ford38v8 | -- 05-13-2010 @ 4:58 PM |
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Chris, As far as I know, the only reasonable way to restore your original tank is by the sloshing method. The older sloshing compound is not being used anymore, due to its vulnerability to alcohol, but I would expect the new compound to have a problem over time as well. There are also rust issues with the senders, and with the fuel line. Senders can be restored, but the fuel line needs replacing. The original correct fuel line is 1/4" copper plated steel, and is available from the usual suspects. Alan
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| shogun1940 | -- 05-13-2010 @ 7:07 PM |
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I cleaned and old tank by puting a 5 gal pail of 1 inh rocks in it and fliping it over and over. Then washing it out with soap and water. it took awhile but it worked. draino is sodim hydroxide , and that is what they used in hot tanks , but you have to heat it to get rust out, a new tank may be the way to go.
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| TomO | -- 05-14-2010 @ 7:19 AM |
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I had my tank cleaned by a stripping service in 1976 and coated it with a sloshing compound. I just started seeing flakes of rust last year. We did my son's tank in 2006 by taking it to a radiator shop to have it boiled out ($60) and used Bill Hirsh's sloshing compound. The compound looks and smells completely different than the same product I bought in 1976 from him. I plan to take my tank down next winter and have it cleaned again. I may have the additional problem of getting the old compound out, but it will be worth it to me to have an original tank. Tom
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| watwasithinking | -- 05-14-2010 @ 7:52 AM |
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Chris, For many years the radiator shop was the answer for cleaning gas tanks. They would simply put the tank over in their hot tank and boil them out. Well, as we all know....radiator shops are getting hard to find these days. So with that said...here is my suggestion. I have resorted to using my pressure washer. I remove the long wand on my washer's handle and replace it with a small 8 inch section of pipe with an elbow and attach the quick disconnect. I like to use the green spray tip and later switch over to the red one. Next, I start washing and after ahile you should start seeing clear water....continue flushing out for 15 minutes or so. I like to follow up by coating the tank with the epoxy tank coating that Bill Hirsch sells and have had no problems with it breaking down. Hope this helps.
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| deluxe40 | -- 05-14-2010 @ 9:08 AM |
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I would recommend a new tank. Last year when I got my '41 running the new fuels turned some residual varnish in the tank into a fine talcum-like powder that flowed right through my filters to the carburetor bowl where it precipitated into a sticky mess and clogged the jets. Both Drake and C&G were out of new tanks, so I used one I had been saving. It looked good inside, but I had it boiled out at the radiator shop just in case. After about 300 miles I noticed red junk in the filter. When we removed the tank we found a strip of red stuff about four inches long and 1/2 inch wide in the bottom of the tank. Now I have a new tank and I can worry about other stuff (like my brand new water pump that spits drops of my four-ingredient radiator brew onto my clean engine and firewall...)
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| supereal | -- 05-14-2010 @ 9:48 AM |
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Don't be talked out of a plastic tank. I have one in my '47, and am very happy with it. It was considerably less expensive than a steel tank, and I never have to worry about rust, etc. Cleaning and coating an old tank is an exercise in futility, as you can never remove all the crud without cutting the tank open and scr*ping it out. The problem with "sloshing" is that many of these treatments fail because of the "new" gas. If you want to stick with a steel tank, Drake currently has them on sale at $206.95, regular price $275. Item # 11A-9002.
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| jerry.grayson | -- 05-14-2010 @ 2:54 PM |
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If you want to keep the original tank and sender then take the tank to a derusting stripper, not the radiator shop. When you get it back coat it with some of the new coating compound. As I understand from several friends, the replacement sending units do not work with original gauges.
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| 47Fordor | -- 05-14-2010 @ 3:44 PM |
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I'm curious: what is it that makes the old sending unit not work with new tanks? I never heard that the old gauges wouldn't work with new sending units. Can anybody confirm/contradict this? Chris
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| 47Fordor | -- 05-14-2010 @ 3:45 PM |
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I'm curious: what is it that makes the old sending unit not work with new tanks? I never heard that the old gauges wouldn't work with new sending units. Can anybody confirm/contradict this? Chris
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| Norm | -- 05-14-2010 @ 5:39 PM |
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I have used a new sending unit in an original tank with an original gage ('48 F-1) - no problems. Just be sure that you bend the float arm to suit your tank. Norm
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| trjford8 | -- 05-14-2010 @ 7:44 PM |
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The repo sending unit will work with your gauge or you can modify the original unit to fit the new tank. I recommend that you buy a new tank. By the time you have the old one boiled out and you purchase the "sloshing"compound you will have spent almost as much as buying a new tank. When you clean an old tank, you still have an "old tank". Rust can reform and the coating has the potential to come loose.
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| ford38v8 | -- 05-14-2010 @ 9:35 PM |
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47Fordor, The new tanks won't physically accept the original sender unless modified. The repop senders don't provide a full range of readings E to F as the original senders did, so you must decide at what point your gauge should read your tank. I have mine set to accurately read the E side, so that whenever the reading is less than F, I know I should stop soon for gas. Alan
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| supereal | -- 05-15-2010 @ 8:57 AM |
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Depending on the tank, you may have to add an extension to the float arm to get a true reading. We use Drake's replacement senders with no problems, but be sure to add a ground wire to one of the mounting screws. The primary reason tank cleaning usually doesn't work is that evaporated gas leaves a varnish-like crud in the tank that defies most solvents. When storing your car, either use a storage product in the fuel, or fill the tank completely to reduce air that aids evaporation.
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| jdpears | -- 05-15-2010 @ 11:54 AM |
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replace the tank and the complete fuel sytem. i battled this problem for 8 years. scared to drive anywhere out of the driveway. now i would take the old '46 around the world and feel safe as i would in a new one. i used a steel rep.. tank.don't short cut anything.
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| parrish | -- 05-15-2010 @ 7:31 PM |
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I like to keep my Fords original as well, but I will usually rationalize some decisions (such as trying to fix a steel gas tank with internal baffles that will never come clean with a sloshing approach) this way...If Henry had been able to produce a nice poly tank back then, he would never have used metal! Make him proud!
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| supereal | -- 05-16-2010 @ 9:37 AM |
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I suspect you are right about old Henry. He had a deep interest in the use of plastic in car construction, and actually had at least one such body made. There are photos of him swinging an axe against a trunk lid. Later experiments, such as Saturn, showed the durability of the material, but it never seemed to catch on. My plastic fuel tank has a built in baffle in the center.
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| parrish | -- 05-18-2010 @ 7:32 AM |
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Supereal: I bought mine from Yogi's based on your 47 use. I haven't used it yet due to a repaint and shock work, but I did pop it up in the cavity and it fit really well and seems to be of good quality. I have heard of the repo steel tanks being a little taller than original, which is a tight squeeze to start with...
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| supereal | -- 05-18-2010 @ 2:35 PM |
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Mine also came from Yogi's, and fit well, except for the absence of a dent on the forward side to clear the shock mount. My '47 has the mounts that clamp to the cross member, and it took some changing. Of course, the caged nuts on the body mounting tabs were shot, but we also worked around that using regular bolts. My tank has the vent that fits up in the left rear fender, a different, but nice feature. There have been some comments about problems with fitting Drake's steel tanks, but it may just be that the whole job is somewhat tough due to the lack of working room around the tank.
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