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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Fuel Tank for 1941 Coupe

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Posted By Discussion Topic: Fuel Tank for 1941 Coupe     41SuperDeluxe 06-13-2012 @ 7:34 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 53 Joined: May 2012 I am looking for help in sourcing a fueltank for my 1941 Coupe that looks and works per original ( 6v sender, fuel outlet location , mounting points, etc to preserve the look but provide trouble (rust) free opertaion. My orig fuel tank is causing all kinds of trouble with rust getting into the fuel pump's glass bowl and I think this is the cause for the car's stumbling and eventual stalling - when I clean out the glass fuel pump bowl - all is well and it runs strong ( for a while ) then the rust is in the bowl again.. and stumbling occurs. The car sat for a while not being driven by the last owner - so lots of time for tank rust to buildup. I really do not want to flush the tank myself and even would wonder just how good it could be with the rust I find in the glass fuel bowl. I know a lot of guys boil the tank and seal - but is there a good (new) fuel tank that will accept the 6v factory sender unit and have the fuel outlet in proper location? Thanks, John Michigan TomO 06-13-2012 @ 7:52 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7264 Joined: Oct 2009 I do not know of any supplier of tanks that has tanks like the original. Drake and Carpenter both sold tanks in the 1990's that were good replacements, now all of their tanks only take the aftermarket sending unit and are not baffled. A good radiator repair shop can "boil " out your tank and coat it with an alcohol resistant coating. The process removes or converts the rust in your tank and seals the metal to prevent further rust. I would also replace the fuel line from the tank with one from Roy Nacewicz. The lines rust inside and will eventually plug up. The line could be the major source of the rust that you ae seeing in the sediment bowl. Tom supereal 06-13-2012 @ 8:53 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Ford used the same tank from 41-48 as 11A-9002. Drake lists them as such. Unfortunately, Drake seems to backorder almost everything these days. You can check via their e-mail at bobdrake@bobdrake.com I haven't had much luck trying to repair original tanks. Once the "tern" coating is breached, the rust is nearly impossible to stop. I put a plastic tank in my 47. It doesn't look original, but it will never rust, no matter how long it sits. Today's "oxygenated" fuels accelerate rust, and tend to release varnish and other crud into the system. As for senders, most vendors specify using a universal type. We have used a lot of them with no problems if they are properly adjusted when installed, and have a good ground. 41SuperDeluxe 06-13-2012 @ 9:20 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 53 Joined: May 2012 Thanks for the note - I would not mind a plastic tank - as my purpose is to cruise in the car - though I will try to keep as much orig as possible. My fuel line seems to be a copper material - though will double check when I am in the shop. I too was concerned about the full removal of the rust and future integrity. Would you be able to confirm a source for the plastic tank Sounds like a 12v sender is required ( which is a drag ) as I have a 6v system now. Thanks again for the suggestions. John supereal 06-13-2012 @ 11:53 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 John: Use a 6 volt sender if your car is 6 volts. The fuel line is actually copper coated steel. My plastic tank came from a place called "Yogi's". It fit very well, except for the missing indentation for one of the rear shocks. A bit of adaptation fixed that. The most dificult part of replacing the tank is getting the old one out. It is held in place by a set of "caged nuts" that are almost always rusted to the point that the cages break before the nuts let loose. That is true, even if a "correct" tank is being installed. It takes a bit more time, and will add to your vocabulary, but it get done. TomO 06-13-2012 @ 1:11 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7264 Joined: Oct 2009 John, The plastic tanks and all other reproduction tanks use an aftermarket sending unit. They aftermarket units come in both 6 and 12 volt varieties. The after market sending units use a variable resister to determine the float level in the tank.The original King Seeley units use a balanced current sending unit to determine the float position in the tank. Your gauge is part of the balanced current system. The sending unit has a contact that is heated by the current flowing in the circuit. The contact opens and closes at a rate determined by the float position. The current in the circuit also heats a bi-metal strip in the gauge, causing it to bend and move the needle. This system slows the changes in the needle position to give you a more accurate reading of the fuel level. The variable resistant units do not work very well wit the stock fuel gauge. At best, they will give an indication that the tank is full, half full and empty. Readings in between are completely unreliable and I would not trust any reading below half full. I have had my car for over 35 years and had the tank "boiled" in 1979 or so. I coated it with the coating available at that time. It lasted until 2006 when I started to get rust in the sediment bowl again. I had it 'boiled' again in 2010 and coated it with the alcohol resistant coating sold by Bill Hirsch. I do not get any junk in my sediment bowl since. Tom 41SuperDeluxe 06-14-2012 @ 2:33 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 53 Joined: May 2012 Tom - Thanks for the extra details - after checking out my orig tank - and considering the info on senders you mentioned - I determined having my orig tank cleaned and coated is the best way to go. Bonus is that it is simpler and allows for keeping original parts. I located a shop in Ann Arbor Mi that can refurbish the tank - under the cost of a new tank and aftermarket sender! Thanks for all the advice, John

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