Tanks, Inc. fuel tank

[Steiner]

Wanted to let anyone interested know that Tanks, Inc has a good replacement fuel tank and sending unit if yours is on its last leg. My fuel gauge was wonky and after troubleshooting I narrowed it down to a bad sending unit. The first full fill up on my car after I purchased it was while out running errands. At the first stop after filling up a nice puddle started forming under the rear end. Bad joint on the filler neck, looked like someone had already attempted a repair. My wife asked if we should get it towed home and I said "Eff it. It's insured for twice what I paid for it so if it burns up I'll cash that check." Continued running errands and still had to siphon five gallons out when I got home to get the level down to where it stopped leaking.

Anyway, after looking all over for a tank it looked like I was going to have to drop $350 on one until I found Tanks, Inc. They have a "universal" GM tank with four different filler neck locations and new sending units specific for the tank (might even fit stock tank it looks like). Like any non-specific part for these cars a little modding was needed but all in all it fit and works great. Had to buzz some material off the new tank straps where they hook in the supports and reuse the stock J-bolts since the ones they sent were about two inches too short but that's it. Also the cap end of the filler neck is cut a little shallow and the cap doesn't screw tight as is so I peeled the rubber seal off my old cap and doubled it up with the one on the new smoothie cap I bought from them which fixed that. Very happy with it. Just need to make up an anchor for the filler neck since it connects with rubber hose and can flop around.

This is on a '49 business coupe.
Tank B1-C, $250
Sending unit B1-S, $39
Straps B1-STA, $25
Cap TC-GM, $15
Shipping, $27.58
http://www.tanksinc.com/index.cfm/pa...rod/prd130.htm

[50scars]

Thanks for putting the effort into the research and telling us about it.

[Steiner]

You bet. I've got a couple '69 Camaros also and am on Team Camaro all the time so it's a little different coming from a forum with a thousand posts a day to one where the first page has two year old posts on it. Ha ha.

On a side note, it's a good thing I went ahead and got the tank since originally I was just going to drop the old one out, repair the neck, and stick one of those reproduction $90 sending units in it. Wound up punching a hole in the top of the old one while removing it. Someone used butyl tape as an isolator between the tank and anchors. I could actually hang on the tank like a scene from Mission Impossilbe or something and it wouldn't budge. Had to use the heat gun and drive a pry bar into it to get it to release a little at a time.

[1953techadvisor]

hi, tanksinc makes a very good replacement gas tank, but if you're wanting to use one for a 1953-54 pontiac, you'll lose three gallons of fuel, pontiac gas tanks hold 20 gallons, tanksinc gas tanks hold 17 gallons. charles coker, 1953 pontiac tech advisor.

[50scars]

Unless you are in the habit of running until the fuel pump sucks fumes, 17 gallons to empty vs 20 gallons to empty is not near the consideration that having your fuel leak out on the floor when it is parked would be. And if it pretty much bolts into place, that is a plus. Those tank seal kits you get from various places have a real short life, and they tend to clog fuel filters at the most inconvenient times. I feel quite confident that nobody from the POCI Judging Committee is going to notice the difference.

[1953techadvisor]

Unless you are in the habit of running until the fuel pump sucks fumes, 17 gallons to empty vs 20 gallons to empty is not near the consideration that having your fuel leak out on the floor when it is parked would be. And if it pretty much bolts into place, that is a plus. Those tank seal kits you get from various places have a real short life, and they tend to clog fuel filters at the most inconvenient times. I feel quite confident that nobody from the POCI Judging Committee is going to notice the difference.

hi, although i know most of these vintage pontiacs are not daily drivers, when you do take a trip with one that has a 17 gallon tank, you'll be stopping more to refuel, even without SUCKING FUMES as you say. i have found a another original 53-54 fuel tank in excellent used condition, so i will continue to cruise with 20 gallons instead of only 17 gallons.

[koachwerks]

What are my options with my 49 Streamliner? My tank is not leaking, but at one point the car had dropped onto a jack stand and it pushed the center of the tank up. I have removed the tank and inspected it the best I could and it looks fine inside, but I would definitely risk further damaging the tank if I tried to push the dent out because it is a deep, crease type dent.


Chris