Hey old car guys!!!

[doug hodder]

I've just started my search....finding a new tank for a Ford, Chevy, Buick, Olds, Mopars... etc....is no problem...there's lots of new stuff out there....but there isn't much of a market in repro parts for Ramblers...and no luck so far on a NOS....and I haven't found a universal that will work yet....oh well...I've got all winter...Doug

[SteveH]

Doug,

A suggestion...get the mesurements of the tank and get with www.tanksinc.com 320-558-6882 and see what they can do for you in the way of a universal tank. They make lots of different style and sizes of fuel tanks.

[Chip]

Doug,, mount a pony keg on the luggage rack and gravity feed the gas to the motor,,, look like ya always going to a party even if ya just using the Rambler as a grocery getter




chipper

[doug hodder]

Thanks for the idea Chip....didn't think of that one!!!!! That's why I asked the question.... Doug

[Frank]

Doug,

I used the Eastwood Kit on the Mercury about 4 years ago, been very happy with it. I even had a pin hole and it took care of that too.

Frank

[doug hodder]

Frank....that's what I'm thinking....although I haven't looked in the tank...the sediment bowl on the filter at the pump doesn't have a bunch of crud in it....so I'm thinking that rust isn't a major issue...again I won't know unitl I get it out...I'm thinking about a "liquid slosh" right now....the car spent all it's life in N. Mex and Az...so rust isn't an issue on the body or any where else....although a fuel tank interior is a different critter...I've thumped the tank and the metal doesn't sound like it has any real weakness in it...just 1 small section of seam....Thanks...Doug

[stjohn]

Doug I know this sound crazy but when I was a kid we had 71 continental
Mark IV (man what a boat)anyway we punched a hole in the tank while on vacation we took it off in front of a garage of one them old guys who could fix anything w/ a torch a hammer and a pair plyers long story short he took a garden hose stuck it in the tail pipe of his truck the other end in the empty tank ran the truck for a while to remove all the fumes
and brazed up the hole w/ a torch we sold the car in1981 never leaked
I would never try this myself but maybe there one of those old guys near you if the tank is still in good shape just a thought

Mike

[doug hodder]

StJohn...got the same message from Mike A about brazing on the tank...while under the car this weekend replacing coils and shocks...I found more leaks...still on the seam...I found a local guy that does radiators and fuel tanks, since '49...I'll stop by tomorrow with the heater core and ask about the tank....I found that the fuel gauge works fine, (thanks Mike A for the tip).......so I may have a problem with the sending unit...won't know till next weekend, when I pull the tank....thanks for the info....PS I've got a friend that is a Lincoln nut....he and I did a lot of work on the same thing....Doug

[asianflava]

Doug I know this sound crazy but when I was a kid we had 71 continental
Mark IV (man what a boat)anyway we punched a hole in the tank while on vacation we took it off in front of a garage of one them old guys who could fix anything w/ a torch a hammer and a pair plyers long story short he took a garden hose stuck it in the tail pipe of his truck the other end in the empty tank ran the truck for a while to remove all the fumes
and brazed up the hole w/ a torch we sold the car in1981 never leaked
I would never try this myself but maybe there one of those old guys near you if the tank is still in good shape just a thought Mike

Not that crazy. I fired up the torch 2 years ago to fix my gas tank. It is a polyethelene (sp?) tank that had cracked. I called around an NO ONE had a used one, places on the net don't ship used gas tanks (I wonder why). It was like $600 something at the dealer. It was cracked near the top so as long as I put less than 13 gallons in it I was OK. I tried several things to fix the crack, epoxy putty, epoxy and cloth until I had a genius idea.

I figured that since it was poly, and kayaks are made of poly, I'll see what they use to repair kayaks. The kayak shop had some glue but they said it had to be heat cured. The tank was emptied and sat out in the sun for a week. I took the compressor and blew it out. The original plan was to fill it with water but I got impaitent, and put the torch to it.

None of my patches would hold and the big bonus, I didn't blow myself up. I ended up buying one from a dealer in Phoenix. It only cost me $400 something.

I thought $400 is a lot of money to spend on this 9 year old truck. Then I stopped and thought more, $400 is one payment on a new car! Although it looks like crap, it runs and drives fine. It still gets decent mileage and most important, cold air conditioning.

Doug save yourself the pain and get a new tank. This ordeal went on for about a year and a half till I replaced the tank. Oh it still isn't totally fixed. The filler neck is now leaking. I have to get a new one of those too. It's $125 for a 2 ft long molded rubber hose. This time I'm just dreading having to take the bed off the truck again. If I fill up till the gas pump clicks, it only drips a little bit. I can live with that.

[doug hodder]

I found a guy in Placerville Ca...near home, that has been doing radiators and tank, repairs since 1949....I'll give him a try....new/replacement tanks for this car aren't an option, not exactly a popular model or vehicle, and no NOS stuff available, it's a 46 year old Rambler afterall.....Asianflavia.. your experience with the polyethelyene tanks is why I don't want to go with some of the universal ones... I've done a lot of universal stuff on boats...they work fine if they are sitting on something solid, but I have my doubts about hanging in a frame...but this isn't the same critter., either the fuel pickup or filler neck doesn't work for the given area...I'm taking the heater core in tomorrow to him, so I'll see what he says...thanks everyone for your help....Doug