Plastic/Poly fuel tank?

[benT]

Any of you guys running a plastic/poly fuel tank? My '27 has an aluminum tank, Dad's '27 has a steel tank, and we were planning on building a steel tank for our current '23 T build. Only reason I ask, is that I acquired a plastic/poly fuel tank tonight that is damn-near perfect size. It is 11 gallons, and is dimensionally pretty close to what we were planning on building, and the pickup and fuel fill is in the right location. I'm not set on using it as of yet, but if there is no reason not to...

 

[EX JUNK]

That sounds exactly like the tank I'm using, Ben. I've had absolutely no problems with it and would recommend it.

Jim

 

[Francis Blake]

I am using a 16 gal tank from speedway, the tank is ok but the pick up dissolved and that was a real mess to clean up.

 

[Hotrod46]

I have been running a poly tank from Tanks in my 46 for about 15 years with no problems. I have a steel tank in my T because I couldn't find a poly tank that had the capacity and fit.

Mike

 

[benT]

That sounds exactly like the tank I'm using, Ben. I've had absolutely no problems with it and would recommend it.

Jim

This one was a freebie. The well drilling business next to our coating shop just went under. Another business bought the complete assets, but are not taking the building. They've been hauling off the equipment for the last week as well as trashing a lot of smaller stuff. There were two of these poly tanks next to the dumpster. Red and Black. I inquired about them and the response was they're yours. They still had some gas in them. They were made as aux tanks for some kind of equipment. They're dirty on the outside, but clean on the inside. Nothing a good de-greasing and cleaning can't fix. One of them has a goofy in and out setup. But the red one is set up perfect with a pickup. Its pretty thick and I think we can cut in a sender. I mocked it up and it fits well within the T bed. We'll see..but free is nice! I forgot to take a pic, but here is a crappy clip from the catalog:

 

[Screaming Metal]

Well, I'd say its a win-win situation then. You can now forget about rust, the condensation will be kept down, fuel will be kept cooler, therefore denser. All you have to do now is install your sending unit....if its too thin to tap or use self tapping screws, make a backup plate with the same mounting hole pattern as the units mounting holes drilling and tapping for 10-32's. Layout your holes and drill them in the plastic tank. Then, cut 2 really narrow notches with your 3" cutoff wheel in your airgrinder, into the edge of the mounting hole for your sending unit, on centerline.
Slide your backing plate thru your 2 slots vertically, and run 2 pieces of wire to hold the backup ring until your ready to install. When your ready to button here up after installing your sending unit (after setting the float level to read empty accurately), use 2 long 10-32 screws to start into plate 180 degree's from the wires holding the ring into place temporarily, then pull the wires out, the 2 long screws will keep it from falling into the tank. Put a thin dab of the older Permatex black semi-hardening gasket sealer around the edge of the gasket and by those 2 notches....that stuff is fuel proof and won't desolve.... start your other shorter screws, tighten, then replace your 2 long ones....your done.

I have a 15 gallon aux. tank in my 1-ton that looks exactly like that....

 

[benT]

Good Advice Screaming Metal. If we end up using it, I'll probably do exactly what you are describing.

Yeah I found out the hard way on the gasket sealer this year. I used some stuff to seal my filler on my tank and ended up having to clean out my fuel pre-filter 5 times on the road to the Nats in Chattanooga. I finally emptied out my tank and cleaned it out completely in a Wal-Mart parking lot in KY at 11pm. That trip is a long sad story to be told at another time!

 

[donsrods]

Some of the older poly tanks were not made to withstand the new gasolines with ethanol in them and the interior would actually soften and get into the fuel system. We replaced a lot when I was in the boat business and cleaned a lot of injectors and carbs to remove the gunk. Some car tanks were removed from production because of that problem. One tank we took out was only a week old and it had all this stuff floating around inside that looked like gravy.

My understanding is that some of the newer tanks have addressed that problem and are not ok. I have a racing fuel cell that I plan on using in something and supposedly it is ok for these new gasolines. Just be sure what you have is safe because it really gets expensive when the start melting inside.

Don

 

[Screaming Metal]

What Don said....if it had fuel in it, get a metal cloths hanger or long TIG rod, form a hook on the end. Then look at the end after rubbing the inside, if no coating, you'll be good.
Put some of that old Permatex on that backup ring when you install it and you'll never have to worry about it coming loose ever again.
When you put that backup ring in, put some of that old Permatex on it and you won't have to worry about that ring falling into your tank if you ever have to pull your sending unit....

One of my mechanics had a stripped out carb fitting on his 32', after work he put in one of those self tapping fittings in his fuel inlet going into one of his carbs. He didn't make it out of the parking lot, he came back and said it was flooding.
He showed me where he got it from....I called him BoZo, he was embarrassed....'I thought you were a mechanic!' hahaha....
Every now and again I ask if he's been cleaning out those fuel fitting threads.....

 

[Screaming Metal]

Excuse my double sentence in there.....I just Love Windows 7! And they're trying to push Windows 8 off on us now! Sometimes you type something in and it just disappears! And when you make a post, you see what was there at one time.... go figure....