SizzleChest

well, it seems that my tank has sprung a leak. can't tell for sure if it's a hole in the tank yet as i'm having trouble removing the spare tire housing unit. the two rods that suspend it have me scratching my head as to how they are to be removed, but when i peer over it, i can see the the rear fuel tank suspension strap is soaked in fuel leading to think that over the years, crap has accumulated between the strap and tank and has finally rusted a hole right through. anyone with any insight into this? i'm thinking that this job is going to be done by someone else especially since the car is kept at my parents place and i am currently living 200+ miles away although i am visiting here for the next 3 days.

Easy Mike

The "rods" are actually hanger bolts. You may want to consider draining the tank as much as you can before trying to lower it. Empty means light.

Good luck.

SizzleChest

ahh so they are. undercoating hid the nut part. spare tire housing now removed. still debating if i want to continue on with this myself or not...

wan2run

Rubber hoses maybe?



The tank drop is accomplished by unscrewing the straps (1 bolt each at the tank side most closest to the rear -





Also, you need to disconnect the hoses on either side of the tank -

Passenger -



Driver -



and removal of the crossmember it rests on. There are 4 bolts (2 per side) that need to be accessed from inside the frame rails -



Also, you may need to remove your mufflers. Good luck!

hunt4cleanair

Are you stating the hole is in the tank or the strap? Two different problems. And the tank has a liner, so....

It's actually not a bad job unless you have to deal with rust and crude as you describe. Others give you some pretty good instructions. I've had a similar problem and replacing the rubber hoses that connect the fuel lines to the tank neck fixed the problem. So it could be that simple. I got away with merely lowering the rearward end of the tank leaving the front in place to access the rubber hoses. The tank remained in place. But than I had air tools that expedite the loosening of decades of rusted nuts n bolts that have become nearly one. Be sure to disconnect battery while working underneath there...don't want to sparks with wet fuel around there.

corvetteload

Tank straps have an anti-squeak strip on them that harbors moisture between them and the tank, my 69 developed holes on both sides. The "hardest" part of the job was getting the exhaust out of the way to lower tank, other than that all bolts and clamps!!

wan2run

Interesting...I wonder if that changed in the later years as my straps were nothing but metal. The only piece of anti-squeak was a thin strip below the tank on the crossmember shown in one of the pics above.

PRNDL

I had to loosen things slightly and slide the gastank off the brace to reveal my pinhole leak.

SizzleChest

if hoses are the culprit, would it continue to leak after the engine is off? the car hasn't been run in over a week and it's still dripping.

SizzleChest

got the tank out. pin hole hidden by crossmember. no rust or corrosion around it. couldn't get either muffler off the pipe. drivers side exhaust was removed near the transmission, but couldn't get the passenger side off at all. broke both bolts that secure the tank straps at the rear of the tank. hoses near the filler neck look like they were ready to give out as well and the hardlines that run up the frame are corroded. i understand that tanks can be weld repaired, but also that vette tanks have liners so obviously the liner is punctured as well. any recommendations on which direction to go in - if new, is there a best option from any particular vendor?

hunt4cleanair

Try Quanta. They also offer all tank accessories and I believe they started out by making tanks.

Quanta Products

SizzleChest

thanks, but they don't seem to have a tank for anything later than 77 but i will call them tomorrow to confirm that

corvetteload

Have you tried GM for the tank? May be available still

KapsSA

Pretty much all the vendors sell a 78-82 fuel tank. I'd bet that there's only one company making it and it's the same one sold by everyone.
I got one off ebay, cheaper than any of the vendors and much cheaper shipping. And it was drop shipped from Mid America. I had it the next day!(I'm in Illinois as is Mid America)
What's funny.....if I bought it from Mid Am I would have paid like $25 shipping. The ACTUAL shipping charge on the shipping ticket was $9 as charged to the ebay seller!

SizzleChest

i bought the tank and got it installed and everything was running great for a while. it's been in the car for about a month now but has only been driven 2 days, maybe 25 miles and now the car won't start. i thought the carb was flooded so i tried holding the gas pedal down while trying to start and it gets so close - it sounds like the car is running practically, but as soon as i release the key, it dies.

we did not install the venting valve on the driver's side of the cap as it seems like it was only needed for the original tank with the bladder?? the threads are there on the new tank but when you put your hand inside the tank behind where the valve is, there is nothing detectable that would allow air to escape.

thanks for the pics BTW - very helpful!

my FSM shows that the two strips are to be used between the tank and the crossmember that supports it, but my buddy that helped me and has experience replacing fuel tanks on other chevs swore that they are to used on the straps.