Dave72dt Posted March 7, 2015 Report Share Posted March 7, 2015 Actually, the tank wasn't broke. The sending unit was. Gas tank was working fine, gas goes in and goes out. True preventive maintenance would have meant doing a proper cleanup when you first got it running, not running with it for a number of years knowing there was rust still in it and with a non functioning sending unit that should have been repaired or replaced at that time. Which tank is being cleaned and coated? The one with patches and known to be thin ( reason for the patches? ) or the other one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
55 Fargo Posted March 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2015 (edited) Actually, the tank wasn't broke. The sending unit was. Gas tank was working fine, gas goes in and goes out. True preventive maintenance would have meant doing a proper cleanup when you first got it running, not running with it for a number of years knowing there was rust still in it and with a non functioning sending unit that should have been repaired or replaced at that time. Which tank is being cleaned and coated? The one with patches and known to be thin ( reason for the patches? ) or the other one? You've lost me Dave, what patches on what tank, do you mean mine or someone else? If you mean mine, not sure what patches you are getting at, cuz there ain't any. This tank has really given me no serious issues, but the sender did, hence I dropped the tank, to get at the sender, as there is no access from inside the cab. After inspecting the inside of the tank, thought it may be wise now to have it cleaned and coated, oh my there is rust in a 60 year old gas tank, wonder how often this happens. I could have easily re-installed this tank as is, but chose not too. Now what are you saying about true preventive maintenance, yup suppose I may have erred on this one. I could easily do so much preventive tear down that the truck may still be sitting in pieces like some others may have, getting thing perfect before turning the key. You got me wondering what tank has patches and holes though, oh you thought when I posted saw a few rusty patches, in reality, there are no patches, just a few spots where the inner coating of the tank has rust on it, the tank is super solid never been repaired or had any patches welded in. Yes I chose to stick with the tank on the truck rather than my spare tank on my parts truck frame, not that it matters..... Edited March 8, 2015 by Fargos-Go-Far Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave72dt Posted March 8, 2015 Report Share Posted March 8, 2015 Yes, post # 17, two ways to interpret. patches of rust or rusty (adj.) patches (noun). In another one of you're posts, interpreted that to you using the spare tank, coating the one you just dropped out and putting that on standby. I wasn't suggesting tearing every assembly completely apart in search of potential problems, only thoroughly repairing a part when you have a known problem. I'm a firm believer in "fix it right, once." As an example, the front seal of the engine is leaking, doesn't mean rebuilding the engine. It means replace the seal, inspect the balancer for seal wear and install a speedi sleeve on it if needed. The fact is the fuel tanks and fuel lines on these old cars are almost always either rusty inside, varnished up or both and should be addressed to expect any degree of reliability, similar to brakes and brake lines, hoses. I don't like being stranded because of a plugged fuel line and I don't want to use trees, fences or ditches as a means to stop my vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
55 Fargo Posted March 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2015 Yes, post # 17, two ways to interpret. patches of rust or rusty (adj.) patches (noun). In another one of you're posts, interpreted that to you using the spare tank, coating the one you just dropped out and putting that on standby. I wasn't suggesting tearing every assembly completely apart in search of potential problems, only thoroughly repairing a part when you have a known problem. I'm a firm believer in "fix it right, once." As an example, the front seal of the engine is leaking, doesn't mean rebuilding the engine. It means replace the seal, inspect the balancer for seal wear and install a speedi sleeve on it if needed. The fact is the fuel tanks and fuel lines on these old cars are almost always either rusty inside, varnished up or both and should be addressed to expect any degree of reliability, similar to brakes and brake lines, hoses. I don't like being stranded because of a plugged fuel line and I don't want to use trees, fences or ditches as a means to stop my vehicle. yup, these old beast can have nasty brake and gas lines and components. My chassis which I bought off someone who put the body on a 70s Chevy chassis, not sure why, so I got the 55 Fargo 108 wb chassis complete with running drive train. This truck was driven until 2006, so I figured the gas tank and gauge/sender would be okay. he installed new fuel lines etc, but maybe the gas gauge not working was an issue he did not want to address. I have tested the fuel sender, it is toast, and does not read throughout it's range, so no doubt the rheostat windings are split apart. I did make a sender unit from a universal type, it works well as tested with the gauge in the truck, now have to wait for the tank to get finished at the repair shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
55 Fargo Posted March 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 Okay got gas tank back today, $250 total, for cleaning, minor repair and redkote liner. They painted the outside, but did not tape over the brass fuel line fitting , sender unit hole and drain plug, not impressed with that, but so be it. I re-tested my fuel sender I made from a universal 75-10 ohm unit, I set it at 78-10, set the float level for the tank, and ran a test with the gauge in the truck. With 12 volts, it reads just over E when float is bottomed out, and just under F when float is in full upright position, not sure why. It may be a result of using 12 volts without reducing the gauge to 6 volts, as amperage would be doubled, and could be heating up the gauge. I have gauge resistors on order, not here yet. Dummy me put a couple of gallons of gas in the tank fired up the engine and checked for fuel leaks. I then forgot still had gauge hooked up, and it did not seem to bother it, at closer to the empty range. Should I disconnect the sender unit until I have a voltage reducer wired from hot to the gauge, or will it be fine for a short time?..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallytoo Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 i have no idea whether the sender will be fine for a short time or not. me, i'd disconnect it and install the reducer, which i know keeps the dash gauge working. mine has been installed for several years now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
55 Fargo Posted March 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 i have no idea whether the sender will be fine for a short time or not. me, i'd disconnect it and install the reducer, which i know keeps the dash gauge working. mine has been installed for several years now. Hi Wally, not worried about the sender unit, as it does not care about voltage, it only creates resistance. The gauge itself with 12 volts , will be hotter on amp draw, and may cause it too burn up...will disconnect for now, I have heard and read many have ran 6 volt gas gauges on 12 volts without a reducer, with no issues and many have burnt out gas gauges quickly.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallytoo Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 the gauge is the piece that "might" get fried, that's why i'd disconnect it. and the gauge is what i was intending to refer to, not the tank sending unit itself. you "might" get away with running 12v to your gauge. but, you "might" not, and then you'd have to replace the gauge, which is likely to be more expensive than the reducer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrampSteer Posted March 15, 2015 Report Share Posted March 15, 2015 Just my two cents on the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" and other interesting motivations described here: I got a tank, had it professionally cleaned and sealed. Sent it back a week later 'cuz it leaked. Bought a brand new sending unit for $85 which flat out don't work. Seller is sure I broke it by tightening the screw. Now I watch my odometer - because it works. So I transitioned from a $$$ preventative maintenance philosophy to a "don't fix it if you don't have to" pragmatism. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
55 Fargo Posted March 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2015 Just my two cents on the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" and other interesting motivations described here: I got a tank, had it professionally cleaned and sealed. Sent it back a week later 'cuz it leaked. Bought a brand new sending unit for $85 which flat out don't work. Seller is sure I broke it by tightening the screw. Now I watch my odometer - because it works. So I transitioned from a $$$ preventative maintenance philosophy to a "don't fix it if you don't have to" pragmatism. Mike Hopefully not all tanks that are cleaned and lined in North America fail as yours did. I buy new when available, if this tank was toast I would have bought a universal tank or put one in the box. Anyway, my sender unit was seized, so my choice was limited to 2 things, have no working gas gauge or 2 have a working gas gauge. I am not sure where "if it ain't broke, don fix it" made it's way into this thread, but that just ain't the case for me. I think Flaming, had a synapse fire and mentioned this principle in this thread. So this was not maintenance but corrective... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jocko_51_B3B Posted January 8, 2017 Report Share Posted January 8, 2017 (edited) Is anyone familiar with the reason the back end of the tank on my 51 B3B was mounted using bolts, springs, and spacers (the spacers are inside the springs) instead of just being bolted down? I guess this setup allowed the back end of the tank to bounce a little (for what I don't know), but the front of the tank was bolted hard to the frame. The tank is in good shape (rusty inside but no leaks) so I had it blasted, primed, and painted. Now it's ready to be re-installed, but it would be nice to understand the reason for the springs. I don't see much sense to this arrangement. Is it stock or just something done by a PO? In addition to painting the outside of the tank, I spent the better part of two days using gravel to shake out the rust. Then I coated the inside with some stuff made by POR-15. From the reviews on the POR-15, some people made a big point of not rushing the job and recommended following the directions EXACTLY - which I did. The inside of the tank looks great, but I won't really know whether the coating will stay put until the gas goes in. I just hope I didn't make a bad mistake by coating the inside. I hear both good and bad, but if it works the tank should last much longer. Here's how the tank looks now. Edited January 8, 2017 by Jocko_51_B3B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merle Coggins Posted January 8, 2017 Report Share Posted January 8, 2017 The springs are to allow the frame to flex without twisting the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBNeal Posted January 8, 2017 Report Share Posted January 8, 2017 Those springs are to protect the tank flange by allowing movement when the frame flexes...jack one end of the frame rails at the rear of the truck up by a foot and you'll see the flex... I suggest filling the tank with gasoline and sealing off with tape and a plastic bag before tank installation...let it sit for a couple of weeks and see if it is seeping out. If no leaks, drain and install...if it leaks, have a pillow handy for all of the screaming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
48Dodger Posted January 8, 2017 Report Share Posted January 8, 2017 Its to protect the gas tank in case you hit a speed bump in the high school parking lot. 48D 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
48Dodger Posted January 8, 2017 Report Share Posted January 8, 2017 On a serious note......this is what the inside of the gas tank looks like. Inside of a PH gas tank 48D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jocko_51_B3B Posted January 8, 2017 Report Share Posted January 8, 2017 I would not have guessed the reason for the springs. Good stuff to know! I hate scratching my head about things like that! And I think I'll try the "fill up and plastic bag test" too. Good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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