I am building a 27 T roadster in glass. I have an original fuel tank I would like to use. It fits in nice but our state requires external fuel fill and due to it’s rough 10 gallon capacity a fuel sender gauge is a must behind the V8. Also I need to vent it. Anyone have some ideas including where to buy or how to build them.
Use the bung hole to mount a gauge sender. Match that to your gauge. I seem to recall there being a vertical tube float style, instead of the usual swing arm. Add a fill tube to the left side of the tank, use a piece of rubber hose in the middle to allow for body movement. Could go up, or out the left side. External fuel cap, could be a fancy flip top or a simple screw cap, whatever fits the style you’re going for. Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
The tank is solid. It looks better in person than the pictures. In looking at it more, some ideas are coming. I really wonder how it will weld if I get serious on it with the factory plating.
This place has everything you need. www.fillernecksupply.com Make sure your fuel gauge & sending unit have the same ohm rating. And post pics of the results.
The fuel take off really needs to come out of the top of the tank. I have a Fordson E27N tank on the back of my 27 Modified. This was done without welding by using a C shaped plate with holes threaded into it. Slip it through the hole and bolt up the fitting Sent from my moto g(8) power using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Here's some fuel sending units that work well... https://whywelikethis.com/best-fuel-gauge-boat-sending-units/
I fitted a drop tank gauge into the end of the tank Sent from my moto g(8) power using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Make sure you research about welding on a tank that once had gas in it. There is lots of advice on how to do it, some OK and some really bad, IMO. Things can go wrong with deadly results.
I think I would be dam sure before using it, car fires are not cool, by that I mean you have that inside a glass car, get it pressure tested, for your own safety.
It passed a 3 psi air test and has not had fuel in it for over 40 years. Thanks for your concern. I want it to fill well without blowback since any spillage will hit paint. It has used up the vertical space more than would be ideal.
Apparently the tank is made from tern plate which is a lead/tin coating over the base metal. It sounds problematic to weld on it.
I worked in a project transition assignment at the machine shop at the Army Depot I was stationed at before I was discharged in the early '70's. The shop foreman told me about a local who took a cutting torch to a 55 gallon drum that hadn't had gas in it for at least 30 years. It exploded and killed him. Tanks that once had gas in them, no matter how long ago can explode. Not saying yours would. Just saying to be careful about how you go about it.
If you are registering as a 27 T are sure it's not grandfathered? If I am not mistaken stock T's didn't have an external fuel fill.
View attachment 4920850 View attachment 4920850 It’s too far from stock to allow antique license so it will require a street rod plate and need some upgrades. The original vented cap doesn’t seem safe in an enclosed area.
That tank looks like its in nice shape. Id sell it to someone building an early style car that would run that tank as originally configured. Then take that money and buy a new tank with the desired features.
Well, could you hole saw a hole in the end, and get creative to bend up a sending unit to go in and bolt up? Then you could still work with the top to fill, incorporate a vent tube on it, but I wonder with the size of the fill hole, would you need to vent while filling?
X3 on that, That is a cute tank if you are building a T modified with an exposed tank for show and tell but a big can of worms for putting in the trunk of that car where no one will ever see it unless you lift the lift the lid to show them. Decent tanks that fit in that spot and already are set up to use a filler neck and set up for a gauge in the dash aren't that hard to find nor are they that spendy.
I wouldn't try to weld it. I'd take it to a radiator shop, have it cleaned well and solder fittings to it. If you are going to weld on it, get some dry ice to put in it first. It chases all the oxygen out and it won't explode as long as you have the dry ice in it. Don't put the cap on with dry ice in it. The CO2 pressure will make it blow up. There are various fittings on the market to add a gauge sender. A vented cap is all you need for venting. An after thought: The Model T cap has 2" threads. Original cap on that tank was just a 2" barrel bung like a 55 gallon drum. Possibilities abound....................
Yes maybe I am trying to add too much old charm back into it. I’ll do a modern tank and use this one in my baby hemi A pick up build. I can throw a couple Jerry cans in for longer hauls.
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