The original pad between the...
The original pad between the tank and the trunk floor was in excellent condition. It was carefully removed from the old tank and glued to the top of the reproduction tank. A wide-blade gasket scraper will make removal easy. If yours is beyond saving, reproductions are available.
Then we put a do-it-yourself gas tank repair kit in and re-installed the tank, thinking we were good to go. And we were-for six weeks. Then the baffles in the tank inexplicably detached (probably from the acid we'd immersed them in for a day) and started sloshing around, scraping up the repair stuff we'd coated the inside of the tank with. The repair stuff then got sucked into the fuel line and, well, the nightmare just wouldn't end. We ended up doing what we should have done in the first place-we bought a new gas tank. But not before the car lost any image of reliability it once had, due to the fuel lines plugging and stalling the car regularly.
On the Paddock Project '69 Charger, Mike Peramski immediately made the decision to just replace the gas tank in the Charger with a brand new reproduction, even though the car ran fine and had low mileage. While he was replacing the gas tank, he also made the decision to replace the fuel lines at the same time.
You never know what's inside your fuel lines. Besides gas tank debris, fuel lines often have rust and scale in them which will plug your fuel filter as it comes free, now that you're running gas through the system on a regular basis.
We cut the Charger's original gas tank open, just to see what was inside, and found about an inch of hardened crud at the bottom of the tank. However, the tank had been emptied for quite a while and stored outside, allowing the deposits to dry and "set up." We suspect that the stuff in the bottom of that tank was probably soft when immersed in gasoline (much like what we pulled out of the wife's car), which could let it find its way to the fuel pick up, and then to the filter.
Reproduction gas tanks aren't available for all makes and models, but take it from us-if you can get a new tank for your car, do it. Even if you've never had a problem before, it's cheap insurance, because you never know what might be swimming around in your tank now. And believe us, if it's going to leave you stranded, it'll pick the worst time and the worst location to do it!
This is the easy way to install...
This is the easy way to install a gas tank-with the car in the air on a lift! But we have done it with the car on jackstands on many occasions. Two "J" bolts on the straps is all it takes to hold it in place.
The filler tube goes in after...
The filler tube goes in after the tank has been hung in place. Lubricating the part of the tube that slides into the gas tank makes things a lot easier. The filler tube and vent line on The Paddock Charger are the original pieces, and were in excellent condition, needing only a cleaning. Reproduction vent tubes are available if yours is damaged or looks poorly, as are the gaskets and seals.
Outside the car, a new gasket...
Outside the car, a new gasket is installed around the filler cap, and the top end of the filler tube is secured to the filler cap/trim ring assembly. The security of not having sediment and debris in your fuel system to gum up your fuel filter or fresh carb is worth the investment.