Thread: Gas tank fuel pick-up

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It seems that I hae been asking a lot of dumb questions lately, so might as well add another. I have a Vintique '32 tank for my roadster and I'm wondering how you all mounted/installed the fuel pick-up in your tank. There is only a sending unit hole in my tank and a drain in the bottom. I could come out of bottom, but am concerned about the safety of this type of pick-up. Any comments/suggestions are appreciated.
Thanks,
Jim

Howdy Jim,

Is it warm enough for you yet? 100 + in Austin with rolling black-outs as the power plants are still in their maintenance cycles this time of the 'cool' year!

Seems to me the drain hole is probably what they intended for a pick-up. If you come out with a smooth 90 degree fitting and minimize the profile it shouldn't be too bad no? The tank is well off the ground and protected substantially by the rear end ..............

A well designed tank will usually have a baffle around the suction line to retain gas during cornering when it gets low. My brooksville tank has these on both left and right side pick-up points.

Regards, Kitz

maybe a one peice pickup & sending unit.

Jon,
Yep, plenty hot and we are only in the middle of spring. I was concerned about safety and kinda figured like you did about the height. Since I am going to drive alot before paint etc. I could live with that solution and maybe do something different as 30coupe wrote. I just got my gauges Fri. and need haven't checked if I have enough clearence to add pickup. I am going to have to run a electric fuel pump so maybe when I do thhe tear down I can get a different tank etc.
Thanks,
Jim
I think I have a good chance of making it to State run.

How big is the sender hole in the Vintique tank? An in-tank fuel pump is really nice since it hides the ugly pump. But.....you need room in the tank opening for a sender, a fuel output line, the return line, and an electrical connection for the pump.

Here is the web page for a neat inductive level sensor that we have used a couple of times. They work great and you can trim them via a couple of potentiometers so that they are accurate. Also, they are real easy to install.
http://www.centroidproducts.com/

If you had to, you could get a larger flange installed OR add a second flange.
I'd discourage the underneath outlet for a street car, it could be torn by debris in the road....and when gas hits $10 a gallon soon, you'd lose a lot of $$ if the hose got ripped.

mike in tucson

Mike,
Thats a pretty kool device. I have a rodder buddy that owns a welding shop and maybe I could habe him weld a pickup in a corner and bent to sit along bottom of tank. Maybe drill several holes along tube to help scavage fuel? I don't think I need a return line and coming off side would make running fuel line eaisier.
Jim

IF you dont want the pump in the tank, the pickup is pretty simple. Unfortunately, without a baffle, you are at the mercy of acceleration regarding where the fuel is during cornering.

A GM electric in-tank pump is about 1 1/2 inches in diameter without the filter sock. If you are running a carb, you dont need a fuel return, injection uses a return unless it is one of the really recent returnless systems.

You can do an additional port without welding. You make a ring that is shaped kinda like the retainer for a shifter boot....make it anything but round. This goes on the inside and your cover plate goes on the outside. The ring has the threads that the screws attach to. Goober up the inside and the outside and sandwich the gas tank metal between the ring and the plate..... by the way, a round ring is like a manhole cover....round wont fall thru the hole but an oval ring can go thru an oval hole.

does this make sense?

mike

Mike,
Yes, it makes sense. I have carb not injection. If the vintique is such a pain in the gas, why are they still used? Just complaining out loud. I understand about no baffling.

They're still used because (1) they originally popped a copy of the Ford tank and people bought it since it was available and (2) they're trying to cover the broad market. Tanks, Inc. and Rock Valley kinda have moved into the market with products that are a bit more friendly to street rodders with "special needs" like pumps in tank, stainless construction, baffles, etc. On a 32, the top side needs to look kinda original since it is out there for all to see but the underside and internals can be different.

mike in tucson

Mike,
Money still talks and B.S. walks as we say in Texas. Well, thanks for the ideas. I will maybe get a new tank when I do the blow apart to paint this winter.
Jim

Most folks are getting away from bottom feed tanks. It can be dangerous. Another question: If you have only a sender port on the top and a feed on the bottom, how will air get into to your tank? Vented gas cap?

Newer tanks are set up with a top feed tube and a top vent that has a ball check in it in case of rollover. Just passing on info.

H.R,
That is the reason I was wondering about the vintique tank, technology/safety has come a long way since 1932. Since I have blown my budget all to heck, I need to try to work with what I have and since there has been no fuel in tank, I think I can "update" it for my use and not buy a new tank now.
Thanks guys,
Jim

I have read this thread since you first posted, and someone needs to speak up for Vintique here.

I am a Vintique dealer, and the tanks we have here certainly have a pickup tube. The tanks have two identical holes with the five bolt pattern for a sending unit. You place the sending unit in one, and a pickup unit is installed in the other hole. This unit has the pickup with a filter screen, return line to the bottom of the tank, vent tube with roll-over saftey check valve, etc.

The part number for this tank is B-9002, it retails for $425, and has all correct markings just like Henry's original.

Tim, thanks for the correction. IT sounds like Jim has a tank with only
one hole per his description.....could he have an older model or something? The two hole description sounds much more useful for his application so he doesnt have to use the underneath fitting. Any idea what is going on with his tank?

Thanks

Mike

SirSpeedy,
Thanks for comment. My tank only has one hole 5-bolt hole in top and 1/4" pipe (?) in bottom. I wish it did have what you described because I would not have a problem. This car came from Heritage about 1 1/2 years ago (before buy-out) and the buddy I bought had another from there that had the same style tank. Maybe as Mike suggested I have an older model tank or one built especially for restorers? Be that as it may, I still have to modify it for a pickup. Oh-well, thats the fun part of playing with cars.
Jim