Thread: Ok to put the Gas cap & filler neck in the truck on an Model T through '34 Ford???

Tweet

....Hi Everyone, I don't like the looks of my gas cap door on the outside of my '32 Ford {or should I say the hole where the cap was as it broke off}. Anyway, I was thinking of just filling up the hole in the car with Bondo & putting my gas cap in the trunk. Anyone fill there car from inside the trunk? I was told if I do this the inside of my car will smell like gas after I fill up. BUT it already does after I fill up so I don't see the difference..... Also who uses a steel tank & who uses a fuel cell like Jaz makes? THANKS Bill

I use a tank from TANKS, Inc. and it fills from inside the trunk. There is no smell of gasoline as I use their aluminum cap which has a large O-ring that seals the filler cap. As long as you run a vent and a hose to the outside of the car, you will not have any fumes.

I ran a JAZ fuel cell in my 32 for quite a while.
It always weeped where the fuel filler flange sat on the poly.

Probably because JAZ didn't make a smooth area for the filler gasket to sit on, but made that area pebbled to match the rest of the tank.
(Pebbled meaning sort of an alligator kinda skin.)

I re-gasketed several times and it never did seal well.
Leave your jacket in the trunk for a while and it smelled of gas.

I'm pretty much through with JAZ products.


So, last couple of weeks I've been installing an RCI fuel tank - even though Summit calls it a fuel cell - in the 32.
It's the 30" long, 12" tall and 9" wide aluminum tank.
(Reason I call it a tank is because it is. No fuel cell foam and for that matter, no baffles.)

This tank takes fuel cell caps - same 12 bolt pattern.

A couple of studs on the retaining ring that comes through holes in the tank were welded at an off angle.
This tank leaks at the fuel filler juncture between tank and filler.

I bought it cuz my pal has one of them in the trunk of his 29 and it's working ok, but mine isn't doing so well.

I have one more thing to try and if that doesn't work I plan to machine my own filler ring adapters etc.

I like Summit's stuff, but this ain't much of a fuel tank and I wouldn't recommend it.

Making my own fuel tanks for the 31 on 32 rails roadster.
Surely I can do better....

Rant off....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bill, if you have a gas smell in the trunk you should pursue the problem.

It could be the precursor to a larger leak or could supply a combustible mixture inside the trunk and one spark - static or otherwise....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here's a pic of the light aircraft cap I use.
An aluminum trim ring was added and the whole thing works really well.

I plan to make a similar setup for my 31 on 32 rails roadster, but will make it a little deeper so gas overflow won't go up and over into the trunk rails or trunk.
The one you see works well, but a little more depth wouldn't hurt.
Along those same lines a small drain fitting with hose gets added so gas and water will drain out of the filler area.

There is a thread on anothe board that really bashes the
SUMMIT tanks ...

http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/i-ha...ghlight=summit

I had a used Nascar tank in one of my cars a few years back. Aluminum, baffled and had the foam in it. Most Nascar Cup teams replace the fuel cell every so many races ...

They are cheap to buy, easy to come by and are well made ...

Deuce, is that your tank I'm looking at?

If so, are you aware the stainless braided lines make a terrific slow speed saw?
Saw an aluminum rocker cover about worn through in a 6 month old car.

I'm guessing not since you commented on using NASCAR cells.

The Summit tank is the 3rd fuel containment device I've had in the 32.
First one was an LTL vertical "Highboy" tank, sorta like a 50-s - 60-'s era in-cab tank.
The saddles it sat on looked like they would be conducive to rubbing a hole in the tank.
Really bad part about it was the filler was about 1 3/4" - 2" OD and screwed into plastic cast-in threads in the tank.
Even with Teflon tape, it didn't seal worth a darn.
As I found out on the first fill-up.

GD $400. (in 1985) tank flooded the interior of a brand new roadster with gas.
If the experience hadn't been so dangerous I woulda called it interesting, but the way it turned out I used up my entire vocabulary of four letter words.
And invented a few new ones.

I note that LTL isn't in existence anymore.
They probably got their socks sued off and had to change their name so's they could peddle their S*&t wares elsewhere.

I'm pretty easygoing, but some of the crap that a few of the aftermarket mfgs. foist off on the public.
Makes me wonder where the whips and stockades are now that we could use them....

Originally Posted by C9x

Deuce, is that your tank I'm looking at?

NO ... I stole the photo of the Summit tank from the thread that was bashing them ...

....Rumrumm, C9x & Deuce, THANKS for all the replys. I see that I'm not the only one having this problem! Mine is a steel tank & it leaks from the fuel level sending unit 'ring'. I've tried tightening it but to no avail. I'll try replacing the gasget next. I also have a fuel door that I don't like & DID have a fuel cap with a little hindged door in it that you just pushed the fuel nozzle through. The only problem was the fuel nozzle went in but WOULDN'T come out due to the weird shaped ring that goes around the gas nozzles. It's smooth on one side but has a lip on the other. The lip keeps the nozzle from coming out. So when I couldn't get the nozzle out I just pulled hard on the nozzle. I ripped the gas door off & the little 'hindged cap' fell into the tank! {Well, pulled hard is an understatement, I guess?}..... Anyway, I'll start by changing the gasget. And please keep my up-dated if anyone comes up with a bullet proof tank! Bill

I always use a stock tank on 32's ...
I like the look and they hold enough fuel ( for me )

I just weld on a threaded bung ... and screw on the cap ...

But I understand ... not everyone wants the stock look

.....Well Deuce, you've certainly got a point there! If it's not broken, then don't fix it!..... Bill

You've got a good point about the stock 32 tank Mr. Deuce.

I've been tempted and I still have the cut-off rear frame horns.

Kinda hate to get tangled up in another project with the 32 . . . which means I can't spend that time on the 31 . . . and I kinda like the rear of the 32 like it is now.

Anyway, tried a couple of things to stop the leaks at the filler rings etc.
Gas still comes up around the studs and through the stud holes as well as seeping out under the filler neck flange.

Got a couple ideas on machining my own internal ring, some different gasket material and maybe a couple big o-rings on the upper adapter between tank aluminum adapter ring and the angled cast aluminum filler neck.

JB Weld's crossed my mind a few times as well.

Maybe I oughta use my 45 year old 2 1/2 gallon Moon tank.
I stuck it on the front of the 32 when I first fired the motor.
Didn't leak a drop . . . good ol American know-how.
Hitting a gas station every 20 miles would get old though.

I'm beginning to think the RCI tank from Summit is another one of those Chinese wonders that aren't worth a damn.

A little off to the side of this problem, but the news last night showed some grocery stores that were advertising food products that were "China Free."

That ought to be the handwriting on the wall....

You won't have any problems if you use the tank I used. Check it out.
http://www.tanksinc.com/index.cfm/pa...prod/prd82.htm

billsbird asked: Ok to put the Gas cap & filler neck in the truck on an Model T through '34 Ford???


Obviously a lot of people do it and hopefully they do it well. But another problem might be is that it may be illegal in some states to do it. It is/was in Pennsylvania. I know that some PA streetrodders have them in their trunk but unless they have changed the law, they could have problems at the annual inspection. So if your state requires annual inspections you might want to check your state laws to avoid a potential conflict.

No use looking for trouble if you don't have to.

Originally Posted by rumrumm

You won't have any problems if you use the tank I used. Check it out.
http://www.tanksinc.com/index.cfm/pa...prod/prd82.htm

Probably not, but since I have $250. or so invested, I'm gonna see if I can make this one work....