1968 GTO fuel tank
 

please tell me the gallon compacity in a 1968 GTO tank. and why are there offers of a 17 gallon or a 21 gallon tank for this car? will they both fit? has anyone upgraded to a larger tank that fit like an OEM? thanks, z man

GTO dammit, 1968 GTO

I think mine is a 21gal.

I am 21 Gallons - :ausflag: 79.5 liters

What vendor is offering a 17 gallon tank?
By the way, I got my '68 tank right at Advance Auto. Great quality Spectra brand tank and no shipping costs involved.

with or without neck installed?

Now that you mention it, I intentionally got a '69 tank and 'adjusted' neck with a jack and a piece of wood. I got the tank and the new sending unit for under $200 with no shipping.

So its safe to sat that it came with a 21 gallon tank out of the factory? The 17 gallon tanks are found on various e bay listings. how far was the neck off on the 69 tank? surprised their not identical. thanks, z man

Greg, the advance auto tanks are identical in dimensions for the 68 and 69. the 69 is offered with the neck. this is the way I would go, same as you did. question, what is the neck difference? a slight angle, or more? As I want the flapper plate to close completely as OEM did at the neck on the 68. Other than the neck , were there any mods needed at the sending unit inlet? thanks, nick

Yes, they are the same except for the '68 neck. It kicks up just a bit on the '68 to clear the bumper opening.
It's not a big difference. In fact, I thought mine was going to work until I actually put the bumper on. When I opened the tag mount, I couldn't get the gas cap off. I put a piece to 2x4 under the neck and applied pressure with a floor jack. It only took a little movement.
There's probably a better way to do it and maybe I got lucky but it worked fine.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n...O/DSCF0248.jpg

Every new tank I've put in one of these '69-72 cars has the exact same issue. Put a little pressure on it up carefully and it will bend enough to clear.

Thanks guys. the Spectra GM34D is the tank I want, for the 69 GTO. The sending unit is the same for both 68 and69 Spectra FG91B. the price on the units vary by $20 plus ,even with website discounts. I have been relying on a tank mounted electric pump for years, to back up my mechanical pump at wide open throttle. without it, the engine bogs and starves. I have not dropped the tank, but can see its beat. the lines also need a full inspection, 3/8 original. Want to fully enjoy my “cliff” carb coming my way. Pray for SUN. z man

get the stainless steel tank offered by Auto City Classic. It stays looking beautiful forever, plus you don't have to worry about corrosion from alcohol laced fuel. they also
sell a stainless steel sending unit. when I bought my stainless tank for my GTO it was actually cheaper than the identical tin plated steel tank.

We have put a few of the 69 tanks in 68's at our shop. You just have to tweak the neck a little.

Is the neck on the spectra's soldered in? Thinking of ordering the 69 style for my 68, but would like the option of installing the original 68 neck if I like that better.

EDIT: also, are these made from galvanized or some other protective treated metal?

One more question. Are these fairly protected in the box when shipped? I am guessing with the size they are, there a good chance they could get dinged up?

I'm probably going to order one from advance auto so I have some recourse if it arrives damaged.

it was shipped through auto zone . found 2 areas dented, but not affecting tank integrity,so kept and installed. very important not to flex neck at tank. it is soldered, but any flexing at the joint will cause a crack/ leak. how do i know? i had to buy the tank sealer epoxy to spread over a minute crack that kept seeping. all is well now and should last another 15-20 years. support the neck and flex only the neck. very slight adjustment required. z-man

Glad to hear its a soldered neck. I could always install the original neck from my 68 tank if needed. My 68 has been going through a nut & bolt restoration for seemingly forever. I am getting closer to finished, but given the level to which I am restoring the car, I am nervous about dents in the tank. Given the purpose of the tank, I am guessing they are not shipped with the greatest of care. Also, The 69 tank for some reason is less money than the 68, so I am going to go that route.

Whats up with the venting. I thought there was only the neck vent. why did the 68 have more than one? anybody know?

the neck vent is about a 1/4 inch at best. the vent forward of the LH side is 1/2 inch and seems to do the majority of the venting as your pulling fuel through a 3/8 line with a non vented cap. z man

So are the guys that run a 69 tank in a 68 just using a 69 cap then?
I have the tank on its way here. I hope it doesn't get damaged. I am picturing a non padded box that UPS will have their way with...... Seems like anytime something comes oversized or heavy it get hammered. makes me more than nervous.

I used the same cap that was on my '68. As for shipping, I paid at Advance Auto in the morning and picked it up at 1 pm. No damage as they just brought it from their warehouse.
I'm not sure what the tank is made of. I just degreased and clearcoated it with Dupli-Color clear. Still looks like the day I installed it.

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...pictureid=7933

Mine should be delivered tomorrow. I'll cross my fingers.

Do they come with much shipping protection?

Heavy cardboard box as I recall and I think maybe in a plastic bag... Nothing special....but it's fairly rugged.

The tank just showed up!

It Looks great, I am not disappointed as I was preparing to be.
the box was undamaged & the tank was wrapped well. No dents or dings. Very satisfied.
I have a bunch of parts coming from Ames next week too. Going to be like Christmas!

Ok, well I got home with it & looked closer.
maybe I get to have a little disappointment after all.... lol
But, at least its not dented! :oogle:

looks like its been this way a while.

Greg, can you lek at your car & tell me how much space you have between the bod & neck? (i made a red reference arrow on your picture) Going to tweak things before I repair the tank. I am guessing it needs to be pretty close?

Thanks

That photo is kind of misleading as the area you have the red line drawn in actually extends all the way up the the trailing edge of the trunk pan...that is, right below the trailing edge of the trunk lid visible at the top left of the photo...
With that in mind, it is about 4 inches. Mine could actually stand to go up another half inch. I didn't want to stress it though. So, let's say 3.5" from the bottom of the trunk pan/rear filler panel pinchweld to the top of the filler tube.
I'll bet a good radiator shop could solder that up pretty good for you.

I am a long ways from installing the tank yet, but want to get fitted. The body is upside down on the rotisserie right now so I can just lay the tank in place to check its fit. The neck is bent 1" to the side as well as the cracked joint. I don't think I'm going to bother bringing it back for a replacement, all though thats an option. From the looks of it, I appears the tank mounting area is what bends as the neck is incredibly solid by comparison.

I still have my original tank in deep storage too. I suppose I could always go get that & compare them. Its just not nearby or easy to do.

What was originaly used between the tank & body, tank & straps? I am finding conflicting info between strips & insulation sheets. The restoration manual doesn't show anything.

I did not use anything between the straps and the tank and I used a really nice pad that is an exact copy of the original between the tank and the trunk floor. It's supplied by a user here by the name of Patton Glade. Haven't seen him around lately but his user name is P Glade.

How thick are those pads? with no pads & the fuel pick up installed, the fuel lines hit the trunk floor. Seems the tank bows outward a little, so I can push it down some if needed, but there isn't much room on top right now.

EDIT: Tank was slightly tweaked. I also found a strap insulation kit I must have ordered a while back. Just rubber strips tho. Everything clears now

Pad is maybe 1/8~3/16 inch thick. It's kind of a rubberized material with a plastic liner on one side. Just like the originals. One of the more satisfactory items I've bought for my resto. I got another one for the '66 even though it's years from being restored probably.

I fitted the tank & adjusted the neck. I was able to get it into the center of where the bumper opening will be. What I found is, the neck itself does not bent. Its incredibly rigid. All movement comes from the tank flexing. I went a little further & brought the neck within 1/8- 3/16" of the recessed area in the body. This positioned the fill cap perfectly in the bumper opening.

But, for those looking to do this in the future, be warned that this movement will likely crack the solder joint. It really doesn't take much to crack it at all. the neck needs to pull out a little near the seam of the tank halves. Its too rigid & the solder gives out. Mine was already compromised out of the box not he top, so I really didn't care about that happening on the other side.

The good news is, its very easy to repair. A little flux & very careful with the heat & its a good seal again. I also pressure tested it to be sure. Once its full of fuel, I sure don't want to deal with leaks.

So, I can now put the tank back in the box & in storage until the car is in paint.

On a related note, Does anyone have a picture of where the bracket goes that holds the vent tube on the front corner of the tank? I replaced the floor pans, so if it went there, I have no way of knowing where it went originally.

This is all I could find so far.

Did you use a torch or an iron for the soldering?
I don't recall how the front vent was held in place on my car. It's been a while.

I used a torch, But all I have for a torch in the shop is map gas with a non-adjustable head.
It was way more heat than needed. It worked ok, but I had to be carful. I heated it at the neck & kept the flame aways back. It heats up really fast. just takes a few seconds of heat. The trick seems to be not letting it get too hot as the solder will run like water.

There are so many things with this car I am starting to forget. I have had it apart for so long it makes me sad. I was single & had all the time in the world when I started to tear it apart. Then marriage & a family happened. It just sits sometimes month after month.
But, Its darn near ready for paint & getting really close now.

That's what I was picturing...
As for how long it takes, I know. Took me ten years to get mine back on the road but it finally got there. I'm driving her now. :)

Right side tank support brace. Hope this helps. Ignore print on hose.

My Gas Tank Pads are the same thickness as the originals. From what I've been able to tell the factories did not use anything between the gas tank STRAPS and the tank underside....once the bolts are snugged up there is no movement there.

Thanks for the good words Greg!

If you have interest in a Gas Tank Pad just PM me with your zipcode and I can get you a total cost including shipping. I'll also be up in Milwaukee in July at the Olds Club of America Nationals and could easily deliver one there.

PM's sent. Thanks for all the help guys!

Hope this helps

On a related note
Please ,please do not let any one suggest that you block or cap off this “Vent Hose”.
I had my tank replaced at a radiator and gas tank shop,I mean this was their thing.
The so called expert told me “ you know you had a piece of hose just hanging off the back of your old tank,so I just put a cap on it”
I told him it's a vent it's supposed to be there, but he insisted he never had seen anything like that, and “It'll vent just fine”.
Now to explain,my '68 lemans has a Holly mech fuel pump which has no accommodation for a return line like the stock one, so it's just disconnected. Never had a problem.
It didn't take long, with the capped off vent hose, for gas to come spilling out of the return line and on to the garage floor. Luckily I found it before anything went KABOOM.
I took off the plug and put on the correct vent hose and no problems since.
After I told a few people this story one other guy told me his “mechanic” while doing other work under his GTO saw the hose and plugged it with a bolt. It was on the way home from the shop when people were flagging him down to warn him he was spilling gas all over the place (He also had a fuel pump w/ no return). Just lucky it didn't hit the headers and didn't do a full KABOOM.
JUST VENT IT.