SD-455 coming to shop next month
 

I have an SD-455 TA coming to my shop next month for some work. Car has been in climate controlled storage for 41 years but hasn't run in 30-35 years. First order of business is going to be repair or replacement of the gas tank as I was told it's leaking and has 40 year old gas in it. Does any vendor offer a VERY HIGH QUALITY, OE looking tank for a 74? Need a tank worthy of a numbers matching, low mileage SD car, Or am I going to have to try and find an NOS tank? May be able to have this one repaired? Thank you for leads and/or ideas.

I don’t think they are available.

I believe the tank is the same from '74-'81. You might want to remove and save the fill neck from the original tank. I put a new tank in my '74 and we installed the original fill neck.

Looks like Rock Auto carries three different brands.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...fuel+tank,6268

Original filler neck
 

That's what you gotta do.
Might try Advance Autoparts, & if dented or scuffed, send it back.

I have gotten two tanks for the 79 Camaro/IA and the 81 TA and they both looked pretty close with a neck installed already. Necks were a hair different in the nozzle area. 81 Tank I used a SS one(also in the 65 GTO when I did it a few years ago) and you can tell they are not a galvanized stock tank.

There is an old fashion radiator shop here that boils them out and solder repairs them if that one is not too bad.

^^^^ this and use the 15-20% discount they usually offer (or Autozone)...that's how I got my Spectra.

Get a 75 tank and make your own cap

Auto City Classic in Minnesota lists a gas tank for 1974-1977 Firebirds, although I don't know how accurate it is so you should call them to discuss: https://www.autocityclassic.com/firebird-gas-tanks/

Lots of decent options it seems. I have used Spectra radiators and several tanks on regular customer cars and they seem to be OK. I guess I will have to compare the stampings to the OE tank and how the corners are put together. Nice to know the same tank was used for several years. Going to go look at the car in storage in a few weeks and determine how to get it over to the shop. The 40+ year old tires all hold air. Obviously, it will need a battery, fluids changed, oil pump primed, and a carb kit. I will call Cliff and get one.

Any that say 74-77 are clearly a Chev-based parts supplier, but then, most are. 74-78 for Firebird, 74-77 for Camaro. Spectra Premium GM203 is the best, made in Canada. Or as the US says, North America.

One member here went through several Spectra tanks before one was found not to be scratched and dented. Apparently they are not well protected once they leave the Spectra facility.

I must have been lucky to get one shipped to Australia, barely had any extra packing inside box, if at all, but somehow still unmarked. Just took off the shelf and sent, that special touch of customer service, same for across the street as across the world.

https://ecat.spectrapremium.com/products/GM203

I bought a new tank for my 79 t/a from firebird central. Soldered in place neck. I picked it up at carlilse to avoid shipping. Price was reasonable (as shipping is what kills the deal on these things) and side by side with my old tank it was identical only new. Not sure how it compares to a 74 tank.

Ironically there is a gas tank company less than 10 minutes from house. They are fairly well known but dont stock a lot of stuff. I checked with them and they still wanted to charge me shipping which was almost as much as the tank.

Bought a Spectra tank from PY a number of years ago and picked it up at Norwalk. It was a better price than any of our suppliers in Canada. Go figuire. Just getting to it now but will be changing the neck. The original neck uses the early quarter turn cap where the repop tank has the later thread style cap. Being that it is a original car I would be trying to clean/solder its born with tank, install a new sock on the pick up and reinstall with new fuel hose that will hold up to todays fuel. Sounds like a great project.

Thanks for the part number. I can buy Spectra through my regular channels as a NAPA master dealer. No shipping. Of course some of the "shipping" is built into the slightly higher prices. But NAPA will take care of me if there is any damage. Now a question for the SD-455 experts. Is there any known markings or numbers or anything to identify the OE tank as an SD gas tank? Trying to do a nice job for this owner and do not want to do anything to hurt the value of the car.

No different markings that I am aware of.

On the filler neck, I would save the original, even if you don't use it for now. 1974 was the last year for leaded gas so all the fillers after that had the restricted inlet in the end of the pipe to keep people from putting leaded gas in cars with catalytic converters.

Thanks for that info I had forgotten. Spectra sells that tank without a filler neck also. I should get that one and transfer the OE neck to that tank. Great information. That means the filler cap is very different as well. The 75 and newer would have a screw cap and 74 and older the cap with 2 tabs?

yes correct

One I had I got from Summit took 2 to get the filler neck not tweaked.

The Spectra sending unit I got for the 81 is cheesy-sits a hair taller, the one I got from Ames looks better and closer to stock on the inside.

If you are needing a repair option, see Powell Radiator in Wilmington. He's a one man operation, and seems to be the RainMan for radiators and gas tanks. He did the 53 studebaker radiator and gas tank, 54 Olds radiator, 93 suburban 2500 radiator and a bunch of others... he has even done some for J** **** and built a few for brass era cars just based on old pictures. Last of a dying breed.