REPAIRING CCKW FUEL TANK

RANGER · Post by **RANGER** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 1:25 am

When repairing/replacing your fuel tank, examine the fuel pick up tube, it may have rusted to the point it is too short. a NOS one reaches to within 1" of the bottom of the tank. NOS ones are difficult to obtain, no one seems to have any. I have made replicas by using similar Weatherhead fittings that have to be slightly modified, drilled to proper tubing size and soldered to a length of steel tubing.

Remember, your repaired and cleaned fuel tank, if not coated after the repair, will immediately start to rust again, and that means Carburetor problems. New fuel tanks have a terneplate protective plating. Terneplate is a very soft metal and is corrosion resistent. It deteriorates when in contact with stale fuel or the residue of old dried out fuel.
There is nothing like an NOS fuel tank.

There have been some posts about repairing CCKW fuel tanks that mention using vacuum cleaners and blow driers to clean or dry fuel tanks.
Think twice as this can KILL you! I have witnessed a few repairs of fuel tanks that resulted in EXPLOSION. One Jeep fuel tank was steam cleaned for 20 minutes and cold water was run thru it for a couple hours. It exploded when the mechanic attempted to solder it.
The fumes can permeate the seams and when heated, can explode, even if rinsed or steam cleaned. Vacuum Cleaner motors arc when running and hair driers or those paint remover tools can cause ignition as they have both heay anf there is sparking at their commutators..

RANGER · Post by **RANGER** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 5:21 pm

Remember, that on the LWB CCKW fuel tank, the M-135/M-211 Straps are the same as used on the CCKW and can be used.

RANGER · Post by **RANGER** » Sat Oct 21, 2006 2:47 pm

As a youngster, I witnessed a dumb, but humorous trick. The Shell Station across the street from our neighborhood hangout Sunoco station had a 1950s Ford sedan with the rear mounted fuel tank filler, it was dusk, and we all heard this "Bap", "Bap", "Bap rapid fire noise. The operator at the station has syphoned the gas out of the sedans tank, and had adapted an Electro Lux vacuum cleaner hose with an extension to suck out sand from the insideof the tank. With each "Bap" there was a little flame at the rear of the Electro Lux. They were lucky as SPARKS and FUEL TANKS don't mix. It did gave me a story to tell forever. Lots of funny lifetime experiences happened at Larry Campbells Sunoco Station, some of it related to MVs also.