Fuel System: Looking for opinions on Avanti gas tank options new or renew

[karterfred88]

Well, as I posted in another thread, getting my distributor to work right, my carb and fuel pump are again loaded with debris. Just drained the tank running the fuel through coffee filters to see what the amount of and type of crap was in there. Flakes of rust, black flakes of, I think, galvanized metal (tin or zinc turned black from oxidation) and some, I thought, were specks of plastic sealer. Dug out my trusty Harbor Freight digital inspection camera (bore scope) and went looking inside through the filler. Rust at seams, little specks of loose stuff on baffles bubbling off like pimples. But despite a copy of an invoice provided by the PO, not a sign of any sealer!!!! So out it will come, but repair or replace? I see one vendor with repro tanks, but in Aluminum. I don't think that's a good idea with E-10 gas. Total cost of "Renu" is probably near the price of that new one. I know there was, some time back, a stainless steel one sold by a vendor in Chicago (?). I don't belong to AOAi anymore, only received one of quarterly mags (out of the 4 promised), and found it more full of pretty pictures than tech. Anyone have any luck with a custom tank builder like-"Rick's" in TX or maybe someone more local to Delaware?

[sweetolbob]

George Dimitsas at Olympus Avanti in Chicago had the SS tanks at the last SB swap meet. I'll pm address if necessary. 773-4 eight 6-60 two six.

Neat guy and prices are pretty good. I think the SS tank was $500 but just from memory. He may have had steel too. The other source would be Dan Booth at Nostalgic in Wixom Mi.

The tanks are pretty straight forward so I would think anyone like Rick's could put one together fairly easily.

Upon further review, We have a metal shop here locally (Ackerman's) that does about anything sheet metal. I'll bet they could cut out two side panels and roll/fabricate the tank body. I'd probably give someone like that a call. I've had them do several jobs for me over the years with excellent results.

Bob

[64V-K7]

For around $80, you can get a POR-15 reconditioning kit. Includes a cleaning flush, an etching acid and 2-3 qts of POR-15 sealer. You can enhance the cleaning by sloshing around a high detergent soap solution and a half dozen lug nuts beforehand. There are baffles separating each third of the tank so smaller abrasives are better.

[Alan]

Get a new one from George. I had an old friend at Mattson Radiator in Orange County do a Renu on my tank $395. But my tank had a few pin holes in the corners. A little crusty here and there. So I let them put new ends on it, by the time they were done I could have bought one of Georges SS tanks for less than $100 more.

[karterfred88]

For around $80, you can get a POR-15 reconditioning kit. Includes a cleaning flush, an etching acid and 2-3 qts of POR-15 sealer. You can enhance the cleaning by sloshing around a high detergent soap solution and a half dozen lug nuts beforehand. There are baffles separating each third of the tank so smaller abrasives are better.

Thanks, if I didn't live in a subdivision and had a way to dispose of the acid wash, I'd consider it. So I'm stuck using someone else to do it, or just buy one and get rid of the problem forever.

[gordr]

I think this is a good place to buy new. The Avanti tank has baffles in it that are spot welded to the top and bottom. If one those spot welds breaks, you could have a leak at that point, but also the remaining spot welds will be stressed as the baffle flexes under the force of sloshing fuel. So even after you re-seal, a weld could subsequently break, and start a new leak. And the tank is inside the car.

[karterfred88]

I've left three messages for George, no call backs-is that normal? Got a "quote" from Rick's in TX --a bit more than the car is worth!! Contacted Bob at Avanti Restoration in PA and his are welded aluminum, Nostalgic only sends them out and has them recoated and baked, need mine-cost about same as the aluminum one. No fabricators locally are willing to make gas tanks--liability issues! I'm beginning to get frustrated.

[Alan]

Don't give up on George. I have bought a number of things from him over the years and the same thing happens to me. He is off to meets. Or on a cruse. You will catch him, be patient.
When you do get him, his service is good and fast.

[karterfred88]

Well George called back, out of stock, waiting on new batch to come in. The economics of this are not working out. Car value on a good day-wind blowing the right way $10-15K. Reseal-$500.00, Aluminum repro, $600.00, Stainless $950.00 plus shipping, Custom stainless $1000.00 plus. I'm leaning towards taking it to NJ, having it washed out, pouring in a few quarts of sealer and sticking 5 or 6 filters in line and driving it till it dies again, or sell it after it's running again, and find a better one to start with and cut my losses. It isn't fun any more.

[Alan]

Georges prices have gone up. The stainless tanks were around $800 when I was in the market for one. I would go with the aluminum repro.

[sweetolbob]

Yoiks!!! Did I mis-remember the price on that thing, Sorry. Have you thought about a pickup truck tank? A lot of them mounted behind the seat.

For example - 70's Chebby http://www.lmctruck.com/Features/CB/...uS8aArfk8P8HAQ

Bob

[gordr]

It has been a long time since I had the tank out of my first Avanti. It was leaking at several of the spot welds that hold the baffles to the bottom. I cleaned the bottom of the tank real well at the site of each leak, and soldered a copper penny over each one. Solved the problem for as long as I owned the car. If I had the same problem now, I would remove the tank and try to determine exactly where the leaks are, and proceed accordingly. Being somewhat of a CASO, I'd consider cutting the bottom out of the tank and welding in a new one before spending upwards of $800 on a new tank. The tank, IIRC, is simply a long rectangular box with the front of it at an angle to match the rake of the rear seat.

[Springstreet]

[karterfred88]

Well I guess labor rates have sky rocketed, material costs gone bonkers, and liability insurance is ridiculous. Since I don't have any leaks, just falling apart internally I'm going to think on it some more and see what level of commitment I have for this car. Maybe I need to take up sheet metal fabrication and learn to TIG weld-- could probably buy most of the equipment needed for the cost of the tank-then stare at it in my garage when I'm finished.

[plwindish]

I had the tank in my 76 Avanti II redone by a local radiator shop 4 years ago. There were no leaks, but he said the spot welds for the baffles were thin and he soldered over the spot welds, around 40 of them. With the tank flush, coating and soldering, it was around $150.00. Doing the tank treatment and sealing the inside of the cabin with fat mat eliminated a faint gas smell that was in the cabin.