Maxine, from my vantage point, I only hope my truck looks that good when I finish. You are going to have a real showstopper! It warms my heart to see you going the “original route” and trying to preserve as much as possible on your truck. With all of that said, Carl is most likely right about the tank. The best thing that happened to me while trying to remove my sending unit screws was placing my knee against a weak place on the tank. Even though it looked good on the outside, it almost went through! I went ahead and removed the sending unit using PB Blaster and needle nose vise grips and like he said, it was gummed up and rusted beyond repair. A good sniff test should tell you if they stabilized or drained the fuel in the tank. Look for a strong varnish smell. I had no other choice but to buy a new tank, which I found on eBay from JEGS. Funny thing, it is cheaper through eBay than through JEGS.
JEGS Fuel Tank At least it was at the time I purchased it. I am very pleased with the tank and it appears to look exactly like the original with all of the bends and fittings and openings in all of the right places. It also came with the sending unit gasket and screws. As for gaskets, you will probably need the big donut (not Krispy Crème) at the bottom of the tank as well as various mounting pads, grommets, etc. I purchased all of these at Classic Parts of America along with a new sending unit and flexible fuel line. Now I am hungry, craving some of those Krispy Crèmes right out of the fryer. Thanks Carl!
From looking at your truck from the outside, you may not have the same problems as me. You should know when you get the sending unit removed. If there is any doubt though, there is nothing like the peace of mind you will have in knowing good clean gas is making it to the carburetor. You will also need to check your fuel lines for rust on the inside. They may need replacing. I know mine did.
Let us know how it goes.
