Hiya. 1954 GMC 1/2-ton, 248, Hydramatic, all stock. The truck hasn't gone very far for the past 15-20 years and has essentially sat for about 5. About five years ago, I was driving the truck and it just stopped climbing a hill. I drifted it back into a driveway and after a lot of tinkering (and help from a friend who happened to be passing by) discovered that the fuel filter on the pump was packed with fine rust. We cleaned it out and eventually got the truck running again.
This past summer, I discovered the truck wouldn't start, but it'd crank and run off of a squirt of ether. So I ran a line from a gas can into the pump and the old girl ran better than she has in years. I was able to move the truck out and back into a better spot in the garage, but it certainly ain't roadworthy under the current jury-rigged setup. I did find that the rubber line by the tank was very cracked. I cut it, but gas was just trickling out. I plugged the line with a bolt and hose clamp before heading back overseas.
So, finally, the question: Do I just order a new tank, sender (I don't think the gas gauge has read anything but 1/4 tank for at least 30 years), et al., and swap the whole tank and line(s?) out when I'm home next summer? Or do I try just replacing the rubber line, assuming the pump was sucking air through the cracks even though it wasn't leaking gas? Knowing there's rust in the tank and I need a sender anyway, I'm tempted to replace everything, but is that overkill?
An extenuating circumstance is that I'll probably only be home for a week or so next summer and therefore won't have time to take off the old tank, clean it out, and seal it, which I'd try if time weren't an issue. And my mom is likely moving across town next fall, so I'd like to have the truck able to be driven to the new place--she's already likely to have to tow my late father's '41 Chevy sedan, which she's not parted with yet.
Anyway, that's enough words for now. Thanks in advance for your advice!
-Dave
