The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Clean and use old gas tank and radiator or replace with new?

I am looking for some advice about how to proceed with the stock radiator and gas tank in my 1960 C10.

I pulled the head for a valve job and there was a fair amount of crud accumulated against the thermostat that passed through the upper radiator hose. It doesn’t leak but I don’t know how bad it is inside. I also pulled the gas tank and it has some black crumbly loose crud inside and some sticky residue inside where the sending unit assembly attaches. The float and sending unit assembly were pretty badly rusted but what I could see inside the tank didn’t look too bad. There was no liquid fuel in the tank, it has been sitting for years.

Should I try to clean these parts or just replace them? If I should replace, where is a good place to obtain reliable and compatible parts. I’d like to just use the old parts if possible although I’m not sure if it’s really possible to effectively clean them out without being able to see inside or doing more damage to old, thin metal.

New gas tanks are cheap insurance. I got one for my ‘62 from Rockauto.com. Radiators can be cleaned or buy a aluminum direct replacement. I got one for my ‘62 off of eBay.

Fuel Tank

From the gas cap to carburetor, the fuel related 1960 parts were made before Ethanol gasoline existed.
If you plan to run today's Ethanol gas (typically E10) then replace it all with parts made for or not affected by Ethanol.
After a month, Ethanol breaks down to component parts and one of them is water.
Fuel additives only delay the inevitable....UNLESS...you religiously drain the month's-old Ethanol from your complete system.
If this is too expensive, buy a back-up carburetor and fuel pump and change your fuel filters often.
If you run all stock parts, like I do, only use non-Ethanol gas.
It's the same with old lawnmowers, chainsaws, weed eaters, tractors, gasoline farm engines etc.


Radiator

A good experienced radiator shop will give you the best advice.
Let them boil and pressure test.

I’ve done both. Replaced my radiator with a new direct bolt in aluminum in my 1963 C10. Couldn’t be happier and the cost was about the same a a radiator shop recore. Just depends if you insist on original or not. Keep in mind that V8 and Inline 6 radiators have different shapes.

I had a nice 1965 fuel tank that I restored with a KBS Coatings fuel tank restoration kit. It went very well but took time. So what is your time worth? I saved $50 but spent 5 hours doing the resto. You decide. If the tank has lots of goo inside, that can be tough to clean out.

Thank you. I did replace the fuel pump but only rebuilt the carb with a kit. I don't know if I can buy non-ethanol gas where I live so I will have to keep that wear and tear on the older system in mind. I plan on at least bringing my old radiator to a local shop to see if they can provide a recommendation and some prices for different options.


Thanks, I do like DIY for some things but I am not sure cleaning and then sealing an old gas tank is one of them. I like the idea of using the old existing parts but am not really sure how bad/good the interior of this old tank is.

Here is where to buy non-ethanol gas.
https://www.pure-gas.org/extensions/maps.jsp

I use an old school method of cleaning a gas tank- - - - -put a couple of shovels of gravel inside it, strap it to a rear wheel on my tractor, and spend a couple of hours bush-hogging one of my pastures. It does a really good job of dislodging the crud in the tank, but it also finds some pinhole leaks that the crud was plugging up, occasionally. If buying a new tank won't make your checkbook need CPR, it's a much better choice!
Jerry

In a worst case scenario you can get 100% gas at a marina. Thanks Wayne for the link, I could not recall what it was. Good info.

If I was using my truck as a frequent driver, I would convert everything over to run Ethanol gas.
For a Sunday or occasional drive, car show etc., I would keep it stock and run non-Ethanol.
Drain tank afterwards if I was forced to run Ethanol.

Sealing a tank properly means stripping down to bare metal, flush, apply neutralizer, flush, then heat dry quickly before the rust begins.
Once completely dry, apply sealer.
Applying sealer over crud may not work if the crud frees it's bond with the metal. Then it may fall and stop-up the fuel tank outlet.

Now it's time to have fun.

When Jerry's (Hotrod Lincoln's) "tank crud cleaner" is finished, he would install an in-line fuel filter, after the tank, and another filter after the fuel pump.
He knows that a tiny piece of tank crud (and probably gravel dust) is lurking around for a chance to ruin his nice carburetor rebuild. The nice filters will catch it all.
Fast forward 5 years, Jerry's truck starts running bad. He begins troubleshooting and would probably do the easy checks first.
If nothing obvious he would eventually check fuel flow. Oh my! Not enough fuel. A fuel filter is blinded from tank crud. I can replace it and problem solved.

Now use me as the "dumb mechanic".
I, like many others, would replace spark plugs, ignition points, fuel pump, do the carburetor again then question an engine rebuild.
The last thing I would check is...you got it....fuel filters.

Now to be serious again.

Even with dual filters, very fine particles from a rusty tank will make it through both, to your carburetor fuel bowl (picture).
It's scary.

One addition to that excellent description- - - - -install a spin-on filter adapter down on a frame rail near the fuel tank, and run a Diesel fuel or hydraulic fluid filter between the tank and the fuel pump. It will last for years before it becomes clogged sufficiently to need replacing, and the filter media is much finer than anything designed to strain the foreign matter out of gasoline.
Jerry

If new gas tanks are available that is the option to go with. I didn't have that option on my 38 so I had to go with cleaning and sealing mine. I cleaned the tank with muriatic acid then sealed with Redkote liner. It's been almost 20 years and so far so good.

One can also use aviation fuel, 100 low lead or lower grade will not have alky in it, find a small airport nearby.

Ed

I took my radiator and tank into a local shop. They are going to clean out the tank and test it out. The radiator will get a test as well. The inside of my gas tank really did not look too bad to me, just some thin black crust but no serious rust that I could see. Cleaning and testing was cheaper than buying a new tank, hopefully it works out. I have a feeling the radiator has more serious internal issues based on the rusty bits and sludge in the pipes to the engine. I will wait to see what their tests show and how much different options cost before deciding on what to do with the radiator.

I heard back from the radiator shop, they said my old one is no good (don't know all the details yet but I'll find out). What do I need to look for in a direct replacement? I'll have a look at ebay. I assume the shop will give me some options for a new one as well but I don't want to have to update other stuff as well to accommodate a new thicker radiator (like an electric fan because the new radiator would touch the old engine-mounted fan).

In August, I installed a brand new fuel tank from NPD in my 1950 3100.

Not only was it a perfect fit, it was better made than the original. It was made in Canada. The tie down straps and cradle were also of a better design and quality than the original. It all looks stock if that interests you.

NPD lists a 1960 in-cab tank for a $151.00. You can't beat that with a stick.

I just noticed in the catalog that 1960-1966 Chevy tanks are "imported" and not the Canadian made ones.

I wouldn't worry about that, though. I also replaced a fuel tank in a 1966 Mustang with one purchased from NPD. It was imported from Korea and is also a very high quality part. All bolt holes, etc lined up perfectly.

www.npdlink.com

I had my original tank cleaned out at the radiator shop. It was less than the price of a new one and I didn't think it was too bad inside (didn't look rusty just had a thin layer of some dried up black material). I had not heard of NPD before thanks for the suggestion. If this one has issues I will look into one of those.

The radiator shop can't re-core your old one?

they can recore but it costs $600. I guess I was hoping I could replace it for less. I bought a new radiator for my 2000 4Runner and it was under $200 direct from Toyota. I know it's apples to oranges but I definitely didn't expect $600.

You can buy direct fit aluminum radiators off of eBay for less than $250. Get some black radiator paint and paint the top and bottom tanks for a reasonable authentic look.

It's hard to justify spending $600 when you can get a new aluminum one for less than half that from Jeg's. Classic Industries also sells one that looks stock/brass if you have to have that OEM look.

Mike B

yes I am more comfortable at that price point. A local guy recommended a champion Al radiator. The Classic Industries ones are made in the USA and look nice and original but are north of $500. I don't think I am willing to spend that much so I'll deal with the new radiator look.

I haven't looked into it in detail but it looks like the newer radiators mount differently. I also read some are thicker and will not fit with the stock engine fan. Anyone have experience with this?

I bought copper/brass US made from Jim Carter a few years ago. It was surprisingly affordable at the time, but I don’t think they are any more.

I also bought the highly recommended Canadian Spectra tank. The inlet is at a weird angle and I struggled to make it work. Still bugs me that the filler neck on the truck is nearly horizontal now.

When did you buy your tank?

Mine was exactly correct (purchased in September 2021).

I wonder if yours was just a fluke welded together incorrectly or if they recognized the problem and adjusted the filler neck on future production?

The side by side comparison photo of old and new isn't very good. The perspective makes the new tank look a lot larger than the original but they are identical.

It was probably 2015. I have heard only good about these, so figure mine must have been a fluke. If I ever get around to it, I might shorten the metal up and figure out some longer hoses that can get the angle better.

I was in the same boat as you last year. I ended up cleaning my gas tank utilizing a modified version of Hot Rod Lincoln`s method with good success. I got the same report and similar price tag for a re-core on the original radiator. My radiator had one very small leak so I replaced it with this[email]https://www.ebay.com/itm/293641970860.The fit was good I just had to use different sized hose for the lower connection. Saved the old radiator to use on an engine run stand. Good luck!

Try not to use eBay links as they time out after 90 days making them useless to anyone reading this post at a later date. Naming the manufacture and model number is way more helpful!

Mike B

I've had good success with Champion radiators and they come with a really nice radiator cap. I'm sure they have gone up but couple years ago I ordered one while they were at the big swap meet at Charlotte Motor Speedway and in about two weeks it came to my door, all for $200 bucks.

...yeah, I had a quote of almost 600 bucks locally from our "big" radiator guys. I simply put my old radiator on the back of my truck.....and there is only ONE "real" radiator place left close to me and they certainly take advantage of it. Moral of my story is we don't have to pay their price. Shop around.