I received some supplies from Amazon yesterday so I could drain the gas tank, lube the cylinders and change the oil. After sitting through cold and rainy little league game, I was eager to drain the tank. I could see that there was gas sitting in the tank but it was hard to determine how much. My initial plan of attack was to get the tank emptied so I could move forward with prepping for the initial start up by key this weekend.
After putting together the siphon, my oldest and youngest came out to help. One held the siphon in the tank I was draining into and the other pumped the siphon. I worked the hose in the gas tank while using a flashlight in the tank to see what I was getting and what kind of shape it was in.
It turns out that the gas tank is in some pretty bad shape. After draining the liquid out, it appears that there are large pieces of what look like rust in the tank and the return line looks terrible. This is the first real decision point I have hit. Do I pull the tank and refurbish it or do I pull the tank and replace it? I am new to the whole car repair scene but I am confident that I can get the job done. The concern I had was more about keeping things original than the actual work. I spent the evening researching and bounced the idea off of folks that have been down this road. Consensus seems to be, replace the tank and get rid of the headache for good. This is the route I will take, I am hopeful that I can get the tank out and get the new one in without needing to outsource the job or remove the exhaust. As it turns out it is about $100 more the buy a new tank kit that comes with other parts that I will likely need based on the appearance of the existing tank. With a retro, I would need to clean it and seal it (about $80) plus I may need new parts which when sold separately will cost more than the kit.
So tonight, I will start on the other end by pulling the plugs and getting them lubed, then onto the oil change and over the weekend, I will pull the tank while I am waiting for the new one to arrive. I will try to get a picture of the sludge too for reference.
http://www.ecklerscorvette.com/corvette-gas-tank-kit-1970-1974.html
