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New tanks are coated or have a terne (sp?) coating that protects them. Having rust above the fuel level is a nightmare, especially on the underside of the top of the tank. As that area is very hard to clean. I went around and around with rust cloging fuel filters.

I could run the car for hours in the garage with no issue. But drive it a few blocks with the fuel sloshing around and in breaks that rust scale loose and then that gets sucked up and next thing you know your walking home to get tools to clean out the filter.

I took my tank and had it Renu'd. The drill holes in the tank it various spots to be able to media blast it to bare metal. The holes are then plugged and then it's coated inside and out with an epoxy sealer that is then baked on. Far more durable than "pour-in" style sealers and guaranteed for life.

When I did mine, repo's from Kanter were not available yet. But the cost was relatively the same. I still have a mondo-sized aviation fuel filter back by the tank as getting stranded by a fuel clogged has left me traumatized.

All this is covered in my project blog.

New tanks are typically coated so they do not do that. They are never left bare even though they may look that way.

I was on the fence about coating, but everyone's responses here have pushed my hand - I've got some red kote that should be ready for pickup tomorrow at the "O" store.

OEM metal gas tanks were generally made of "terne plate" as Kev noted. No, it's not galvanizing but it's related, the steel is coated with a tin/lead alloy of about 20%/80% rather than zinc.

I sealed the tank yesterday, and started painting the outside. I saw several members here go with silver, so I did as well.

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Chipping away at various things, including the BTV. I’ve torn down the original BTV that came with the car all the way and the spare down to the steel washer in the master cylinder. While the spare appears to have mostly older components the return spring is intact and the compensator spring is in great shape. What is odd is my original BTV had been rebuilt sometime in the not too distant past but it must have gotten water in it because the compensator spring is corroded and broken and the return spring is rusted and broken. Odd stuff. In the spare the rod won’t come out. The other one came out fairly easy after a few tugs. Anyone got any suggestions?

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As long as the retaining ring is out there should only be a steel washer, fiber washer, the seal and the funny shaped piston cup retainer at the end that is sort of a guide for the rod and seat for the seal. If water got into the unit possibly some corrosion has set in and the other parts are in effect glued to the bore.

I cannot remember if the seal retainer piece is steel or aluminum but if aluminum, corrosion could have swelled both items until they are firmly attached together. If the retainer ring is out and still no cooperation after a penetrating or brake fluid soak you might protect the end of the rod and then clamp it in a vise. Pull back on the master with a few sharp tugs and see if it separates. If corrosion is the issue there is every chance the rod or the cylinder or washer will need to be replaced.

There is a thread herepackardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb ... c_id=21821&order=ASC&status=&mode=0 where another BTV was stubborn. Ross had some ideas and PackardDon detailed the replacement parts and where to buy the repro rod and master casting. On the repro casting, the relief port is not drilled. This was a huge discussion a few years ago when it was found one of the rebuilders was filling the port with silicone. It is felt by other rebuilders that this port is definitely needed and should be drilled before installing the repro casting.

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Howdy,

I still have the hood trunk and doors if you need them you can have them I don't really want to scrap them. Let me know.

Howard,

I ate my spinach, and went back and finally yanked it free. The seals had definitely fused. I cleaned up the bore a bit, and also grabbed a shot of the reservoir. It might be hard to tell, but I'd love to get people's opinion on whether this master cylinder can be reused or if I need to use the original (which I will post photos of here shortly)

Mike,

I'll PM you.

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Took some time to mount the fuel tank. Went relatively smoothly. First I compared the old fuel sender to the new, and bent the new one to match the travel of the old. I’ve also installed the new fuel pump up front. I installed an after marker fuel filter just before the pump, to catch and residual crud in the line from the tank to the pump. As I was all set to crank the car over, when I turned the key the starter labored for a bit then wouldn’t do anything. Back in early 2021 I got it to turn over nicely and even fired off ether, so not sure what’s wrong from it just sitting. The motor still turns freely and the battery was just charged, and read 12.63 volts. Should I yank the starter to confirm it is working? It’s a hassle so I’m open to suggestions before attempting that…

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