Gas tank dimensions ??

Discussion in 'Technical' started by fullcm, Jul 26, 2017.

  1. fullcm

    fullcm Doug

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    I have a 74 Maverick that I have only owned for a couple of months. The previous owner replaced the gas tank at some point, looks fairly new. I know that the 74 had a 17 gallon tank and 76 on had the larger 19 gallon tank.
    Auto Krafters only carries the 19 and they say it will work in the 74 if you use the longer straps. I assume that mine is a 17 g but I suppose there is a chance that they put in a 19 g.
    The reason I need to know which one I have is I need to replace the sending unit and want to make sure I buy the correct one. I really don't want to drain out the tank and refill to find out capacity, then drain again to change the sending unit.
    So my question is, is there an easy way to tell 17 vs 19 gallon while the tank is still on the car? Maybe by measuring the outside dimensions?

    Thanks.
     
  2. rthomas771

    rthomas771 Member

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    19 gallon on left...74 tank on right. Notice the kick-out on left side of newer tank

    [​IMG]
     
  3. fullcm

    fullcm Doug

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  4. fullcm

    fullcm Doug

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    A picture is worth 1000 words. I definitely have the 17 gallon tank. Thank you for the help.
     
  5. fullcm

    fullcm Doug

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    I just realized, it looks like the sending unit can be replaced without even needing to drop the gas tank.
     
  6. 71gold

    71gold Frank Cooper Supporting Member

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    I have a drain plug in my tank now. before I would jack up the driver side tire and that puts most of the gas on the other side from the sending unit. of course that want work with a full tank...
     
  7. fullcm

    fullcm Doug

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    Thats a good idea, this keeps getting easier sounding. For some reason I initially thought I would need to drop the tank but now I see everything looks accesable from below.
     
  8. rthomas771

    rthomas771 Member

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    You can try it without dropping the tank. I tried that 2 or 3 times on my Falcon and the sender unit leaked. I ended up removing the tank to get the 0-ring centered. I even used a little axle grease to hold the 0-ring in place but that didn't work either.
     
  9. Gombie72

    Gombie72 Member

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    Seems as the picture you originally had disappeared. Any chance you still have it on file somewhere? I have the same issue, except my tank is rusted so bad I cant go two months without my carburetor gunking up and keeping me from even starting the thing.
     
  10. rthomas771

    rthomas771 Member

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    [​IMG]
     
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  11. Gombie72

    Gombie72 Member

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    Thanks so much! So the tank on the left is the original 19, and the one on the left is aftermarket?
     
  12. rthomas771

    rthomas771 Member

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    Tank on left is what came in my '74 from the factory...tank on right is the replacement tank
     
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  13. Gombie72

    Gombie72 Member

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    What all did you need to replace your tank? Did you just need the longer straps, or did you also need to do something different for the sender unit and filler neck?
     
  14. rthomas771

    rthomas771 Member

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    When I bought the tank the sending unit came with tank. I used my straps but used 1" longer bolts I got from the hardware store. I also bought the later vapor valve https://www.parts123.com/parts123/dyndetail.pta?acclink=0001018oAAAKW and grommet https://www.parts123.com/parts123/dyndetail.pta?acclink=0001018oAAAKX

    [​IMG]
     
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  15. Gombie72

    Gombie72 Member

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