RumblingV8
Forum Newbie
Posts: 95
Loc: Allentown, PA
Reg: 03-11-12
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03-13-12 06:58 PM - Post#2202236
I'm not sure what kind of other place I'd post this, so here goes.
I have a '58 Biscayne (4 door, 283 with the 4 barrel carb, powerglide, for those who are wondering) that was purchased new by my great-grandfather, then passed down to my late uncle as a college graduation present. None of my cousins were interested (all girls), and the car was passed to me, even though i wasn't born yet (popped out 3 months later). I am 16 now, and working on the car with my dad.
Long story short, the car was not running when my uncle passed away, (sticker on the windshield says it was due for inspection in '78) but we do know he had been working on it before that. For the last 16 years, then, it has been moved around to wherever we could find space to store it, with some amount of gas in it. We don't know how much yet, but are going to find out soon.
My question is, what to do with all that old gas. My dad seems to think we have to drop the entire tank and clean it out, and this old-timer mechanic we know had said to just run new gasoline through it (mixed in) and we're good to go. What's the best way to go about this? I'd like to do it right the first time, because that means more time to work on other parts of the car and more money that stays in my pocket, because i am funding the entire thing.
Thanks in advance!
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 Sting Ray
"7th Year" Silver Supporting Member
Posts: 2557
Loc: Drag City, California
Reg: 02-19-05
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03-13-12 07:19 PM - Post#2202248
In response to RumblingV8
Nice score on the '58!  Draining the gas out of the tank and carb would probably be the best thing to do. Todays gas can go bad in a little over a month and turn to varnish. Dropping the tank and hot tanking it would be the hot setup. Eastwood and other companys have a sealer for inside it too.
I always add Sta-bil to my cars and bikes that don't get driven much.
Post some pics of your ride. 
Bleeds Chevy Orange
1957 Chevy 150, 3-spd
1964 Corvette two top convert, 4-spd
1965 Pontiac GTO hrdtp, tri-power, 4-spd, 4.11's
1967 El Camino, 427, 4-spd
2009 Corvette coupe, triple black, 436 hp, 6-spd
www.cardomain.co |
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Timothys Chevy
Valued Contributor
Posts: 3651
Loc: Fredericton, New Brunswic...
Reg: 09-24-03
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03-13-12 07:22 PM - Post#2202251
In response to Sting Ray
Ditto on that, cars need fresh gas to burn right! It will probably need a bunch of things, like a fuel filter, and a tune-up, and replacing anything that might seem questionable..
~~Timothy~~
1984 Chevy Citation 2.5
2009 Pontiac Vibe AWD
1993 Buick Park Avenue
2001 Pontiac Sunfire GTX
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 Jerry Acheson
"10th Year" Platinum Supporting Member
Posts: 4933
Loc: Glenview, IL
Reg: 12-30-00
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03-13-12 08:05 PM - Post#2202266
In response to Timothys Chevy
Welcome to the forum. This is the place to find the answers to your questions. They guys and gals here are eager to help. Congrats on getting that car and for taking on such a project. We need young people such as yourself to continue the hobby.
That fuel is bad and it's probably destroyed the fuel filter, fuel pump and carburetor. You may as well plan on rebuilding or replacing all of those parts. I'd also plan to replace all rubber parts (brake cylinders, hoses, seals, etc.) If they're not leaking now, they will be when you get the car rolling.
While this sounds like a big challenge, it's not that bad. You can get what you needs from the sponsors on this site.
Don't be afraid to ask questions here. As I said, folks here are eager to help. Another thing you'll learn is that we looooove pictures. Post some when you get a chance. Also, tell us your plans for this car.
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 Hobart
"5th Year" Silver Supporting Member
Posts: 1496
Loc: Chicago, IL USA
Reg: 11-18-02
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03-13-12 11:16 PM - Post#2202318
In response to RumblingV8
Welcome to to CT! This is a great place to be!
IMHO, since you are trying to do this as cheaply as possible, I'd drain all of the gas out of the car as possible, put a couple gallons of fresh premium in the tank along with a bottle of HEAT, and try to crank it over and see what happens.
BUT - when was this car last run? If it's been more than a few years, you really need to squirt some oil in the cylinders before you fire it...
Bill
Chicago Gearheads Car Club / Lynch Mob Racing
'58 Delray windowed - SDL (Yellowstone Park Car - in progress...)
'59 Bel Air 2dr sedan
'59 Olds Super-88 4dr hardtop
'72 Eldo ragtop
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 DonSSDD
Silver Supporting Member
Posts: 4657
Loc: Nova Scotia, Canada
Reg: 08-21-01
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03-14-12 09:04 AM - Post#2202427
In response to Hobart
Where are you located? Post your city and you might find someone into old cars who could help out with stuff like this, if you and your dad need help.
Check for fuel filters between the fuel pump and the gas tank, if any, remove them and replace with a short piece of rubber gas quality hoes and clamps. Remove the fuel line at the pump and fuel tank, blow out with compressed air. Replace any filters you removed, then drain all the old gas from the tank. Check for dirt in the old gas and if not too bad, new gas will likely work OK, if really dirty, remove the tank and have it cleaned out at a gas tank/rad shop.
The fuel pump may be OK, but replace any filters between it and the carb. The carb may be dirty, but try and see if it will start, then work on the carb after it won't start. Same goes for the fuel pump. Take it one step at a time and you'll see progress.
Welcome to the old Chevy fraternity. Keep asking questions and we'll be happy to help. These old cars are easy and relatively cheap to work on.
Don
59 El Camino, 62 Bel Air SC, 62 Bel Air SC(sold in Finland is 2011), 63 SWC Vette (sold)
Member #2194 |
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RumblingV8
Forum Newbie
Posts: 95
Loc: Allentown, PA
Reg: 03-11-12
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03-14-12 11:32 AM - Post#2202482
In response to DonSSDD
I am located in Allentown, Pennsylvania. We have a couple car shows in Macungie every fall, namely Das Awkscht Fescht and Wheels Of Time, and we have buddies who work on stuff like this.
Thanks everybody for the warm welcome and recommendations on the gas tank!
The car was actually benched because of the carburetor in the first place, and my uncle had completely rebuilt it. It is sitting in a box, and after some cleaning will probably be ready to put right back on it.
We had some guys we know from Wheels Of Time come over and look at it sometime in February to tell us what to expect. They gave us a general list as a starting point, but at the time all i could see in my head was $$$$$. :P
Due to the conditions in the garage it's in right now, we can't do anything big just yet. There's about a foot of clearance on the driver's side, and about six inches between the front of the car and the back wall of the garage, and about the same for the back and doors. It's a double garage we've been renting, so once we have the wheels and new tires back on, we can put it up on these wheel dollies we got and park it diagonal in the garage, then get to bigger things like the gas tank. Right now i'm concentrating on the smaller things that i can take home and work on (the garage is sorta far away).
While i'm on that subject, anyone have any tips for cleaning a gunked up oil bath air filter? I hit it up with kerosene and that got most of the sludge off, but there's still quite a bit of caked on crap. It was sitting in the back seat and still had oil in it. Got all over the floor liner when my dad picked it up. 
I don't have any great pictures of it right now due to the fact that it's crammed in the garage. Once we move it and get it outside to clean it off (layers and layers of dust...) I'll take some good pictures for you guys.
Edit: In response to don, last time it was running was mid-'70s.
Edited by RumblingV8 on 03-14-12 11:33 AM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
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echale3
Contributor
Posts: 156
Loc: Roanoke, VA
Reg: 05-12-10
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03-14-12 12:48 PM - Post#2202528
In response to RumblingV8
Allow me to tell you a story about old gas sitting in a gas tank for years and trying to save a buck...
My '60 Biscayne had been sitting since 1972, and when I got it, it still had about 1/3 of a tank of gas in it. I thought I'd save myself a few bucks on my rebuild, so I dropped the tank, drained the gas, cleaned the tank out thoroughly (or so it seemed at the time) and reinstalled it. I blew out the steel fuel lines, replaced all the rubber lines, put on new fuel filters, etc. Everything you should do.
Pumped in some new gas (10% ethanol), and proceeded to drive it a little. Here's where it gets interesting.
I hadn't driven other than to run it a little and go from one driveway on the farm to the other. It'd been sitting with new gas in the old tank for a few weeks when I got in it to drive down to the bottom of the hill to the cruise in my sister in law organized. On the way down the hill, the engine died. I popped the hood to find flames shooting up out of the carb. After getting the fire out I pulled the carb and found out it was completely clogged up with red gunk, so I cleaned it thoroughly and reinstalled it. I decided to drive the car agian and after going about a mile, I went around a corner, and teh car started sputtering and would barely run. I limped home, pulled the carb and found more red crud had completely gummed up the driver's side fuel bowl and it was bone dry, so I was literally running only on the passenger side cylinders (I have a 283 in mine as well). This time, I got smart and pulled the tank, only to find that ethanol gas is great at unsticking old leaded gas varnish, and that varnish will go right through your filter and bung up your carb like nobody's business.
Trust me, just get a new tank and sending unit and save yourself the headaches....
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RumblingV8
Forum Newbie
Posts: 95
Loc: Allentown, PA
Reg: 03-11-12
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03-14-12 02:41 PM - Post#2202578
In response to echale3
Thanks for the advice. Nothing like a scary story to convince me, eh?
Sounds expensive, though.
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echale3
Contributor
Posts: 156
Loc: Roanoke, VA
Reg: 05-12-10
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03-14-12 05:59 PM - Post#2202665
In response to RumblingV8
There's a brand new gas tank on ebay right now, $129 delivered, and a fuel sending unit for $48 delivered, also on ebay.... It's not as expensive as you might have imagined.
I just don't want you to make the same "penny wise, pound foolish" mistake I did....
Edited by echale3 on 03-14-12 06:01 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
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RumblingV8
Forum Newbie
Posts: 95
Loc: Allentown, PA
Reg: 03-11-12
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03-14-12 07:50 PM - Post#2202723
In response to echale3
That's not half bad for functional parts. And i suppose just ordering it and replacing it is much easier than cleaning it. :P
I will most likely go this route, so thank you! 
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Delray_58
Contributor
Posts: 665
Loc: Scotts Valley, CA
Reg: 03-20-10
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03-14-12 09:38 PM - Post#2202773
In response to RumblingV8
If you decide to clean it, take it to a radiator shop where they can blow out the fumes with a blower (overnight, if I remember correctly), fix any leaks, and boil it out. Then, you can apply the sealer. I did this back in the late '80's and my tank is still OK. I also added 2 clear fuel filters in the lines so that I could see any gunk that might build up.
If I were doing this now, I'd get a fresh tank as they are readily available today.
BTW: The Red Gunk story above is almost identical to mine. My contaminant was more like brown mud, but the effect was the same. Once this happens to you the first time, you'll be careful for the rest of your life with StaBil, fuel filters, regular driving, and the like.
'58 Delray 283 3-speed
In the family since new |
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RumblingV8
Forum Newbie
Posts: 95
Loc: Allentown, PA
Reg: 03-11-12
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03-15-12 12:33 PM - Post#2203006
In response to Delray_58
Thanks for the advice. Do you think it would be cheaper to have the old tank cleaned and sealed or get a new one?
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62sedan
Very Senior Member
Posts: 3328
Age: 62
Loc: North Dallas area
Reg: 08-12-02
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03-15-12 01:58 PM - Post#2203043
In response to RumblingV8
Just in case you were not aware........ you can get a new, Canadian made SPECTRA brand gas tank from http://www.rockauto.com/ for $159.99 (+ shipping). I just checked their website and it says they only have 4 left as being available. Consensus is that these tanks are far superior to any other brand being offered as fit and finish is exact as the original tanks were. Too many of those "other" tanks being sold are crappy Chinese knock-offs that may give you problems down the road when you least need or expect it. SPECTRA is a well known, quality product..... just don't sell yourself short to save a few bucks on a cheaper brand.
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RumblingV8
Forum Newbie
Posts: 95
Loc: Allentown, PA
Reg: 03-11-12
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03-15-12 02:14 PM - Post#2203058
In response to 62sedan
I'll definitely keep that in mind.
No chinese parts are coming anywhere near my car. 
Thanks for the recommendation! Now I just have to get my dad to agree to give up on the old tank. Hah.
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rrausch
"12th Year" Silver Supporting Member
Posts: 9697
Loc: L.A, Cal. & St. Louis...
Reg: 04-07-03
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03-15-12 09:16 PM - Post#2203230
In response to RumblingV8
(More on Stabil) I've stored gas in Type 1 Safety cans for over 2 years with no Stabil. But those cans have a spring-loaded cap, and are pretty air tight. In my old vehicles, that sit over the winter I always put Stabil in them.
1953 210 Convertible, 261 with dual Carter YF 966S carbs, P.S., Remote Bendix P.B. Booster... shade-tree restoration about done.
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Ndee
Contributor
Posts: 116
Loc: Hamburg, Germany
Reg: 08-14-10
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03-15-12 11:18 PM - Post#2203255
In response to rrausch
Had also trouble with dirt in my gastank. looked like small black pieces - almost like sand. there was one of these modern glas filters installed when i got my car. i changed the position and installed it between fuelpump and gastank. so no not will reach my system. later i want to change to a classic glasbowl-filter, s i can easily release dirt from it.
andy
| 1958 Chevy Brookwood, V8 350, 6P |
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RumblingV8
Forum Newbie
Posts: 95
Loc: Allentown, PA
Reg: 03-11-12
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03-18-12 03:14 PM - Post#2204291
In response to Ndee
So we started draining the car's fluids today. Motor oil, differential, etc.
Anyway, we drained up about 6 gallons before we ran out of containers. Time to start saving milk jugs. 
I suppose another question would be what to do with the old gas? We're going to use some of it for parts cleaning, but where would we go to dispose of the rest?
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models916
Frequent Contributor
Posts: 1861
Age: 62
Loc: Addison, IL
Reg: 05-28-10
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03-19-12 12:04 PM - Post#2204652
In response to RumblingV8
Time for a bonfire. Soak it in some old wood and light it up (run like hell).
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Jim McCall McShop
"4th Year" Platinum Supporting Member
Posts: 652
Loc: Billings Mt/ Lake Havasu ...
Reg: 02-18-10
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03-19-12 12:17 PM - Post#2204657
In response to RumblingV8
Contact your local waste department. Most cities take old gas and oil and mix it to burn in their building heaters. Do not use it for parts cleaning as you might burn your self up. Paint thinner is just white solvent and will work great to clean parts and is not flammable.
Edited by McShop on 03-19-12 12:19 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
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echale3
Contributor
Posts: 156
Loc: Roanoke, VA
Reg: 05-12-10
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03-20-12 06:06 AM - Post#2204980
In response to RumblingV8
I suppose another question would be what to do with the old gas? We're going to use some of it for parts cleaning, but where would we go to dispose of the rest?
Well, I pulled almost a full 5-gallon bucket out of my tank, and my SIL had a big brush pile ready to go, so we had a big bonfire, culminating with me throwing the whole bucket with about 3 gallons of gas in it up on the fire from about 20 feet away.... Talk about a blast!!!!
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59Lenoir
Member
Posts: 874
Loc: Phila
Reg: 02-05-04
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03-20-12 06:37 AM - Post#2204997
In response to echale3
SWEET!!!!!!!
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echale3
Contributor
Posts: 156
Loc: Roanoke, VA
Reg: 05-12-10
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03-20-12 06:58 AM - Post#2205003
In response to 59Lenoir
We were down at the farm, and yeah, that's about what it looked like.
We didn't set fire to the shed, though, just the brush pile.
Still, there was a huge fireball, lots of smoke, etc. I just love setting stuff on fire.
Oh, you could see the volunteer FD building from where we set the fire--I'm surprised that they didn't come on down and join in the festivities...
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RumblingV8
Forum Newbie
Posts: 95
Loc: Allentown, PA
Reg: 03-11-12
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03-20-12 02:39 PM - Post#2205185
In response to echale3
Now THAT looks like fun. Too bad i live in the city. Can't even have a campfire. -_-
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MattEG6
Contributor
Posts: 106
Age: 21
Loc: Meeker, OK
Reg: 03-15-12
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03-20-12 07:12 PM - Post#2205350
In response to RumblingV8
Sounds like a fun project.
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rod
Senior Member
Posts: 1363
Loc: kingman,az
Reg: 04-29-00
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03-21-12 02:10 PM - Post#2205677
In response to MattEG6
many years ago, i did a resto on a friends '56 chevy pu. gas in the tanks was at least 13 years old. i pulled the tank, dumped out the gas. poured in 1/2 gallon of carb. cleaner, caped the holes, and sloshed it around for several minutes. poured the carb cleaner into a milk jug [it was worth saving] rinsed it out with water. poured in the remaining 1/2 gallon of carb. cleaner and redid the whole deal. after the second water rinse, i poured in 1/2 gallon of lacquer thinner, did the slosh and rinse thing, and repeated with the remaining 1/2 gallon of thinner. after that the tanks was nice and clean and smelled good.
if the inside is still nice and shinny when you do this, i would use it. beings you are in Penn, the humidity may have used up the tank and a new one might be in order. you will know when you get to that point.
as a side note, do not dump the old gas anywhere you can smell it. that nasty smell stays forever. don't pour it into any city drain. don't pour it into any area where it might run into running water. these are the new days and old pollution has to stop. we have a city/county agency called ERASE, which takes all that old nasty pollution stuff. help us all have a better place to live. recycle whenever possible.
thanks
rod in AZ
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WrongWayWillie
Member
Posts: 155
Loc: Mardela Springs, MD.
Reg: 10-24-02
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04-03-12 07:40 AM - Post#2210678
In response to rod
I just got the ebay 129.00 tank , plus sending unit and straps.
my 58 had a fuel cell in the trunk to feed that 6 banger under the hood 
hadn't installed it yet but it does look like a quality piece.
57 Chevy Dirt track stockcar
58 belair 2 dr. sedan |
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