Series 3 Fuel tank

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codfather79

Well-Known Member
Posts
649
Location
Kent
Morning all.
I'm in need of a new fuel tank and am in a quandary as to what to buy.
Given that I live on the sea front and the salt air eats anything made of steel, do I buy the steel tank or splash out on an aluminium tank?
Are the aluminium tanks worth the money?
Thanks
Shirl
 
I'd remove all covering a new steel tank comes with then etch prime a couple of coats then a couple of coats of chassis paint or raptor it I wouldnt paint on top of finish it comes with...I've just got 2 back tub panels from Paddocks but will strip off the black covering before acid etch then primer as I doubt they treated the alloy..
 
I ordered my new tank not two minutes ago from paddocks. Just the bog standard britpart one. My old one initially seemed possible to save but when I put some bilt hamber rust cleaner inside and it dribbled out I discovered that it must have rusted out somewhere between the tank and the cradle thing it sits in. That's where the water will get trapped and it's just about impossible to get protection in there.
 
I got a new tank many years ago, started leaking after about 2 years! Bought another but never got to fitting it, it's still in the box!! I wonder if it's any good?
 
I got a STC613 recently from JGS4x4. Was concerned that it was £50 cheaper than the average. Took a gamble. It fits!!
New tank.JPG


:)
 
The price of parts is bonkers. I made my list out for Paddocks about 2 weeks ago but only got round to ordering the other night. Almost everything had gone up. Some only pence but some a few quid. I soon won't be able to afford to finish mine.
 
I got a 109 rear tank recently - Britpart is all that's available for these.

The rear bracket hole centres were 12mm out and I had to get the bracket cut off and re-welded in the correct position. I complained to Britpart and they said they had no returns in the last two years and had sold thousands of these tanks. So there is no problem as far as they are concerned. They didn't accept my invitation to refund me the extra £40 I spent on getting it to fit.

This will be because no-one ever complains, people just seem to grumble and accept the rubbish parts from these shysters. So for goodness sake, take the time to complain when something doesn't fit/work. You are doing the community a favour. Otherwise the market decides non-fitting, poor quality parts are what we want.

For an 88" tank, I bought a DDS Metals one recently. These are made in Turkey and look well-made, though I've not yet fitted it. I bought this version on the advice of a Land Rover restorer who has fitted over a dozen of them. The price was £125, about the same as a Britpart. Better quality doesn't always cost more, and the time and money wasted by trying to get something to fit makes cheap parts much more expensive than they first appear.

For balance, on the advice of the same restorer, I bought the Britpart G-suffix Series 3 door seals (the early, rivet-on type). These are made in the UK, even the rivet holes lined up and they are nice and pliable. So they can do it properly if they want to.

When installing, make sure the paint coverage is good (the Britpart tank had the metal showing through in places). I also applied Bilt Hamber UC clear wax onto the external surfaces, especially the ones which are inaccessible once installed. I've used it before and works well.
 
I got a 109 rear tank recently - Britpart is all that's available for these.

The rear bracket hole centres were 12mm out and I had to get the bracket cut off and re-welded in the correct position. I complained to Britpart and they said they had no returns in the last two years and had sold thousands of these tanks. So there is no problem as far as they are concerned. They didn't accept my invitation to refund me the extra £40 I spent on getting it to fit.

This will be because no-one ever complains, people just seem to grumble and accept the rubbish parts from these shysters. So for goodness sake, take the time to complain when something doesn't fit/work. You are doing the community a favour. Otherwise the market decides non-fitting, poor quality parts are what we want.

For an 88" tank, I bought a DDS Metals one recently. These are made in Turkey and look well-made, though I've not yet fitted it. I bought this version on the advice of a Land Rover restorer who has fitted over a dozen of them. The price was £125, about the same as a Britpart. Better quality doesn't always cost more, and the time and money wasted by trying to get something to fit makes cheap parts much more expensive than they first appear.

For balance, on the advice of the same restorer, I bought the Britpart G-suffix Series 3 door seals (the early, rivet-on type). These are made in the UK, even the rivet holes lined up and they are nice and pliable. So they can do it properly if they want to.

When installing, make sure the paint coverage is good (the Britpart tank had the metal showing through in places). I also applied Bilt Hamber UC clear wax onto the external surfaces, especially the ones which are inaccessible once installed. I've used it before and works well.


DDS metals, trade only?
 
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