gas tanks

Yes, to my knowlege, all Pantera use the same basic tank. The '71-late '72s use a tank that has a welded boss feed to the fuel tank, while all the rest use an outlet built into the fuel gauge sender. In rusty disused cars, there may be rust pin-holes in the internal tube going to the welded boss, so the last few gallons are forever unusehable. The late sender can perfectly retrofit to an early tank, or with some difficulty, an early sender can be modified to add an outlet line.
The stock gas tank shield was a sheet of aluminum front & back separated by asbestos. I'd use it. There are add-on stainless steel sheets that may do a little further insulation, but 32 years of use has shown the stock shield does a fine job with no addtions needed.For a turbo intallation, I'd Jet-Hot-coat the headers rather than add more extrernal shields.

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Originally posted by jack deryke:
Yes, to my knowlege, all Pantera use the same basic tank. The '71-late '72s use a tank that has a welded boss feed to the fuel tank, while all the rest use an outlet built into the fuel gauge sender. In rusty disused cars, there may be rust pin-holes in the internal tube going to the welded boss, so the last few gallons are forever unusehable. The late sender can perfectly retrofit to an early tank, or with some difficulty, an early sender can be modified to add an outlet line.
The stock gas tank shield was a sheet of aluminum front & back separated by asbestos. I'd use it. There are add-on stainless steel sheets that may do a little further insulation, but 32 years of use has shown the stock shield does a fine job with no addtions needed.For a turbo intallation, I'd Jet-Hot-coat the headers rather than add more extrernal shields.

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JACK,
I HAVE A 1972 PANTERA WITH VDO GAUGES. THE GAS GAUGE GOES TO ZERO FROM FULL AFTER ABOUT
7 GALLONS OF GAS. I CALLED HALL FOR THE CORRECT SENDING UNIT AND HE STATED THAT THE SENDER SHOULD WORK I MIGHT JUST BE CAUGHT UP
IN THE BAFFLES OF THE TANK. I HAVEN'T LOOKED AT THIS YET BUT HE STATED I CAN GET AT IT WITHOUT REMOVING THE TANK OR DECK LID.
ANY THOUGHTS,

BOB BENSON

I'm not used to baling out Gary, who knows far more about Panteras than I do. But anyway- By carefully prying with a flat-blade screwdriver, the entire rearquarter window & chrome frame will slide out just above the gas tank. There are no screws- its held in only by the gasket. Once out, the tank cover is removed (2 screws). This exposes the top of the tank & all the wires & hoses. Take out 6 screws and the sender, with its 20" long float arm & float, can be pulled out of the tank, fiddled with, and returned. Through the sender opening, you can see the vertical & horizontal baffles and, if its an early car, the internal fuel pipe and maybe the filter-sock on its end. Like all fuel floats, these leak &sink- a std Alfa float fits the arm perfectly. I suggest being very careful with electric lights of all types with the sender unit out exposing the gas in the tank, or there may be a real loud noise followed by St Peter asking you questions.....

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Originally posted by jack deryke:
I'm not used to baling out Gary, who knows far more about Panteras than I do. But anyway- By carefully prying with a flat-blade screwdriver, the entire rearquarter window & chrome frame will slide out just above the gas tank. There are no screws- its held in only by the gasket. Once out, the tank cover is removed (2 screws). This exposes the top of the tank & all the wires & hoses. Take out 6 screws and the sender, with its 20" long float arm & float, can be pulled out of the tank, fiddled with, and returned. Through the sender opening, you can see the vertical & horizontal baffles and, if its an early car, the internal fuel pipe and maybe the filter-sock on its end. Like all fuel floats, these leak &sink- a std Alfa float fits the arm perfectly. I suggest being very careful with electric lights of all types with the sender unit out exposing the gas in the tank, or there may be a real loud noise followed by St Peter asking you questions.....

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THANK YOU JACK. I WILL GIVE IT A TRY ONCE I GET THE HUNDRED OTHER THINGS I AM TRYING TO GET DONE FOR THE ITALIANO- NEW EXHAUST COMPLETED, NEW MANIFOLD AND CARB, MANY NEW POLISHED ITEMS IN THE ENGINE BAY AND THE HARDEST PROJECT STRIPPING THE PAINT OFF THE WINDOW AND DRIP MOLDINGS AND POLISHING THE SS BACK. I AM HALFWAY THROUGH THAT PROJECT WITH NOT A LOT OF TIME BEFORE MONTEREY.

BOB BENSON

One thing I should have expandedon- the 'filter-sock' on the end of the fuel-out line in the tank often plugs with varnish and starves the fuel pump. It acts as a rev-limiter. So I typically reach in through the window opening and sender hole with a long stick and fumble/rip the thing off the pipe, then use an external fuel filter. Such filters should be as large as possible & be mounted between the tank & pump for safety reasons (early cars). On late cars, the sock will come out with the sender and can easily be torn off. The cute li'l glass fuel filters from discount auto parts stores are not only uselessly small, but are actively dangerous to use IMHO.

Sorta off the subject, but I'm glad to hear you're going back to the Stainless Steel trim around the windows and gutters. I've really been debating this issue as to whether to 'black-out' the trim. The car manufacturers' sort of got off the 'chrome trim thing' a dozen or so years ago, but I've seen a few new cars that are sparingly going back to the chrome trim around the windows. Styling trend that's run it's course for Detroit? I'm now thinking stay original and in the next thirty years it'll just go full circle, and blacked out trim on cars will 'date' them. So, now I'm not gonna bother with the 'blacked out trim' look. Thanks, BOB BENSON. I'd like to know why you decided to go back to chrome trim though. - Ron