[SS427]

Since last posting we have worked virtually every night and all weekend in order to get the chassis completed for Jamie to mount the body on. In addition I decided to do the fuel tank.

There was no saving the original so we opted for second best which is the Spectra tank. The 70 Chevelles are almost identical with minor exceptions. The 69 tanks are not near as close but will have to do until or if I can locate an original that is in mint condition. Experience tells me that will not happen so this tank will have to do.

The only inspection mark I found on the original tank was the number "982" written in black grease pencil. I traced the original and replaced it on the new tank exactly as found. This number is normally in the top left corner of the buildsheet which unfortunately I do not have.

The reproduction pads you buy today for the tanks are nothing more than thick foam so I made my own laminated version like the originals using a slightly different product but with good results. The noise strips were made from heavy gauge roofing tar paper. I then purchased the stencil kit and screen printed it onto the tank. Very tedious work requiring some touch up.

The fuel vent tubes were original so I simply cleaned them up, inserted new foam filters and restored the original square tipped clamps. I found remnants of the old filter material in side the vent lines so using a heated bullet casing I hot cut new vent filters from foam from a garden tractor. After closer examination of the hose line bracket it looked to have been original phosphated so I re-phosphated my original, restored the screw and the rest of the electrical and hardware.