body and interior Proper Gas Tank Finish Tii - Concours Question

[tii74]

I am refinishing the gas tank for my '74 tii.  What should the exterior finish be?  Satin black top in trunk?

Undercoating on bottom?

 

I figured I might as well do it right.

[bnam]

Undercoating would only be the dealer variety i think - not from factory.

[Conserv]

I agree. The gas tank on my '76, which is original to the car, is satin black top and bottom. The bottom, however, still retains a coating of factory-applied Cosmoline over much of its surface, with a nice accumulation of filth on top of that (I suspect we don't need to discuss my tank's dents -- how did I get so many?).

Steve

[mike472]

I used POR15's. Tank coating system on the inside to seal it against rust ever forming inside and first painted the entire outside with POR15 then a product from POR15 called "Chassis Black" which has a satin black finish. There were originally captured nuts in the trunk floor that you bolted it down to. A couple of mine broke out so I used stainless bolts, nuts and washers. Use the original Zinc chromate plated bolts and washers if you want to be correct for concours judging.

Also use a nice bead of 3M strip caulk laid around the perimeter of the opening and set the tank down into it. Keep the caulk close to the edge of the opening so you don't create a trap for dirt. Some of it will squeeze out when you bolt the tank down tight and just slice off the excess with a knife.