Help removing a gas tank from a '33 wagon

Jersey Suede

Junior Member
I am doing a mechanical "restoration" on my '33 station wagon. I've decided that it's time to pull the gas tank and get it cleaned and sealed properly to protect it from the ethanol in all of our gas in Jersey. I am baffled with how to remove the tank due to a threaded collar and a curved gas neck. It seems I would have to remove the neck in order to pull the tank out but have no idea how it's 'fitted' to the collar. Hopefully the pictures help clarify my issue. Any help is appreciated.

gas tank filler.jpg

filler neck.jpg
 
Yes you need to unscrew the collar.Not sure where you can get a spanner wrench to fit that.The filler tube has a flange at the tank end and the collar does not separate from the filler tube.I have unscrewed them with a very old time skinny pipe wrench.There is a lead seal in that assy that will need to be replaced.Bob Drake makes those.Here are pics from Drake's catalog.
 

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So the filler tube goes all the way THROUGH the collar and has a flair or flange where it makes contact with the gas tank? And the lead seal that Drake has is used to seal the filler tube to the gas tank? Just trying to clarify. But thank you so much for the info.
 
Maybe one of those smaller chain wrenches might fit and give you a better angle than the notches allow.

But; I'm not sure I would trust any of those tank coatings to resist corn gas, in the long term.
 
Yes you need to unscrew the collar.Not sure where you can get a spanner wrench to fit that.The filler tube has a flange at the tank end and the collar does not separate from the filler tube.I have unscrewed them with a very old time skinny pipe wrench.There is a lead seal in that assy that will need to be replaced.Bob Drake makes those.Here are pics from Drake's catalog.

I used this one on my 36. I think it is the same as the neck pictured that has round holes. Got it on ebay.

40737818262_452876b8b9_b.jpgwrench by philip sauber, on Flickr
 
McMaster Carr has any type spanner wrench you need. The one in post #6 is a "hook" type and the one that you need, as the "hook" grabs a lug. Tex, in post #10, shows what is known as a "pin" type. The pin inserts into a hole in a coupling.
 
This was the type chain wrench I referred to earlier; found them very useful on round and other odd shaped stuff over the years.
 

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Thanks for all of the info guys. I managed to get an ancient pipe wrench right next to the threads after letting it soak in penetrating oil for a day and it spun right off. Perfect!!!
 
Great to hear Jersey and need to do that to my 1933 Pheaton:D . I hear they like to leak from that coupling area?
 
Short of cutting it off, you cannot remove the filler pipe on a '33-'34 passenger car gas tank as it is an integral part of the tank, not separate like on a station wagon and other commercial vehicle tank.
 
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