30 ocpu gasntank belt rail question

Jim Kellett

Jim Kellett

Member
Bought a 30 OCPU project about 8 years ago and have finally started to get it together. When purchased most items were there and some assembly had taken place with body parts in primer. Turned out everything had to be redone even the frame had to be stripped and repainted.
Turns out that the gas tank is an early 30 with the 28-29 style dash/oval speedometer and the belt rail is a late 30 with 5/16-24 cage nuts in place. Both the tank and the rail have 10 bolt locations and they seem to match up. The holes in the back of the tank accomidate the 1/4 - 20 bolts as originally used for the early 30 but won't allow the 5/16 - 24 to pass thru. In order to use this tank and belt rail I will have to enlarge the ho;les in the back of the tank to accommodate the 5/16-24 bolt. The alternative would be to remove the cage nuts and use the 1/4-20 nuts . Before I do either I would like to know if there is any other problem I would encountered with this combination? Is the early 30 belt rail the same as the late 30 belt rail except for the cage nuts and thread size?
Thanks in advance for any inputs on this question.
 

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just drill the holes out to 5/16 it will work fine, the weld on the tank is inboard from the bolt line.
 
As noted, enlarging the holes will be fine. With that said, Ford never produced that style cab with an oval speedometer. That doesn't mean you shouldn't do it if you prefer it that way, but if that DOES matter to you it's better to know it now rather than learning that after the work is all done.
 
JW and Marco,
Thanks for the responses. Have decided to go ahead with the early 30 tank as it seems to be in great condition, will test for leaks soon. The entire project is my fun car and also my last project. Am doing some "old school" bolt on goodies. A fold down LB top, exhaust headers, B engine with Lion head and Jim Brierley cam, Stromberg 81 carb, Mitchell overdrive, and 16" wheels. With all that guess I won't worry about having the oval speedometer in a 30/31 Roadster Pickup.
Thanks again for the info. Will report on my progress from time to time.
Regards,
Jim Kellett
 
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