Gas Tank Strap and Finish

Q: Gas Tank Strap and Finish

I dropped the tank off to get clear coated. I read they came un-painted. As well as straps. True?

A: According to the “Camaro Restoration Guide, 1967-1969” by Jason Scott, the gas tank should be natural galvanized steel, while the straps ought to be either natural steel finish or gloss black. Given that the Camaro and Firebird share so many common parts, the fuel tanks and straps among those, it would be safe to assume the finish is the same. To cross reference, I checked my GTO restoration guide by Paul Zazarine, but it is silent on the subject of 68-72 fuel tanks.

You can get some spray can galvanized coatings for the tank, or Eastwood’s own tank coating. Watch out for some of those galvanized look paints. One type I bought at the hardware store went on very dry and looked terrible. I ended up recoating with something else. For the straps, try base coating with POR15, then top coat with Eastwoods “Fresh Steel” paint, or a gloss black.

It was my experience when reinstalling the fuel tank, that the new rubber strap insulators didn’t want to cooperate in staying in place while raising the tank and bolting it in. Try using an adhesive such a the 3M weatherstip cement (Gorilla Snot) to keep them in place.

A: The reason the rubber on the straps doesnt work,is because is not the way the factory did it. The factory used a tar impregnated material just like thick tar paper. It would stay in place when the straps were tightened where as the rubber tends to shift around. Also the rubber may be a source of squeaks whereas the tar paper stops squeaks.

The correct finish is bare steel straps and galvanized tank.However clear coat would be a way to keep lookin fresh. I removed my original 1968 tank for a clean up, and it was coated with a paraffin based under coating when new. It wiped clean with mineral spirits and looks like new. I also found some green crayon markings that the factory used for assembly identification.

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