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California - Cut Open...

HawkRod

Formerly hsorman
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Before I discarded my original 1970 California gas tank I cut it open to reveal the inside. I was surprised at the inside of the tank. (By the way, the tank had been purged, sitting open for 6 months, etc. so I was NOT trying to live dangerously...)

The four vent tubes from the tank go to a recovery tube that is installed in the trunk. This tube is fed by a line that runs from the engine compartment and is intended to recover gas fumes.

I knew that the CA tanks had a separate little tank inside. My assumption was that at least one of the vent tubes connected to that tank. I was surprised to find that none of them did. I know that reproduction tanks do not have this separate little tank. My question is, what was its function? I can't quite understand what the benefit of having that little tank would have been since it is not connected to anything...

IMG_2455.jpg
 
that's a smugglers stash box :edgy:
 
Maybe it was to lower the capacity of the tank.
 
Part of the vapor recovery system on 1970 CA cars with N95 and all 71-up cars.

So I understand that. The question is, what is its function? It is not connected to any of the vapor recovery lines, so I am not sure how fuel gets in or out of the tank, and what its benefit is in the system...
 
Well after a 2nd look, that's a good question. Cut that puppy open.

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Maybe Jimmy's remains are in there.
 
I had a friend who bought a car from a police auction and could only put 5gallons of gas in at a time and brought it in to the dealership..... he was surprised when the state police showed up looking for him.... after being booked and charged... his wife brought in the sales receipt for the car and cleared him of the smuggling charges.... because when they cut the tank open there was 10 gallons worth of cocaine in a false compartment but because he had the car only a month and the police felt like dumbasses he got out of it only having wasted an afternoon....
 
but he has a good story to tell :headbang:

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do you think it might be something to keep the fuel from sloshing around maybe like a baffle ?
 
from my google-fu:

The 1970-71 ECS setup used a complicated fuel tank, which had a small inner tank at the top connected to the main tank chamber by a very small passageway to prevent overfilling. When gasoline was pumped into the tank, the main tank chamber filled up with the secondary chamber, still mostly empty. The gas-pump nozzle detected a full tank and clicked off, and the driver hung up the nozzle and drove off. Over the next little while, fuel flowed into the secondary tank from the main chamber, dropping the fuel level in the main chamber and preventing fuel being forced out of the tank when things warmed up and expanded. (This also helped to prevent fuel stains from fuel sloshing out of the tank.)

so yeah, basically it kept you from filling it to the brim and gave room for expansion
 
Nice! Solved! :wav:

And it makes sense. Now mind you, I am glad I don't still have that tank, because I want ALL the fuel I can get! That big block is thirsty!!!
 
My 70 Challenger would spill out fuel on a fill up if it had been out on the road and was hot. Top it off and before I could put the nozzle back on the pump, gas would start spilling out....and that was on the first click! Just had to listen to the fuel as it got close to being full. You could hear it just before it was full, pull the nozzle and you could watch it expand up the fill tube and then cap that sucker lol. No other car I ever had did it like that one did.
 
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