Any Suggestions As to Where to Buy a New BJ7 Gasoline Tank?

Yep, I need a new gas tank. Took the Healey out last night and it quit running 3 times on me. Couldn't keep the fuel to the carbs. I removed my rear seats and tapped on the pumps and would only get a few clicks. Got it started and went about 1/2 mile and it shut off again. the last time it did it I couldn't get any fuel thru to the carbs. Then I tapped on the pipe from the tank to the 1st pump and the pump took off running, got home with no more trauma.
Today I separated the fitting at the inlet of the 1st pump and there was no debris or anything there. Or so I thought. Then removed the sending unit and looked in, yep it's pealing. I looked again at the inlet to the 1st pump and thought I saw something laying inside the banjo. i pulled it out with needle nose pliers and it was a small piece of something rolled into a tight sleeve that looked like a pin or roller about the size of a needle bearing from a "U" joint. It was soft and flexible but didn't look like the material used to coat the tank. Anyway, No sense messing with it, need new tank.
Where's the best place to buy one? Thanks again, Dave.

I have a moss tank in a BT7 and it works just fine.

This guy always seems to get good reviews, but looks like he's closing up shop: https://www.ebay.com/itm/AH-AUSTIN-...ash=item5686ddea0e:g:lTAAAOSwWnFV9ITr&vxp=mtr

Just got one from Moss as well, took about an hour and quarter to pump out gas, remove, install and refill tank. Same problem. Looked like piece of rubber caulk.

Thanks for the recommendations. I wanted to get the order in today, you know missing those evening Healey rides already.
I just ordered it thru Moss, got some fibre washers and the tank drain plug as well. thanks.

Bye the way Captain, was the new tank painted when you received it? I should have put a new one in when I put the car together 2 years ago but I thought I could save mine. I wasted good time making it look real purdy and everything. Painted it with self-etching primer then base/clear gloss black. Now I suppose I'll have to redo everything again. here's a pic of the current one. Ya know giving this some thought, seein's as how my current tank wasn't really that bad, then I decided to get anal and really do it up right so I coated the inside with that Really Good gas tank sealer and of coarse it is peeling. I'm kinda thinking that if I would have just let the tank alone it might have been alright. Dave.

First post here. Vette your existing tank looks fantastic. there must be some stuff available to strip the sealant out of it.

I haven't decide what to do with my tank. Mine may be the same as yours. It looks Ok but should it be cleaned and coated inside.

I was looking at
Hirsch. I used his engine paint and it worked real well.
https://www.hirschauto.com/Gas-Tank-Sealer-_-Repair/products/4/

or

AH Spares has a steel tank for $348 and aluminum for $364

58 special said:

First post here. Vette your existing tank looks fantastic. there must be some stuff available to strip the sealant out of it.

Click to expand...

Acetone would probably dissolve it.

BTW, I cleaned and sealed mine with the Moss stuff in about 1999. It's still fine, but you guys are worrying me.

Bought one for the BJ8. Haven't installed yet it looks pretty good. Gas line fitting is made different but should work. BTW, bought the kit, had the straps and sending unit with it.
Marv

HealeyRick said:

This guy always seems to get good reviews, but looks like he's closing up shop: https://www.ebay.com/itm/AH-AUSTIN-...ash=item5686ddea0e:g:lTAAAOSwWnFV9ITr&vxp=mtr

Click to expand...

I got a 100 tank from him. Overall, the quality was OK except for the opening for the sender (no complaints with the service). It's not as good as an OEM tank and I'm having a hard time getting a good seal, although that may be caused--at least in part--by the sender flange possibly not being perfectly flat (have tried all manner of gaskets and sealants).

Outside of tank was painted and left it that way on install. Since it is new I should not have a problem with ethanol on the inside of the tank acting as a scrubber and getting built up crud in the tank.

Vette, did you order the $187 tank from Moss? That price seems too good to be true. I'd be interested to know the quality.

Dale

Now that the old tank is empty and dry, I can look into it with a light and am finding a lot of bubbles of some kind of paint coating that are all over the tank. Wonder if there are some that clog up the baffles that are around the old pickup tube and caused the flow of gas to decrease or even stop.

RestoreThemAll said:

Vette, did you order the $187 tank from Moss? That price seems too good to be true. I'd be interested to know the quality.

Dale

Click to expand...

MOSS is having a sale. From the description it sounds like they have addressed all the problems from various manufactures over the years and even zinc plated the inside. Price: is correct.

Dale, I did order the steel one from Moss which is stated to be for the late BN4 thru the BJ8 at a cost of $187.89. I hope it is a direct replacement as I don't want to have to change much on my car. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Patrick, Where do you see that MOSS is having a sale? I bought this tank at $187.89 which is what is listed in the cataloge that has been on my shelf for at least a few months. Also, I am at a loss as to where you might be reading any kind of discription about the tank. Thanks Dave.

vette said:

Dale, I did order the steel one from Moss which is stated to be for the late BN4 thru the BJ8 at a cost of $187.89. I hope it is a direct replacement as I don't want to have to change much on my car. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Patrick, Where do you see that MOSS is having a sale? I bought this tank at $187.89 which is what is listed in the cataloge that has been on my shelf for at least a few months. Also, I am at a loss as to where you might be reading any kind of discription about the tank. Thanks Dave.

Click to expand...

Look near the top of this page for the MOSS Ad. It says Summer Sale.

RestoreThemAll said:

Vette, did you order the $187 tank from Moss? That price seems too good to be true. I'd be interested to know the quality. Dale

Click to expand...

Dale, I just installed the new tank from Moss yesterday. It seems to be a good replacement. Everything fit and it went right into place with no issues. When I first unpacked it, i looked at the outlet fitting and was worried that it might be in a different position that the original but it was right on and in reality it was a better fitting than original. This tank is also better in that it has 3 built-in internal baffel plates. I believe the original only had one. The additional baffel plates should help to keep fuel from sloshing around and there-by maybe help to keep the gauge a little more accurate. The exterior of the tank was painted with a pretty good solid black so that I decided not to paint it again with my traditional gloss black. I took the car for about a 20 mile run last night with no issues.

58 special said:

First post here. Vette your existing tank looks fantastic. there must be some stuff available to strip the sealant out of it.

Click to expand...

If you have ever gone thru the experience of cleaning an old gas tank (which I have more than once) you soon realize that it very well may be more trouble than it is worth. Many of the product kits to seal a tank include some type of acid to loosen up everything in the tank. There are many problems in doing that. One is that if the tank has baffles, which most any good tank will, it is near impossible to get the junk not only loosened up but near impossible to get it out. Another problem is disposing of the acidic junk and residue that you do get out. just handling the acid is dangerous. and be sure to guard against pets & wildlife. Then you must neutralise the inside of the tank, then you must etch it, then you can pour in the sealant, and attempt, and I do mean to attempt to get the sealant into every nook, corner & cranny to get everything covered. That means, closing off the openings and rolling and twisting and turning the tank in every possible direction. Then the sealant might seal off the pick-up tube, the outlet fitting, etc. The new tank cost, give or take $200 dollars. My time is worth more than $200. Now if you can't get a new tank, that's different. I would go thru it again if I didn't have anything else to use. I don't know why this sealant failed. I have done this to 3 other tanks but each of those was before the advent of increased ethanol. I don't know if that made a difference. I have noticed some advertisers of some of the sealants claim their products will "resist" alcohol. They also claim to use a bio-degradable cleaner. my experience with them is they work, but if you can't scrub it, they don't work. anyway for $200 that's why I chose to buy a new tank.

Bob_Spidell said:

I'm having a hard time getting a good seal, although that may be caused--at least in part--by the sender flange possibly not being perfectly flat (have tried all manner of gaskets and sealants).

Click to expand...

Bob Have you tried making a cork gasket?. I was having great difficulty with mine as it looks to be a hand built tank and they did not reinforce the bolt area, just used self tappers to hold the sender in on a rubber gasket. I could not get a seal so I reverted to the installation of a 'bolt in' washer style plate (inside the tank) in two halves containing six rivnuts to line up with the self tapper holes and tried that with a rubber gasket and M5 bolts- no good, so in the end I made a good old cork gasket and that has sorted the problem out, as I could get a reasonable torque on the bolts.



Bob