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Rick's Tanks (El Paso, TX)
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jboymechanic
Posted 2016-05-27 12:25 PM (#512590)
Subject: Rick's Tanks (El Paso, TX)



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Location: Muskego, WI		After finally having the engine back in my '56 Imperial and fuel in my tank for several months, I noticed a slow fuel leak from two areas; the drain plug and the fuel line to tank connection. The tank was a good original tank from a southwestern car that I had "restored" by Gas Tank Renu, don't ever waste you time. They basically sand blast and sloppily coat your tank with rubber and call it good. The fuel line connection was not their fault, but the drain plug was as they had coated the steel area there with rubber and then threw a cork gasket under the plug for good measure and then coated over the plug with more rubber. It took a few months for the fuel to find its way out, but it did and it made a huge mess.

Upon removing the tank to fix the leak, I noticed that the rubber INSIDE the tank was starting to chip off and float around in the gas, not a good situation and I'm glad I caught this before my new engine and carb were effected. I decided it was time for brand new tank.

As you all can probably guess, nobody makes new tanks for 1956 Chryslers so my only option was to go custom. So I decided to go big and get a stainless steel tank that I'd never have to worry about again. I also knew that I wanted fuel injection some day, so I wanted an electric in-tank pump. This led me to Rick's Tanks in El Paso, Texas.

I contacted Rick's and actually worked directly with Rick himself and he was an absolute professional and a pleasure to work with. I sent him a crusty old stock tank and he made a custom copy in stainless. He also was able to have a custom resistance (0-200 ohm) fuel gauge sending unit made for me at no extra charge. The only slight difference was the location of the vent port on his tank, so I just had to run a hose to my filler neck vent to keep my stock vent. The tank is also slightly deeper than stock to accommodate the fuel pump and sending unit, but only an inch or so. In all, Rick sent me a tank that was beautiful and ready to run without modification to the tank or car and I'm very pleased with the results. The tank was expensive, the total with shipping was $1400, but that includes the fuel tank sending unit, fuel pump and custom made stainless steel straps. The tank is also baffled internally and it is really solid, so I don't feel like I over paid for what I have; quality and piece of mind. So, if you need a tank for your 1956 Chrysler or DeSoto you know where you can go as Rick can now duplicate this tank. I've included a picture below so you can see the difference between the Renu's work and Rick's.





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Attachments Rick's Tanks shrunk.jpg (138KB - 231 downloads)
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mikes2nd
Posted 2016-05-27 3:18 PM (#512599 - in reply to #512590)
Subject: Re: Rick's Tanks (El Paso, TX)


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ricks prices are out of this world!
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GregCon
Posted 2016-05-29 5:44 PM (#512742 - in reply to #512599)
Subject: Re: Rick's Tanks (El Paso, TX)



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Location: Houston		Old Rick knows me....for my '66 Fury he made 3 tanks before I finally let him off the hook.

Tank #1 came in with so many deviations from the "very specific and very detailed and very easy to read" drawing I sent him. No way it would even fit.

Tank #2 came in with a super-wavy top and bottom. No way would I install that and have every guy who saw it ask me what's wrong with my tank? I asked him "Do you guys have any quality control beyond "Send it out and see if they complain"?

Tank #3 came in "OK" but not great. But it was one of those deals where I was so disgusted and so behind schedule I went ahead and lived with it.

Another problem I had was in the 'very heavy' weight. They use a thick stainless steel because it's easier to weld but you end up with a tank that is waaay heavier than stock.

Even now, several years later, it pisses me to think of their poor performance and how much time they cost me ...my project was stalled dead waiting for them to get their act together.




Edited by GregCon 2016-05-29 5:47 PM
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Powerflite
Posted 2016-05-29 7:12 PM (#512743 - in reply to #512742)
Subject: Re: Rick's Tanks (El Paso, TX)



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Location: So. Cal		These guys, hot rod city garage, advertise out of San Bernardino, CA and sell a custom aluminum tank for probably a little over $850. I haven't used them, but they seem reasonable.

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb/ptd/5601772584.html

9zero9-88four_one95zero



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Attachments 00o0o_fijrB6o1O27_600x450.jpg (15KB - 209 downloads)
Attachments 01717_7R5lcxm6s4a_600x450.jpg (18KB - 213 downloads)
Attachments 00i0i_l5QjB1iNdaA_600x450.jpg (25KB - 210 downloads)
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jboymechanic
Posted 2016-05-30 12:06 AM (#512759 - in reply to #512590)
Subject: Re: Rick's Tanks (El Paso, TX)



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Location: Muskego, WI		Greg, maybe he learned his lesson after dealing with you? My experience was positive other than the price, but I learned long ago that anything for my Imperial is going to cost me big time. Maybe the results were better because he had my actual tank in his hands to copy? Not defending Rick's as time will tell, but it's always good to share experiences so others know what they might expect, so thanks for sharing yours.
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GregCon
Posted 2016-05-30 9:22 PM (#512817 - in reply to #512759)
Subject: Re: Rick's Tanks (El Paso, TX)



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Location: Houston		I don't know....maybe he did.

I didn't care about the price. He was free to charge me whatever he asked. I know the price was over $1000 but I don't recall by how much.

I did send him my old tank, too. Though it didn't seem to matter....the areas he fell down on were numerous and significant....for example on a C Body, the filler neck is behind the rear license plate. He welded in the neck at an angle that would have made it impossible to use. I've actually forgotten by now all the problems but they were infuriating. Oh well, glad yours worked out well.




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