Gas filler on 67 Dodge Dart

D

DatsunPainter

New Member
I'm nearing the end on the body restoration and paint of a 67 Dodge Dart. We stripped it about 90% to bare metal, and have primed with SPI epoxy, Featherfill G2, SPI 2k primer, and filled with bondo as needed. Finishing with PPG base in Spinnaker White and SPI Euro Clear.

The owner and his son partially disassembled the car before it came to me. The gas tank is still installed. Is there anything special I need to do around the gas filler neck to protect it from gas spills? Seam sealer around the filler neck or anything?

Attached a picture of the gas filler area in question (before the final sanding), and also one of the completed hood just for fun
 

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You are probably at the mercy of the initial prep done in that area. If there is any path for fuel to get under the paint or even between layers, it will. I used to use Caswell Novolac around paint edges on motorcycle tanks, conceivably you could brush a little around the hole and then use some little fuel-resistant gaskets under the screws. Modern catalyzed systems are pretty good at resisting gasoline, but it's still possible to have a problem.
 
'68 Coronet R/T said:
The four holes lead me to believe there is some sort of rubber seal that will be installed there, which the cap will seal up to.
Click to expand...
yeah i know the 80s trucks have a thin gasket there........its been too long since i been in a 70s rig, i just cant remember. id say its a good idea even if a guy had to make one. i want to say the 80s are made from some kind of thin closed cell foam? i may be wrong on that.
 
Good point, I honestly don't know... When I got it, the 4 holes did have screws in them, they were just supporting the inner filler neck to the quarter panel
 
DatsunPainter said:
I'm nearing the end on the body restoration and paint of a 67 Dodge Dart. We stripped it about 90% to bare metal, and have primed with SPI epoxy, Featherfill G2, SPI 2k primer, and filled with bondo as needed. Finishing with PPG base in Spinnaker White and SPI Euro Clear.

The owner and his son partially disassembled the car before it came to me. The gas tank is still installed. Is there anything special I need to do around the gas filler neck to protect it from gas spills? Seam sealer around the filler neck or anything?

Attached a picture of the gas filler area in question (before the final sanding), and also one of the completed hood just for fun
Click to expand...
Have to give duratec a try sometime. I switched to that from polyester. So far we have been really happy with the change.
 
TBH a proper resto job would see that tank out, it's highly likely there is crud around the edge of that hole and it's poorly protected against corrosion. That's why I recommend putting a "pinstripe" of clear gas tank sealer around the edge, to make up for the fact that it probably won't get much if any paint on it.
 
A little stripe of clear gas tank sealer around the filler neck itself, right? Not the part on the body. Do I do that before or after painting?
 
We don't care about the gas tank for the purposes of this discussion. We care about the car body. The edge of the hole where the neck pokes through will be vulnerable because all the work has been done with the neck in the way. Corrosion protection around the inner edge of the hole might be nearly nonexistent, since sprayed paint does not turn corners. another alternative would be to clean edge up with some sandpaper and brush some epoxy around it. That might actually be better.
 
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