TOPIC: Old Evinrude, Johnson, OMC Gas Tanks

Been a while since I posted, I hope all are doing well.
Since it is the winter I have decided to take on a hobby/project that I really enjoyed during the restoration of my boat. I have eight 6 gallon tanks, one 4 gallon and one three gallon tank that I am restoring.

I strip all of paint and any rust, clean the inside of all rust and gunk. I will replace all gaskets, cork floats and glass indicators as needed. All dents pulled out. I then will use high quality automotive etching primer and I have color matched the paint and will use high quality single stage automotive paint (4 coats)that will fend off any rust and allow no penetration by gas and oil. I cant screen print the original logos but will put decals on them. I have seen a guy on ebay asking $175 for tanks and can tell that the paint is not high quality as I can see pitting.

Just the intake and float assembly can run upwards of $125 for NOS. Before I sell these I wanted to throw it out to anyone what they think I could get for this entire restoration or what they would pay for something like this.

In addition, if any of you have that tank or tanks that are original to your boat and they need a facelift. Give me a holler, would love to talk about restoring them for you. There is just something in me that feels good about working on pieces of what I feel are Americana in outboard boating.

I finished my first restoration of a '64 Performer Sportsman last year with a 60hp Evinrude and of course the tanks. Love it, beautiful boat. Just picked up a '55 Johnson CD-12 5 1/2hp tiller the other day with 2 tanks from a guy locally for $100. Runs perfect and am looking forward to restoring that honey.
Have great off-season all (unless you are south of the equator).
Thanks in advance for any and all feedback about the tanks.
Tim

evinrude64,

WELCOME ABOARD (again).

yours, satx

If the tanks are single line versions I simply wouldn't bother unless you need the tanks for yourself. No one is going to pay even what is your cost for a restoration as you describe for a tank that can be replaced by a new plastic one. If the tanks are the 2 line pressure tanks don't expect to get much over $100.00 as most people who would want these tanks would simply find a really good original for about $100 (ebay is a false guide for pricing) or start with a $15.00 one and do all the work themselves. nymarine.ca has all the parts, paint and decals in stock so your chance to profit from this work is minimal at best.

You can get correct decals via one source and maybe more than one. www.nymarine.com is one of 'em.

Andreas

when you cruise ebay looking for prices, look at the completed listings...most of those high price things never sell....john

FWIW, I bought a metal tank on eBay and I think it cost me around $100 with shipping. There was no decal on it so I had to get that separate. It had been cleaned and repainted (fairly nice job) and had all of the attachments. I use that tank for shows but the plastic ones for everyday cruising.

One interesting thing is the gauge doesn't work. I take it out and it works fine, but doesn't when it is installed. I can't seem to find what the problem is. It looks like the wire for the float is clear and the float itself seems fine. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Fun project, don't expect to make money on it. (or very little)

Your float is probably bad. If it is a deep red or wine color or has any type of shriveling on the outside coating it is "waterlogged" and will not give an accurate reading. Go to boats.net and get one for $6.00. Cut the old one off with a box cutter, buff off any rust or corrosion on the shaft of the float mechanism, bend the tip of the cork assembly very slowly and slide a new cork onto it. Hope that helps and solves the problem.

Hmmm...with the exception of thompsonboat and thetudor....I think I am glad I haven't posted for over a year. I was surprised to hear the negative comments about a fun project. Nice tanks in the pics though 50's flash. I am not looking to make a damn thing. I simply like to restore "americana". There is a big difference between a hobby and a job. If it were a job, there goes the hobby. I have a full time job that pays the bills and some. Not to mention, those of you that wanted to comment that I wouldn't make money or very little because of what I have to put into it have no idea what my resources are and the amount I am putting into these. I can assure you that I am putting top quality and I am doing it the AMERICAN way....by hand in a garage.

I guess this site and the people that use it has changed....that sucks.

I am surprised at the negativity, I have always looked to this site for positive, fun, good advice and knowledge.

As I said...Thompsonboat and Thetudor....thanks for the positive input and thetudor I posted an answer to your cork gas gauge problem above this one.

evinrude64 wrote:

I have seen a guy on ebay asking $175 for tanks and can tell that the paint is not high quality as I can see pitting.

Just the intake and float assembly can run upwards of $125 for NOS. Before I sell these I wanted to throw it out to anyone what they think I could get for this entire restoration or what they would pay for something like this.

Thanks in advance for any and all feedback about the tanks.
Tim

WOW!
I guess when you mentioned $175 you didn't think anyone would tell you that was too much, and when said "any and all feedback" you meant "Pat me on the back or keep quiet."
You asked, and we tried to help. As you can see I've done it before. BTW I have motors for those tanks. We would love to help, but that may not be what you want to hear I guess.
There is a lot of prep work to painting. You only use Metal etching primer on bare metal, and rust on the lower welds is really hard to remove without sand-blasting. I would recommend blasting the whole tank. I used "Lab-Metal" to fill the small dents. You can't "pull" dents without drilling a hole, which is something you don't want to do. If there is ANY rust on the inside of the tank, don't use it, or get a product called "KREEM", which you can get at any motorcycle shop. If you don't it will come back to bite you in the butt. I used PPG "Paxton/Urbana School Bus Orange" paint. It was the closest thing I could find to the original color. All my decals I got from Peter at nymarine like Andreas said www.nymarine.ca/ I replaced all the cork gaskets which I got at Sea-Way Marine www.seawaymarine.com/
I probably have 4-6 hours in each tank and $50 - $75 in each tank. If you could sell them for $100 you would be lucky. Like I said, it's a fun project.
We're not trying to be critical Tim, we're trying to help.

Good luck
Jerry

I agree there was money mentioned in the first post.

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A " feeler " was put out for demand / interest on these.

professor wrote:

I agree there was money mentioned in the first post.

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A " feeler " was put out for demand / interest on these.

That is the same impression that I got too professor and my response was meant to address the perceived question.

evinrude64 wrote:

Hmmm...with the exception of thompsonboat and thetudor....I think I am glad I haven't posted for over a year. I was surprised to hear the negative comments about a fun project. Nice tanks in the pics though 50's flash. I am not looking to make a damn thing. I simply like to restore "americana". There is a big difference between a hobby and a job. If it were a job, there goes the hobby. I have a full time job that pays the bills and some. Not to mention, those of you that wanted to comment that I wouldn't make money or very little because of what I have to put into it have no idea what my resources are and the amount I am putting into these. I can assure you that I am putting top quality and I am doing it the AMERICAN way....by hand in a garage.

I guess this site and the people that use it has changed....that sucks.

I am surprised at the negativity, I have always looked to this site for positive, fun, good advice and knowledge.

As I said...Thompsonboat and Thetudor....thanks for the positive input and thetudor I posted an answer to your cork gas gauge problem above this one.

Sorry that you felt my response was negative, I felt it was quite realistic, and in keeping with my responses to any question that involves value where the investment is certainly to create a net loss of money. Your right that we don't know what your resources are and it really doesn't matter to me if you are filthy rich or dirt poor your first post was a request for input and I provided what I felt was valuable based on the information provided in your first post. One of the things you say you like about this site is "good advice" and I feel I gave it to you.
Al

evinrude64 wrote:

Your float is probably bad. If it is a deep red or wine color or has any type of shriveling on the outside coating it is "waterlogged" and will not give an accurate reading. Go to boats.net and get one for $6.00. Cut the old one off with a box cutter, buff off any rust or corrosion on the shaft of the float mechanism, bend the tip of the cork assembly very slowly and slide a new cork onto it. Hope that helps and solves the problem.

Thanks. I'll give that a try.

Again FWIW, anybody who does shows or wants the full vintage look should have 1 or 2 metal tanks. Or so I was told once by a judge before I bought mine.

Tim,

I'm sorry that you feel "rubbed off" by some of the posters, but frankly, not one single poster was dismissive of your efforts or ideas. If you had said that you would be doing the tanks on a gratis basis, I'm sure people would be lining up for them. But most people (me included) when reading your post - sort of made the assumption that you would want to do this type work for pay. If that isn't the case, that's fine. Al gave you a very succinct and honest answer - perhaps too honest for some people.

I hope you can find a way to keep hanging around Fiber glassiscs, as it is a great place and most people are very helpful. Keep a sense of humor, be prepared for a jab once in a while, and keep it cool. If you chose not to return, I wish you happy boating.

PS - nice tanks Jerry.

Let me try this again,
I love this site and the people in it and have always been given some great advice and there are so many of you with so much knowledge that there are usually more than one technique or tip that can get the same result. That is why I love it.

Having said that...I have realized that there are many things that get lost in translation or misunderstood in type. Whether it be email, blog, text or forum. I should have realized that prior to me posting I was not only opening myself up to any and all types of reply's but that I probably should have explained better what my thoughts and intentions were prior to posting.

So...I asked what some of you would pay for a fully restored tank...I mentioned I saw a price on ebay of $175 and thought the quality was not high. I have no intention of selling these tanks for that price. I actually am not looking to sell for near that. I am thinking about in the $110-$130 range. I am not charging for my time really because I enjoy doing it. I would be charging for the cost of what I purchased the used tank for, new parts if needed, solvents for cleaning, primer and paint and then incorporating that into a final price and maybe try to make a bit at the end...if I don't then I come away with knowing I restored a great piece of boating history and it will be sitting in someones boat getting a compliment or two.

Al..I was frustrated with the fact that your point was to let me know that a restore of this nature really wasn't worth it. I do appreciate the input and can see how my first post elicited your response. It is worth it to me simply because it is fun and I truly enjoy knowing that something that I worked on will make a fellow boater feel good about how something looks and is being used.

50's Flash (Jerry)...I definitely am not looking for a "pat on the back or keep quiet". You gave me two valuable pieces of info about the KREEM and the decals. I would also like to mention that I make my own gaskets for these tanks. I can save you some $$ if you restore any in the future. Again, anyone else who reads this...if you need a cork/rubber gasket made for any boat part...I make them and I save alot of money doing it that way. I would be more than happy to save you this money as well...probably at half the cost of what you can get these for on boats.net or marineengine.com or any other resource you have.

I also should have stated in my post that when I mentioned that if any of you on this site have tanks that you would like restored then give me a holler...give me a holler means lets talk about it. I would ask that someone pay for the shipping to me and from and to cover the cost of parts, paint, primer etc...every tank is different and some may need a little more tlc than others and that could change the cost of materials. Wouldn't charge for my time and labor.

I hope that those of you that responded have read this and understand my tone of today's post. I apologize for my knee-jerk reaction to what I thought was negative criticism and being told that what I am doing is worthless to others and has no point unless it is for myself.

So...Thanks for the feedback...I opened myself up to any and all as I asked for any and all. I hope that all of you will accept my apology and know me as a proud fellow glassic lover and am willing to help those that are on this site to continue their love of this American classic.

Tim

Tim, The cork sight-glass gaskets are only a few cents. I think I bought a package of ten for a couple bucks. Shipping old gas tanks is a no-no. They're considered Hazardous material. Shipping new ones may be OK, but not sure about repainted and cleaned ones. You could box them and take your chances.
I forgot to mention I use Duratech Polyurethane primer. It sands great, but you need MEKP just like resin or Gel-Coat.

I don't want to rain on your parade, because I have done a bunch at a time for my own use, but always thought if someone wanted one I would sell one for around $125, so I think you're right on with that price. I shopped for a long time in boat parts places, and Craigslist until I cam up with 10 good tanks, but even some of them had too large a dent, or something that made me set it aside. To make it work you really need to shoot about ten at one time.

I hope that helps you. Let me know if there is anything else I can help with.
Jerry

Yes, gaskets are cheap. Pretty rare to find old parts still cheap but those are cheap depending on where you go. I do have a question for you since it seems like you also do motors and have a collection. I am looking for the black tiller handle grip for my 1955 CD-12 Johnson 5.5hp Sea Horse. Do you have one/know of someone or know where I can get one in great shape or NOS?

try www.nymarine.ca/

Cheers

Bill