I'm having a little trouble removing the tank on my '70. I've disconnected all the fuel/return lines, the two straps and the small sheet metal screw up near top of the filler tube (just inside the door). Did I miss something?

BTW, is there some trick to removing the straps at the rear?

Thanks.

PS: I've also disconnected the ground wire and the wire feeding the gauge.

I presume you have also disconnected all the vent lines too?

What trouble in particular are you having? Is it not moving at all or moves to a point and jams?

As I recall part of the trick was to go forward somewhat and not just to the side. The side filler tube is the main challenge. I suppose one could remove the body mounting bolts along the DS and jack the body up a bit for more clearance.

I was removing my tank last Friday night. I am still trying to remove one bolt, the rust was too much.

To remove the straps from the rear, just bend them a little.

Either the old tank insulation tar straps are still holding your tank or the tank is hitting your frame on the sides or your exhaust is slightly in the way.
The tank should come out towards your rear end of the car so the filler tube will slide out between the body of the car and the frame.

Thanks for the input. I've been trying to do this myself, but have decided it's too awkward without another set of hands and eyes. Got a buddy coming over this weekend. The tank is "free." The hang up, I do believe, is being able to maneuver it to the right position. I could swap out tanks on my '56 Bel Air without assistance, but not with my EC.

Thanks again.

i took out the tank on my 70 el camino not long ago, only one side of the straos come off and the other side pivots and swings out of the way, and in terms of venting, my tank did not have any sort of a vent tube (70 el camino, 350 small block car), so my guess would be yours doesnt either, but your tank may also be different because i see you said the return line? is it a factory return line? on a carb car? i'm just curious because mine didnt have anything like that, and i know a lot of carb cars dont

FWIW 1970 is the wild card year on gas tanks... the California cars all had the improved tank vent system required by the evaporative emissions controls. The 49-state cars had the old vent system gas tanks. So you could have either and it would be "correct".

Then you get into the prior owner syndrome where over the years owners replace a tank with "whatever" and who knows what you may find ;)

i didnt know that, all i can say for sure is that my tank has no vent at all

Just took a little schmoozing to drop it. The location of the non-factory exhaust pipes was somewhat of an issue, but with a second set of hands and eyes we were able to maneuver it out. It's a California car and as such it had more hoses in/out of tank than I've ever seen. Got rid of all but the 3/8 fuel line and the 1/4 return. Plugged everything else. No build sheet. Having nothing to with all this, I do have the original owners manual/protectoplate, purchase papers, etc. It's neither an SS or a restoration so these docs probably wouldn't mean too much to anyone.

yeah an aftermarket system could definitely cause some interference, What all is different between a California tank and a regular non california emissions car? I'm actually going to be taking out my gas tank (again!) tonight to get the car ready for welding in of new floorboards, this is the 4th time this summer

...It's a California car and as such it had more hoses in/out of tank than I've ever seen. Got rid of all but the 3/8 fuel line and the 1/4 return. Plugged everything else. ...
This is a mistake. There is actually a pretty good reason for ALL of those hoses, even if you do not give a rip about emissions.

Early tank designs in the El Camino were all non-vented and used a vented gas cap. These are prone to leaks especially as fuel WILL slosh up into the filler pipe on right hand turns. Pin holes in the top of the tank can cause issues with leaks too, and this is a likely failure mode for the El Camino (grunge accumulates on top of tank since it is mostly open up there, grunge holds moisture, rust ensues).

With the EEC (Evaporative Emissions Control) the charcoal cannister needed NO liquid fuel coming out of the vent. Thus the tank venting systems were redesigned and greatly improved. The El Camino changed to a sealed gas cap and a system of 3 vent lines was added to the tank. The idea here is that at least one of the 3 will always be above fuel level no matter what the conditions of vehicle acceleration or operating angle. These 3 vents connect to a small tank located above the fuel tank where each line can drain gas back into the tank. Further there is a float inside the tank to shut off liquid flow from the exit vent line.

You can run this improved vent system without the charcoal cannister by putting a paper element fuel filter into the vent line coming out of the top of the breather tank.

It is also possible to retro-fit the later tank into older El Caminos. You may need to recess some of the tank support in the middle to accomodate the center vent line.

BTW if you check out the tank design in gen 5 El Caminos you will find a fairly large pyramid shape on top of the tank that is entirely about venting.

Steve, given that the work is completed, I'm not thrilled about pulling the tank again. However, I won't hesitate if need be. Is fuel possibly sloshing out of the tank the only concern? With the three vents sealed off as they are now, should a vented gas cap be used?

Thanks for the education.

thanks a lot, I didnt know that. And yes, it definitely isnt a small job to drop the tank, I'm just happy its not the biggest job. After doing it a few times now I can do it fairly quickly and easily.
Also, on my tank, i have a vented cap on mine, and other than that it is a fully sealed tank, and as of now with a slight lean to the passenger side with the tank to minimize spillage, everything is working great with it for once.

Steve, given that the work is completed, I'm not thrilled about pulling the tank again. However, I won't hesitate if need be. Is fuel possibly sloshing out of the tank the only concern? With the three vents sealed off as they are now, should a vented gas cap be used?

Thanks for the education.
At a minimum you must use a vented cap as it sits now.

You do still have the vent tank above the gas tank? You may very well be able to hook up the vent lines without removing the tank. Might need to loosen it up a bit and work with it in place. Especially with a bit of extra on the vent lines to help get them fed through.

Is this a new tank? No fuel in it yet? If yes to both I would probably pull it all the way out and modify the fuel filler to use a modern cap anyways. I have written about my mods here a couple times on TC. Having a modern unleaded fuel filler from a late pickup grafted onto the end of the filler is WAY more convienient when you go to fill up at the gas station. Rather than having to do the El Camino lean to hold the pump nozzle in, with the new filler it stays in place on it's own.

I hear ya about the filler issue. It is one of life's little annoyances.

You might be right about being able to re-install the three vent lines without removing the tank altogether. I'm pretty sure the three on the tank itself would be accessable. Not so sure about the tank. Speaking of the "tank," correct me if I'm wrong, but it doesn't really look like a tank, right? It's more of a flat shaped affair into which the three vent lines connect.

Either the old tank insulation tar straps are still holding your tank or the tank is hitting your frame on the sides or your exhaust is slightly in the way.
The tank should come out towards your rear end of the car so the filler tube will slide out between the body of the car and the frame.

you mean toward the front of the car

I hear ya about the filler issue. It is one of life's little annoyances.

You might be right about being able to re-install the three vent lines without removing the tank altogether. I'm pretty sure the three on the tank itself would be accessable. Not so sure about the tank. Speaking of the "tank," correct me if I'm wrong, but it doesn't really look like a tank, right? It's more of a flat shaped affair into which the three vent lines connect.
Yeah probably looks more like a little box with lines coming out the ends :yes:

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk268/elcamino-dude/IMG_0403.jpg
i'm curious, with your vent tubes, how different is your tank than this one out of my 70 el camino?

and also about the physical removal of it, on mine, the little folded corners were very tight to the frame rails, i got under it (after its emptied) and used my knee to hold it up and was actually able to wiggle it out, just being careful to not hold the tank from the filler neck off of the frame rail.
Once I got the passenger side down below the frame rails, it just pulled straight ou the passenger side

If you look at the top front corner of your tank you will find dimples on each corner and one in the middle? There is a vent tube coming out of each of those dimples on the EEC tank. That is the only difference in the tanks.

oh okay, thanks, since you were talking about vent tubes and everything I was curious

BTW you can find some pics here:

http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1491535&postcount=5

Won't show you in quite the same perspective but you can get the idea.

awesome, thanks a lot