Gas tank insulating rubber/mat material
 

I am in the process of replacing the fuel tank in my 1971 vert with a new tanks EFI unit. I need to source some type of rubber mat or material to use between the tank and trunk floor and on the straps so those don't rub new holes into the new tank. I'm assuming that this product is cut to go where the tank meets the braces running under the trunk floor.

I see that Ames has a fuel tank mat but am wondering if anyone has use this particular item; or used some other type of material; and how thick this pad/mat is. And if you found something else that you used that is less costly by all means I'm all ears.

i used what Ames sells and was happy with it.

PGlade at V8Buick.com makes these. I've used one and was pleased. Pretty reasonable.

Ive used tar paper in the past. No troubles.

Only factory GM strips for me.

On an original car I use them between body and tank. On non-originals (Hot Rods) I use them between body and tank as well as between tank and straps.

Totally forgot about this...one more thing to buy for my resto.

Thanks everyone I had one sourced already and the ebay vendor flaked on me, two times in a row that ebay vendors have flaked. Thanks gokitty, I msged that fellow and will see how his prices compare to the Ames price.

You're welcome! I hope he can take care of this for you. The BOP A bodies share similarities so maybe this will cross over.

I've bought two from him. They are great and are made like factory down to the the plastic coating on one side (IIRC). I thought the prices were very reasonable at the time but it's been at least 10 years ago.

Looks like I'll have to create an account on V8Buick.com...

He actually has a membership here as well but I don't think he posts any longer here.
Name is Patton Glade.

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I didn't think all cars got this insulation according to a past post. When I dropped my original tank from my 72 Lemans vert, there was no insulation between floor and tank, nor the straps. I then installed new tank with none. Was I wrong? With everything tight. It's hard to believe there would be any chaffing for a hole to develope.

My 71 GTO ( a Fremont build) never came with Insulation. When I dropped the tank the original build sheet was still there, so I’m sure the tank had never been down.

Thanks. That makes me feel better.

If the straps are tight, there is no movement. With no movement, there will be no wear. I think going without is better as using insulation will make it hold moisture in between for longer.

And you regularly drive your car in rainstorms?

I do it to my hot rods to keep rust, from the bare metal straps, from collecting and transferring onto the tank.

By the way, do you have moisture rotting out the roof of your house?

Why are your straps going to rust and why are you leaving them in bare metal?

The tank I pulled from my vert looked to be original although no build sheet so its possible that it was replaced at one time or another. The tank had developed several tiny pinholes on the bottom right where the strap was laying on the tank.
Now this car has been subjected to some weather in her day and has a lot of rust issues that I'm beginning to tackle. And while I live in a very dry state and do not foresee driving the car in any wet weather, the new straps feel a bit rough on the edges so I figured that having a buffer between the strap, floor and tank would be a good idea to add in a little insurance against any issues.

lamans71, Here is a 68-70 A-body tank with the factory insulation mat to give you an idea of how it was placed during assembly (Baltimore car).

Dennis

Thank you Dennis, that is indeed very helpful to see how the factory did the job.

Did the factory put rubber strips between the straps and the tank? I see these sold but not in my repro repair manual.

I did order a pad from Patton Glade... thanks to all for the info.

Mike

When I removed my original tank, there were no rubbers between the strap and tank. I didn't put any back either. Just another area to retain moisture.

Is it possible they stopped using the pad between tank and body after 1970? I think I read that somewhere while click-shopping for a tank.

There wasn’t any padding on the top of the tank on my 71 GTO. I’m sure it was the original tank.

There wasn’t any padding on the top of the tank on my 71 GTO. I’m sure it was the original tank.

I used the repop heavy rubber pad on my 68 (between tank and body) ... it made getting the straps hooked up a real pain ... that extra little thickness seemed to be all I needed to get the front strap bolts started. Like many I resorted to a floor jack and wood.

Thanks again to Dennis for posting his photos!

I am starting to install my tank and found the pad I ordered from Patton Glade is significantly larger than the original Dennis shared. I attached a photo of his pad that I downloaded from an Oldsmobile forum site.

I plan to cut my new pad closer to Dennis's photos.

Mike

Shiny,

Glad the pictures helped...and at least your new pad isn't too small.

Dennis

I had to compromise... the new tank has a bulge that I decided to cover with the pad so I cut it about full-width.

Mike

I suspect the new tank had been dropped but the filler neck definitely needed persuasion to align it with the old tank.

Old tank:
http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...1&d=1667789281

New as-received:
http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...1&d=1667789312

After bending:
http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...1&d=1667789363

Looks great.
I have a feeling they expect you to bend those to the right position. I bet they found that if they are pre-bent to the right place that the neck takes too much abuse during shipping.

Could be! So everyone gets to do this! The carton arrived FAST and in great shape (Spectra tank ordered through Autozone) but the neck was sticking out - definitely awkward. It was easy to bend but stressed the solder joint as the tank bent, not the tube. Fingers crossed.

I have a buddy that does roofing and he had some of that ice shield barrier they put down at the edge of roofs. He gave me the end of a roll that was enough for a couple of cars. Cut it to size and put it in without peeling off the film on the sticky side. Been in there for at least 15 years now with no issues.