Gas Tank Straps Color (70 GTO)
 

I've searched the forum for related threads and there doesn't seem to be a consensus on whether the gas tank straps on a 1970 GTO are painted black or are unfinished.

I picked up this set from the Parts Place and they appear to be unfinished. Should I paint them black (got a can of Rustoleum semi-gloss black laying around)?

FWIW...Arlington TX car.

https://www.thepartsplaceinc.com/ima...os/FT2425Z.jpg

The consensus is that the straps were on the car when the underside was painted black. Therefor the straps were black. Original unrestored cars do have black paint on them but since there were not prepped the paint overtime flakes off. If you are restoring the car for judging, I would paint them black.

X2 with what Wakepowell said. These are the factory tank straps repainted back to black on the Tempest.

Dennis

This is also on my to-do list. I'm curious - if the straps were painted with the entire underside, wouldn't the tank also be painted? The black straps and bare tank look great and is probably what I will do but I'm simply curious about the factory process.

Shiny, Of the 4 - '70 A-body's and 1 - '71 from Pontiac, Baltimore, Oshawa, and the Fremont plants, they all had remnants of black paint on them (straps)...which leads me to believe they had a dusting of black paint before they were installed possibly, as they all had surface rust on the bottom and rear (no paint left anymore), but a bit of black paint at the front above the axle where they were more protected out of the elements. I've heard/read somewhere that maybe the straps were installed and hung down from the rear as the bodies were painted and possibly got body color overspray on them before the tanks were installed, but I couldn't find any factory body color overspray on any of mine. I imagine some straps may of never had any paint on them and were different from supplier to supplier, plant to plant. I'm certainly not an expert in this area and maybe Uncle Judge and Ol' Pinion Head will add there expertise to the discussion. I just know enough to be wrong most the time (lol).

Dennis

So...paint them black it is.

Since mine are galvanized (according to the Parts Place) and I don't want paint to flake off like factory, I'm thinking it might make sense to spray the straps with a water-based primer before hitting with the semi-gloss black.

Rustoleum recommends this for proper adhesion...

https://mobileimages.lowes.com/produ....jpg?size=pdhi

I like the black painted look and plan to do mine that way too, I just bought the same straps you have and they fit very nice with my new Tanks Inc. tank.

Revisiting this as I step up to replacing my tank.

Ames claims original straps were plated with a black zinc:

https://secure.amesperf.com/qilan/De...A&web_access=Y

Black zinc probably wouldn't stay black very long in that location. I'm not sure why GM would have chosen that finish but whatever.

I think they used their special "Rust Immediately" finish ... so hard to find a definitive answer from original cars :)

I bead blasted and painted mine black.

TJ, was the bottom of your '72 LeMans Sport convert originally body color finish?
Off hand do you know what month/week the cowl tag notates body build? Thanks!

Put NOS ones i bought long ago on my car, they were not black. Gonna change my tank out for a stainless one. Sending some stuff out for plating and gonna have the original straps done black zinc and see how they look. Stuff i sent out so far to Detail Plating looks great so going to see if they can do them..

I found it interesting Dorman lists the straps as fitting 68-72 AND 92-94. Maybe there was a finish change at some point?

https://www.dormanproducts.com/p-671...rap&origin=YMM

Roger, I saw no body color on my floor underside when I restored. It was just worn off and looked like maybe black paint.
The cowl tag reads 09A A51 if that is the date code. How does that decipher?

Thanks TJ. Have an early Sept Pontiac plant built HO GTO here, it's also black underneath.

Later tonight will start a new topic on this, question is in regards to another '72, also built Pontiac plant, but middle of the Fall.

For what it's worth on virgin 69 A bodies I have seen both black and galvanized straps and I was never able to detect an early vs late production pattern. Therefore (in 69 at least) I think it came down to different suppliers using different finishes. GM probably just left it to the supplier so long as he met a certain corrosion resistance minimum standard.

My 1970 GTO that Im restoring definitely has black straps. Its a Fremont car. There was no rust on them since the car was raised in the desert.

Here's what I just pulled off my 70 LeMans (Pontiac plant)...definitely black.

They could have been replaced but I think not as the tank and sender appeared original.

I ordered replacements from Tanks Inc. and they are black.

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...1&d=1666454528