Berlinetta fuel tank

**kronos1664** · 09-10-2020, 09:03 AM

Hi I have a cortina based berlinetta, does anyone know where i could source a replacement fuel tank. i believe these were originally from a mk2 escort van. thanks for any help, Peter

**jon_wilkinson** · 09-10-2020, 09:57 AM

Welcome to the forum, Peter.

Escort van tanks are the proverbial hens teeth. I believe some Roadster owners have used Spridget tanks, which have the added benefit of using a Smiths sender so better compatibility with matching fuel gauges. Failing that I think the usual answer is to have one made up in alloy. Hopefully, Berlinetta owners will chime in with more advice specific to your car.

**scott h** · 09-10-2020, 11:40 AM

I got an alloy tank made by OBP for my Berlinetta. I started a thread on fuel tanks but it never took off, if you look in general car chat page 14 it's there. There is a debate about biofuel and it's affect on alloy and some say stainless is a better bet.

**b_caswell** · 09-10-2020, 11:51 AM

eBay item number:
124370587756

Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing.

**kronos1664** · 09-10-2020, 12:31 PM

shame its an over 200mile round trip or I'd be tempted

**kronos1664** · 09-10-2020, 12:32 PM

thanks i ll take a look at thread

**Dane_Rescueman** · 28-10-2020, 01:00 PM

Hi,
Very short notice but I have seen this on ebay.
Item 124399221425 In Nottingham.
I can't get there at the moment as it looks a good buy.
Shame to see it disappear as there is just two hours left on the offer.

**danny_nelson** · 28-10-2020, 01:38 PM

I know of a good tank located West Midlands

**kronos1664** · 23-11-2020, 09:26 AM

Hi Scott, thanks for the reply. have you got any tips for ordering and specing a tank seeing as you ve been there and done it? how long has yours been fitted, have you had any problems. what fuel sender did you use. i have the ford sender and would like keep the same gauges so wondered if the tank manufacturer would replicate the ford fitment. many thanks for any advice peter

**scott h** · 23-11-2020, 07:45 PM

Originally Posted by kronos1664

Hi Scott, thanks for the reply. have you got any tips for ordering and specing a tank seeing as you ve been there and done it? how long has yours been fitted, have you had any problems. what fuel sender did you use. i have the ford sender and would like keep the same gauges so wondered if the tank manufacturer would replicate the ford fitment. many thanks for any advice peter

Hi Peter, as I mentioned in a previous post I had a tank made by OBP, and I was pleased with their prompt service and the finished tank. I also previously mentioned the debate about Biofuel and it's affect on aluminium, which I personally think is a small risk, but I just checked the OBP website and I see that they also work with stainless steel, so if you are worried then perhaps they could make a tank from that material.

I also mentioned that I started a thread on fuel tanks but there is a bit more detail in my build diary "Berlinetta build and restoration" which can be found in the build diary section of this forum, the fuel tank stuff starts on page ten of said diary.

Things to consider when designing a tank:
How will it be mounted? Consider ease of removal in the future.

Position of filler, breather, fuel outlet and their diameter. Should they be push on or tapped with a thread - probably push on for road use? Your car is probably a carburettor rather than fuel injection, but I would suggest having a fuel return fitted to make future fitting of an injection engine easier, you can blank it off for use with your engine.

As for the fuel sender, I would specify a hole of an appropriate diameter that you can drill mounting holes in to mount your sender. Your sender probably has a lock ring fitment, so what about cutting that section (taking appropriate fire risk precautions) from your old tank and bolting it to the new tank? Think about access to the sender in the future. Again my build diary shows how I mounted my sender.

Another thing to consider is do you want a sump in the tank at the fuel outlet to prevent starvation when the fuel level is low. I didn't bother, instead I have a swirl pot which supplies the injection pump to deal with momentary interruption of the supply.

Hope that helps.
P.S. I note that the OBP website is not as comprehensive as I remember it to be, perhaps due to corona virus working practices?