The Ford Barn

dean from bozeman · 10-16-2017, 04:43 PM

Default Not Late V8: '80 Thunderbird problem

Years ago I had my mom's '80 T-Bird "restored". It was the only car that she ever drove. My dad did not let her get a driver's license until she was 55 years old.

I drove it a bit but since I had no on-site place for it, I put it in storage in town. When I did this I thought that I had run the gas out. You can see where I am going with this.

Recently, I finally finished my new shop and now would have a place for it. However, when I went to get it, I realized that I had left 3/4 of a tank of gas in it. Though it smelled like varnish I still drove it up onto the trailer. Now that it is home I need to get that gas out of it before I drive it any more.

The filler tube has a screen on it so I cannot siphon it out. A friend said to put ice under it, remove all bolts and when the ice is gone and it is lowered slide it out from under the car. However, this car has a metal guard that protects the front 1/3 of the tank so it cannot be easily lowered down.

Another friend says disconnect the coil and gas line. When you go to start it with the key, the gas tank pump will eventually remove most of the gas. It seems like this would take forever and possibly burn out the starter.

On the front of the tank there is a 2 to 3" cover with the gas line and a sensor wire for how full the tank is. I don't know how to remove this and then reseal it. However, since the tank is so full would removing this just spill gas all over?

I thought of even contacting the local Ford dealership but I think that they would balk at removing 3/4 of a tank of varnish gas even though I do have a friend who would take this varnished gas.

I'm asking for information on how to solve this problem or a T-Bird site/person who could act as a source of information. Help!

Thanks for allowing me to post a non-V8 problem and for any help that you can offer.

Dean

P.S. True confession: 95% of my work on automobiles is working on Model A's. Other than maintenance, I do not work on modern vehicles. I consider this '80 T-Bird to be a modern vehicle.

10-16-2017, 04:43 PM	#1
dean from bozeman Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Bozeman, Montana Posts: 997	Not Late V8: '80 T-Bird problem Default Not Late V8: '80 Thunderbird problem Years ago I had my mom's '80 T-Bird "restored". It was the only car that she ever drove. My dad did not let her get a driver's license until she was 55 years old. I drove it a bit but since I had no on-site place for it, I put it in storage in town. When I did this I thought that I had run the gas out. You can see where I am going with this. Recently, I finally finished my new shop and now would have a place for it. However, when I went to get it, I realized that I had left 3/4 of a tank of gas in it. Though it smelled like varnish I still drove it up onto the trailer. Now that it is home I need to get that gas out of it before I drive it any more. The filler tube has a screen on it so I cannot siphon it out. A friend said to put ice under it, remove all bolts and when the ice is gone and it is lowered slide it out from under the car. However, this car has a metal guard that protects the front 1/3 of the tank so it cannot be easily lowered down. Another friend says disconnect the coil and gas line. When you go to start it with the key, the gas tank pump will eventually remove most of the gas. It seems like this would take forever and possibly burn out the starter. On the front of the tank there is a 2 to 3" cover with the gas line and a sensor wire for how full the tank is. I don't know how to remove this and then reseal it. However, since the tank is so full would removing this just spill gas all over? I thought of even contacting the local Ford dealership but I think that they would balk at removing 3/4 of a tank of varnish gas even though I do have a friend who would take this varnished gas. I'm asking for information on how to solve this problem or a T-Bird site/person who could act as a source of information. Help! Thanks for allowing me to post a non-V8 problem and for any help that you can offer. Dean P.S. True confession: 95% of my work on automobiles is working on Model A's. Other than maintenance, I do not work on modern vehicles. I consider this '80 T-Bird to be a modern vehicle.