Gasoline in cab liner

[Jaydb07]

Replaced gas tank and sending unit in cab of 59 Apache. In process skinned the entire inside everywhere with the thin gray black-sticky-backed stuff, then over that the more thick pad with fluffy stuff in middle and silver stuff on each outer surface. Per advice of local hot rod shop owner. Went great. But in dealing with leaking connection between sending unit and fuel line I got LOTS of gas in the cab. The think insulated layer under the gas tank is completely staruatwd. Gas tank is still installed and half full and fuel line is disconnected from sending unit.

What the heck do I do now? How to get gas and gas smell out of the cab? How to prevent again at a later time soaking the cab insulation again? I am stubbornly preferring the tank in the cab. I don't like where the filler neck needs to be if I move it under the bed.

Will the gas smell fully go away after the gas evaporates? Or must I strip out all that insulation and replace it?

See the problem?

Thank you

Jay

[Donaldo]

I think to remove the smell, you'll need to remove all the fuel contaminated insulation. And it still may be evident for a while, like an old stale carbonator.

[SKFengineer]

The smell is going to stick around for awhile but you can help yourself out if you make a mixture of laundry detergent and water and wash everything down, go a little heavy on the detergent. <-- I'm assuming you haven't installed the rug and seat yet. As noted though it's likely the only way to quickly and completely remove the smell is through removal of the insulation. I think the thinner stuff should be easy to wash but the thicker more porous insulation might need to be pulled.

I had an issue with our 1970 Chevelle, I jacked up the front to put a new disc brake system on the front end and forgot I had just filled the gas tank to the top. Gas dripped out of the vented gas cap for a day without me noticing and it got on the rug I have in the garage. The above washing solution helped about 90%.

Good luck

[nvrdone]

I found a product called "cancel" at a local vacuum parts store. used it to kill the smell of spilled gas in my d/d. I understand Granger supply has the same type of product. good luck

[Jaydb07]

Thank you very much!

[my56chevytruck]

Originally Posted by Jaydb07

Thank you very much!

Sorry to hear about your gas dilemma, I can only suggest what I had done. I didn't care for the gas filler coming up thru the bed, just me. I had a suburban gas tank, that filled out to the side. Mounted this to the frame in the rear of my stock 56 frame. I bought a Harley Davidson gas tank filler and mounted that to my psgr rear fender. The tank is from a 1973-1991 Suburban, 31 gallon. Here's a link from LMC Truck for the same. food for thought.
http://www.lmctruck.com/icatalog/csb/865w/0057.jpg

[dsraven]

sorry to hear about your fuel problem, especially after all that time and money spent on insulation.
I am a big promoter of taking that fuel tank out of the cab. there are lots of reasons, and I am sure you have probably heard them all, but the biggest is the health hazard. I personally think that the fuel filler in the bed looks funny and takes away some of the functionality. especially on a truck that obviously has had a lot of time and energy spent on it to look good.again, let me say that is my opinion and it means nothing past that. thats the nature of hotrodding, it is personal preference and expression. I have thought that I will install a tank between the rear frame rails with a side filler and then put the filler door on the side of the box somehow, or maybe set it into the front or rear side of the fender. I have looked at tanks from an s10 blazer or have seen guys use the mustang tank and thought, if a guy started with a new tank, a new filler location could be welded in so a side fill could be used. the filler tubing could go above the frame between the box floor and the frame. the filler hose from an s10 blazer is sort of formed to be flat in that position, or a flattened out section of exhuast tubing could be used to connect the dots between the fuel fill hoses.
getting back to the question, I think you will need to pull the insulation at least down to the thinner stuff. try some brake cleaner or some autobody wax and grease remover to start with after you are down to that level. use rubber gloves in a well ventilated area away from sparks etc. this stuff evaporates fast and has its own odor, but may get the job done and their odor goes away. be aware that it, as well as the gasoline, may soften the adhesive used on the thinner sound deadener so you may end up re-doing that again anyway. maybe a good idea to pull it all off in the affected area and start over if the brake cleaner/wax remover doesn't do the trick.
sorry to hear you had problems, always a heartbreaker after doing all that work.
seriously, think about moving that tank. you only live once. if you dont have your health everything else fades.

[Coupeguy2001]

I had a rear end accident, and had i had an under bed tank, I woulda been a cinder.

that being said, I still feel the tank is a health hazard as well.
It's your choice.

I had a loose nut on the soldered end on the sender in my truck, It took weeks to get the smell out, and I used febreeze and paint thinner and alcohol to get rid of the smell. In the end, it doesn't smell any more, but it took about 5 months for it to go away.
I did not have insulation, so you will have to get new stuff if you want to use it.
On my sender, I let it sit in the sun for a couple days, and then resoldered the nut onto the line. That was about 5 years ago, and all is still good.

[1project2many]

The in-cab tank can be made odor free but you need to seal everything completely. Remember that any fuel with ethanol in it will eventually ruin most rubber parts so make sure to use hoses and gaskets compatible with modern fuel. Today's gasoline makes vapor easier than fuel of old so it's also a good idea to check that the pressure relief valve in the cap works correctly.

I still believe that adding a charcoal canister and a purge valve is a good idea for these systems but it take a little design work as there is no check valve or baffle to keep liquid fuel out of the purge system.

[tmoble]

rear-enders are the most common type of wreck.. Totally baffles me how guys think the gas tank is safer back there.

If somebody t-bones me hard enough to get into the cab mounted gas tank I'll probably already be dead so I won't care.

The gasket under the sending unit is the chief culprit for fumes in the interior. I made a rubber one out of a sheet of rubber gasket material I found at Ace Hardware. Never smelled gas in the cab again.

Don't overfill the tank.

[Coupeguy2001]

I make a baffle for the 55-59 trucks that goes under the cap. It is essentially a diverter for the gas to not hit the cap going around corners, and it directs the fuel to the scupper area of the filler, and the gas is better directed back to the tank.
I been selling those things for about 20 years. I even sold them on Ebay for a while.
No more stains and smells on my truck.
I get $20 for them
hillenger512@cox.net

[tmoble]

interesting, got a pic or link?

[1project2many]

I'd like to see the baffle as well.

In this area you can buy red or black neoprene sheets at some better hardware stores, at plumbing supply houses, or through Grainger.

[Coupeguy2001]

revisited this thread
The baffle has nickel plated corrosion free reinforcement washers, baffle, corrosion resistant steel shanked bolt, anti-rattle plastic washer, weighted nickel plated washer, and self locking corrosion resistant steel (cres) nut. all aircraft hardware. Fits original gas filler and others of the same size and diameter.

email: hillenger512@cox.net