[lowfunds]

ok so i figured i would ask these questions here and see where it goes. has anyone here ever worked for challenger boats in montclair, cali. back in the mid '70's maybe you can tell me what type of resin was used in the building of their fuel tanks. i know this is a long shot but i trying to figure this out because from what i understand the ethanol blended fuels seem to effect only the tanks built with polyester/epoxy based resins and not vinylester based resin. anyone here running ethanol in their fiberglass tanks in challenger boats and have any problems. i really would hate to cutout perfectly good tanks if i don't have too. any help with this matter would be appreciated.

[HaulsBalls]

I'm not sure exactly what resin is affected by modern fuels but fiberglass tanks are time bombs.  I noticed mine seperating and mixing with my fuel, now I'm swapping tanks and I'm finding all that resin was depositing in my intake and cylinder heads when I was running.  If you find an aluminum tank similar to your's you will probably save some weight as well, I noticed when I cut out my tanks that they were heavy on the glass layers.  I think you should just keep an eye on them and look out for a set to replace them with.

[lowfunds]

i was thinking being i am running a elctric fuel pump i just my install a valve so that i can pump the tanks back into large race gas containers when i am done using the boat each time. boat is not going to be used all the time just once in awhile and with a supercharged 454 i am sure that there will not be much fuel left in the boat after each time i run it. tanks in the boat are only 18 gallons each. not a whole lot of run time on that much fuel. i figured while i am flushing the engine why not just pull the fuel out of it too. i pump out 10 gallons of each tank which was about 3/4 tank on each side yesterday and it only took 10 minutes. so no big deal. it's when the fuel sits in the tanks for a length of time that causes the damage.

[1972Challenger]

i have a 72 challenger and my tanks cracked on me.. luckily i wasnt in the water when i realived that half of my fuel was on the bottom of the boat... i would say remove the tanks and replace them with alum tanks.. thats what i am doing right now...

[lowfunds]

well i went down to the boat today and stuck the snap-on camera inside the tank to see just how much fuel was left when the pump went dry. i found about maybe 1/2 deep at the pickup which i would say may be about a pint of fuel if that. so i felt that was not to bad i think with that little bit by the time that the ethanol starts to do something it would evaporate by then especially alcohol. i also found a section of my fuel tank that i could cut a section off for a sample and put it in a jar of gas and leave for a awhile to see what happens.

[lowfunds]

oh yeah when i set up the fuel system i will be using filters for sure.

[lowfunds]

i was able to cut a small section of extra fiberglass from the fuel tank and now i have it soaking in a small vented jar of fuel. wanna see if the fuel effects the fiberglass. gonna keep tabs on it everyweek while the boat is layed up.

[HaulsBalls]

Check the link below, some good reading on modern fuels and fiberglass tanks in boats.  I would highly concider looking for some tanks for that thing, kind of a pain to drain the fuel after each use even if it's only a few times a year.

http://www.boatus.com/seaworthy/fueltest.asp

[lowfunds]

Check the link below, some good reading on modern fuels and fiberglass tanks in boats.  I would highly concider looking for some tanks for that thing, kind of a pain to drain the fuel after each use even if it's only a few times a year.

http://www.boatus.com/seaworthy/fueltest.asp

no i totally agree on the tank replacement. but i'm gonna try and get the year out of it. i am a marine mechanic by trade here on long island and have done atleast a dozne fiberglass fuel tanks but just not my vintage. most of the boats where from early to late '80's and '90's. i felt if my boat only has 2 18 gallon tanks my boat will use most of that fuel during the day and at the end of the day after i flush the saltwater out of the engine i would just remove what fuel was left behind and the tanks would hoepfully not have that time to deteriorate. i didn't think the older resin boats where the ones effected being the ones i have replaced where from the '80's and '90's. this is why i took a sample of the tank i want to see how fast it effects the tank.

[HaulsBalls]

I ran mine for a season and noticed a heavy build up in all filters, just make sure you are running multiple filters and check them periodically for signs of resin.  Also, keep an eye out for soft spots in the tank if accessible.

[lowfunds]

I ran mine for a season and noticed a heavy build up in all filters, just make sure you are running multiple filters and check them periodically for signs of resin.  Also, keep an eye out for soft spots in the tank if accessible.

where you leaving fuel in them for any length of time. i figure this year if i will only be putting fuel in the tanks for the day running it they at the end of the day remove whats left and store in 5 gallon cans. if i set the electric fuel pump that i am using to run the boat with a valve i should be able to pump the tanks right out easily. i figure a supercharged 454 with 2-930 cfm carbs and only 36 gallons of fuel if i even run the tanks full should not have much run time in the boat should not have a whole lot of fuel leftover to suck out of them at the end of the day. i know for sure i cannot leave fuel in the boat at all. i do plan on doing the tanks within the year or at years end. just want to see how she runs and then go from there.