Hi Folks,
I figured I should give an update on my progress since it has been over a month since I pulled the gas tank. This is going to be a boring one unless you are interested in finding Granada parts and what parts can be used from other cars.
As far as compatibility is concerned, all of the '75-'80 Ford Granadas, Mercury Monarchs and Lincoln Versailles as well as the '75-'77 Ford Mavericks and Mercury Comets share the exact same fuel system setup. This was key in finding replacement parts for my car. I was actually somewhat surprised that there weren't more cars that shared the same fuel system since Ford uses the same parts in many different vehicles.
So the first order of business was what to do with the old, gummy, rusty gas tank. I checked into my options of cleaning the tank, and I decided that I would just go ahead and replace it. I could have had it cleaned out, or cleaned it out myself, but I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to keep the rust from coming back. I had heard stories from others about some of the coatings peeling off if it isn't done correctly or because of the ethanol content in today's gas, and then you have an even bigger mess. So, needless to say, I was a bit worried about going that route. When I checked into getting a new tank I found that they were fairly easy to get for not too high of a price. A company by the name of Spectra makes a replacement gas tank (part #F30) so I ended up buying one from the ebay store for R&J Automotive Products. They had the best prices I could find and free shipping as well. I ended up paying about $120 for the tank, and it was delivered really fast. I would recommend shopping from them any time. The tank looks like a perfect replacement as well.
The next issue I had to deal with was the fuel sending unit. In older vehicles this is basically just the fuel pickup tube with a float attached for the fuel level sensor. For it to be a part with such a basic function it has been really hard to find a replacement for it. From what I have been able to find, no one makes an aftermarket replacement for these model cars. I have heard rumors that the sending units for the earlier model Mavericks/Comets will work, but I was unable to verify that the pickup tube was at the correct angle. I was able to find a place in New York state called Tri-Starr Radiator that rebuilds hard to find sending units, so that is the route I have chosen to follow. The guy that I have talked to is Dan Ohara and he has been very friendly and quite responsive to my emails and phone calls. I am supposed to get the sending unit back this week, so I will post an update on how it turned out.
Again, I have to apologize for such a boring post, but hopefully it will help someone out there. Pictures and updates to come!
