Fuel tank not using all the fuel

[Kozzz]

I took my 1956 for a drive today, actually headed to the fuel station. Indicator was above empty. Suddenly I lost power and pulled over. Had my wife bring me a 5 gal jug of fuel. Refilled it and it started right up. Went to the fuel station to top off and could only put 2 gallons in. It was topped off completely. It's a brand new tank (the prior owner had bought it some time ago and I recently installed it). Any ideas?

[55blacktie]

I would disconnect the fuel line from the carburetor, crank the engine, and check fuel flow from the fuel pump. There are many reports of off-shore fuel pumps being defective. Check your fuel filter(s). Did you recently replace the gas cap? The original caps are vented. Your cap might not be. You might have gotten some bad gas; I would avoid older stations, unless you know their tanks are newer and that they sell quality gas (Top Tier).

Even though your gas tank is new, there could be contaminants in the tank or fuel line.

[ward 57]

How about the fuel pick-up? Was it new also? The fuel cap is a good choice to look at also. Non vented caps cause vacuum issues some don't know about.

[RossL]

I had a similar issue when I first got my car in November. I rebuilt the carb and found a lot of sediment inside. It ran better at first, then I noticed it was losing power going up a hill

I sent the pump out for a rebuild and there was also sediment in the pump

I put a camera in the tank and there was rust. A new tank was cheaper than getting the old one boiled out and coated

I also replaced the lines from the tank to the pump. I tried to clean them with brake clean and compressed air because the brake cleaner kept coming out with a red tint and I didn’t want to chance damaging the rebuilt carb and pump

It’s running good now and I noticed there is a lot more fuel in the glass filter than before