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I got my Mule from Maccus in 2008.
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?21797-1800-miles-in-47-hrs-for-an-M274
When Maccus did the restoration, repro fuel tanks weren't available. And the tank, like pretty much all Mule fuel tanks, was dented. So Maccus made an outside cover to give the tank a clean appearance. And it looked pretty good. You do what you have to do with this stuff. And it gave me no issues until 2012-2013 when it started leaking a little fuel. The tank has a drain hole bung brazed onto the bottom and it started leaking.
Not having the money at the time to buy a new tank, I attempted a fix. I had just lost my day job and considered myself lucky to still be eating. So I pulled the tank off and pulled the cover off to get access to the bung and touched it up with some JB Weld.
At the same time I was doing this, I upgraded the in-tank pickup screen to a better, more modern unit.
This slowed the leak down to nearly nothing. The area around the bung was slightly damp, but not dripping. And it stayed like this for a couple years.
But last year, it started pouring. When I took it to the rally, people could smell the gas all around the Mule. I'm glad smoking is becoming less prevalent in our society, I was afraid I'd hear a boom and the mule and a bystander would be flying towards the moon.
So I finally sucked it up and bought a new repro tank from John Emery. John bought Bill Watson's business when Bill retired and is making the tanks himself now. They are aluminum and are a pretty good match for the originals, plus they'll never rust.
The tank fits extremely well and I was very impressed that my original pickup and gasket and screws all worked flawlessly in the new tank. Anyone who has been in the antique car hobby can tell you, repro stuff never fits.
My only compliant is that the slots on each end that the deck bolts go through are a hair on the tight side. Had I thought to test fit this, I would have used a deburring tool to slightly open each of the 4 slots up.
I can't lie, this is an expensive project. I'll bet by the time I bought the tank, paid the shipping, bought the special primer, paint, thinner, etc., that I have between $600 and $700 in this. But, my only other choice was to keep jerry rigging the near-50 year old tank and I thought for a mule this nice, I'd just suck it up and buy a new one.
Here are some pictures of the rest of the job.
I really remember taking primer shots, but I can't find them. Don't do drugs in college (or at all).
Old tank coming out, pickup assy. being cleaned and painted before installation.
More in post #2
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?21797-1800-miles-in-47-hrs-for-an-M274
When Maccus did the restoration, repro fuel tanks weren't available. And the tank, like pretty much all Mule fuel tanks, was dented. So Maccus made an outside cover to give the tank a clean appearance. And it looked pretty good. You do what you have to do with this stuff. And it gave me no issues until 2012-2013 when it started leaking a little fuel. The tank has a drain hole bung brazed onto the bottom and it started leaking.
Not having the money at the time to buy a new tank, I attempted a fix. I had just lost my day job and considered myself lucky to still be eating. So I pulled the tank off and pulled the cover off to get access to the bung and touched it up with some JB Weld.
At the same time I was doing this, I upgraded the in-tank pickup screen to a better, more modern unit.
This slowed the leak down to nearly nothing. The area around the bung was slightly damp, but not dripping. And it stayed like this for a couple years.
But last year, it started pouring. When I took it to the rally, people could smell the gas all around the Mule. I'm glad smoking is becoming less prevalent in our society, I was afraid I'd hear a boom and the mule and a bystander would be flying towards the moon.
So I finally sucked it up and bought a new repro tank from John Emery. John bought Bill Watson's business when Bill retired and is making the tanks himself now. They are aluminum and are a pretty good match for the originals, plus they'll never rust.
The tank fits extremely well and I was very impressed that my original pickup and gasket and screws all worked flawlessly in the new tank. Anyone who has been in the antique car hobby can tell you, repro stuff never fits.
My only compliant is that the slots on each end that the deck bolts go through are a hair on the tight side. Had I thought to test fit this, I would have used a deburring tool to slightly open each of the 4 slots up.
I can't lie, this is an expensive project. I'll bet by the time I bought the tank, paid the shipping, bought the special primer, paint, thinner, etc., that I have between $600 and $700 in this. But, my only other choice was to keep jerry rigging the near-50 year old tank and I thought for a mule this nice, I'd just suck it up and buy a new one.
Here are some pictures of the rest of the job.
I really remember taking primer shots, but I can't find them. Don't do drugs in college (or at all).
Old tank coming out, pickup assy. being cleaned and painted before installation.
More in post #2
