hello sl6 sages- here is an oddball question: on a body dusters(76) is the gas tank filler pipe wide open to the tank after you get through the little spring door at the top of thepipe so you can put a siphon hose down to the tank and is this generally open in other models too(gm, ford). back inthe 50s(dont know if the doctor or the DI were there then) bad boys used to steal/siphongasoutof cars from the 40s and 50s. knew a few crooks who did,but i never did. here on the se coast of fla. we just got blasted by hurricane francis, infact the eye came in 2miles from my house. a close call for me butnot for others who werent so lucky. going to get a gas generator for whenthe power goes out. want to be able to siphon stored gas out of my cars gas tanks. this becomes especially important if the power outage is more than a day or two, because all the stations are out too and cant pump gas. a local sage tells me that was ok with the 40s and 50s cars but cars made since the gas shortage in 73 cant be siphoned due to a baffle in the pipe which blocks a hose and stopped crooks back in the gas short days who tried to clip ones gas. what do you know about this? thanks tons paladin

I have successfully siphoned gas out of the gas tanks of my 84 Ford van and other late 70's and 80s model cars. Once you get the hose past that first flapper valve it is a straight shot down to the tank. Extracting the hose can be tricky if it get pinched in the flapper, but not undoable. I recommend buying a gas siphon pump from Napa. Costs about $10 and works great. It is basically a palstic bulb with two hoses coming off it and a one way reed valve on each hose. One valve lets gas flow in when the bulb expands, the other valve lets gas flow out when the bulb is compressed.

Hurricanes suck. Why don't more people in Florida live in metal domes or underground?

If the filler pipe doesn't work, you can always get under the car and take off the hose from the sending unit (or the fuel pump side under the hood?)

Just be careful, hold on to the barb that comes out of the sending unit before you pull on the hose because its a bit fragle and can start to leak if you tug too hard on it.

Underground = underwater in Forida (see "sinkhole", involuntary underground dwelling ), but I like the metal dome idea!
Some cars do have baffles (or breather hoses) in the neck that prevent siphoning, but I can't recall seeing one in an A-body (not that I've seen them all).
We have a pump buggy (hand-cranked) designed to draw down tanks for easier pump changes, and I've used it on many new cars without problem.

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O==\=/==O

"A mechanic is Somebody."
- Jim Preston

I guess for the same reason that people in Washington don't live in volcano/ash resistant reinforced concrete bunkers...

D/W

...is that Rainier I hear rumbling??

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If it ain't broke, fix it!

I've seen state patrol cars with valves on the fuel line near the fuel pump that allows them to transfer gas from their cruiser to a motorist who has run out.

There is a metal flap welded into the bottom of filler tube that hinders the process of siphoning gas.

I cant think of an easier car to steal or steal from than an A-body. Get the little gas syphon hosey thingy from Canadian Tire it keeps the MTBE out of your hypothalmus.

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Yeah....Im the one who destroyed this rare, vintage automobile.....

I guess for the same reason that people in Washington don't live in volcano/ash resistant reinforced concrete bunkers...

Good one! The difference is that even though geologist know that Mt. Rainier is essential a giant mud pie (sulfur gas from the lava has mixed with the snow to create sulfuric acid which has turned the innards of the mountan to mud), it is not know exactly when there will be an earthquake big enough to sned it gushing. When it does go they figure that it will take out all the low-lying areas between the mountain and the sound--Puyallup, Fife, South Tacoma, etc... Fortunately my house is at one of the higher parts of Tacoma so I am safe. That geology class in college was good for something.

But hurricanes happen *every year*. Its like, why don't people in flood plains all live in house boats with quick disconnect utility fittings and anchor chains?

hello reed and other sages- thank you for your info on the siphoning . will go to napa as soon as they reopen to get that gas siphon bulband hose. will try it out before the next cane shuts the power off. must be 4-5 napas here on the treasure coast but advance auto parts and discount auto parts seem to have cornered themarket. nearest pep boys is west palm beach. thanks again. paladin. by the way when no canes, weather is warm and beautiful all the time here no snow and no crawling under sl6s in the cold winters of nj.

There is no restriction in the 1975-76 A-body gas fill tube except the flapper at the top. You can hold it open with a long screw driver or piece of wire so you can get your siphon hose back out.
Other option.... remove the 3 screws that retain the fill tube to the fender and pull the fill tube right out (with a bit of twisting motion to break its seal at the gas tank grommet.

I even put a pre-1975 fill tube in my 1975 Valiant--- no more annoying flapper thingy.

Now my 1987 Dodge truck has a a ball in the fill tube much like a ping-pong ball. NO WAY to get a siphon hose past that one. The purpose of the ping pong ball in the fill tube is that is it functions as a roll-over valve to keep fuel from leaking out if the vehicle tips over.

That baffle is a pain...

I personally use an electric fuel pump with a set of alligator clips.

I disconnect the fuel line from the inlet on the stock fuel pump, attach siphon hose, that has a filter and is attached to the electric fuel pump nd have about 3 feet of 'spout' hose... attach unit, put 'outlet' into gas can on ground, then attach wires to the battery and watch the level in the can...I just drained 14 gallons out of my '74 last weekend in 10 minutes...

-D.Idiot