I was so pumped up about seeing the carb on that I decided to tackle the removal of the gas tank even though the sun had gone down long before. I knew the straps would give me issues, and sure enough, even with a healthy dose of PB Blaster, the bolts still broke off. I'm going to have to order a new set from Classic Industries, they have a 20% off sale right now. I'll also be buying a new sending unit from Oreilly's.
The original owner had installed a 2nd tank on the driver side that I will do away with. I will not need it and the PO never used it, either, so who knows how that that thing is.
I was surprised to see how clean the fuel tank was. The strainer on the sending unit had a huge hole in it.
The only mess in the tank consisted of a few pebbles and some other minor debris, but no rust/slush/varnish. This truck sat for long periods of time in South Dakota.
Check out this rare sight: The plastic tank deflector that is missing on most fuel tanks, complete with an abandoned rat's/mouse nest. The second to last picture also has a shot of my long-time best friend, PB Blaster....