The tank can be used for a fuel tank with our without carbs, on a car like Rich's car when it was pressurized it supplied fuel to the carbs and freed up a little torque because he was not running a pump. Lots of fellas just stuck a moon tank up front in the '60s ( and even the '70s for sure) for the look that didn't actually do anything. Of I suppose if you didn't have a fuel gauge you could use it for a reserve tank with a splitter. A lot of guys thee days use them for overflow tanks for the radiator. I don't doubt that there are a lot of things one could be used for aside from just being there to look cool as if looking cool is an issue.
a lot of early racers used these tanks for hi-test gas to be used for racing. they'd drive to the flats or strip on regular pump gas
Wick22 - You got one hell of a deal on it. The one I have is a ''shelf piece'' that cost me a lot more. Someone else is gonna end up with it soon. Heck, with all the money you saved, time to look for a set of Moon brackets!
The cap is I think first generation Moon...it is a real WWII Aircraft part, used before Bling came along with spinners and then flip tops. I wish I knew more about dates of Moon changes, but this one is early (but not earliest, the tanks with recessed crimped in ends) hard core stuff. I'm sure someone on here knows a LOT more about Moon chronology. There were WWII tanks VERY similar in size to Moon tanks, and I would speculate that the earliest Moons were reworked surplus parts. Anyone here have any Boeing tank info? I have an early tank retrieved from some sort of drag use that has a Boeing plaque and part number...dated 1944. No idea what its exact use was, as it is FAR too small for an oil tank on something like a B17. Maybe some Boeing trainer model, or lube for an auxiliary system on a bomber. If your tank went 140 at Santa Ana in 1954, maybe mine survived 27 raids on Dusseldorf... There were many reasons for the use of Moon tanks on drag cars...one is simply that most stock type fuelpumps could barely cope with a flat-out stocker, while a pressurized Moon could flow whatever was needed. The other was Alcohol or hotter fuels, which required even higher volumes and which would probably dissolve a stock pump. Use of fuel in the early '50's went WAY farther down the food chain than actual dragsters, with all sorts of modified cars using homebrew. There were even streetable cars running fuel at competition meets, usually by simply swapping in a spare manifold all set up with drilled out Strombergs and plugging the rig into a small pressure tank.
PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH THAT TANK! Don't even think about polishing it either. Ok, now you know what I would do, it's yours, your decision. We are saying these things because WE know how hard people are looking for these early racing parts. You would be surprised what you could buy for your truck if you got hooked up with the right guy (for the right car), that's willing to pay big bucks for that tank.
Listen to these guys that know. Find the right buyer for that tank, and go buy a half-dozen repops to use as you wish. Not to say, I'm normally of the opinion that it's yours, do as you like. But that's obviously is a pretty desirable piece in certain circles. Your call of course.
The little tanks were used on drag racecars,not for the street drivers. We took them back off for street driving if we had a car we did both street n strip with,the tanks would block air flow to the rad and be yet another thing to get screwed by someone backing in to us=didn't really see them driving on the street. Now days its trendy to see them all fakey ass on the front of streetdrivers were most of the owners don't even know what they were for. The're one of many little things missunderstud now days an faked up ,just cuz someone saw tit in a old photo or are copying other faked up new builds. Being old myself an having raced in the late 1950 n 60s,my view an thoughts of this stuff are cuz I was there an doing it vs just looking at photos an not knowing weather its a photo of a oddball or a commen practice.
While its a nice piece and bought for a fair price, Its not that special that it will draw a crowd or have anyone of you run across the parking lot to look at it. Put it on your truck and enjoy it. The filler cap assy is common and still available for $25. the only thing is that the weldment that the filler cap is screwed to will have to be made and welded to the tank instead of what they use now. I have had custom work done by MQQN in order to get the welds matching, and was no big deal
Always love the old Moon tanks and it seemed like everyone had one sitting out in front back in the 60's Jimbo
I've decided not to use the tank and I'll prob ask 200 for it unless y'all think it's worth more....I try to work hard and am always changing something on my truck to make it period correct as I can afford and it would be painted if I could afford it
I'll take it - and put it to good use on my altered right away - PM me where you would like me to send the money - Thanks!
Got the tank today - its great - the brackets were crude but I had a set here that work great - now for the important question - does anyone have a pump for sale? I'd love to try to run it that way w/o a fuel pump!
Nope, my Anglia ran as a Legal NHRA & AHRA car as late as 74 with springs holding the tank to the brackets
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