gas tank strainer

[Artie in Miami]

Finally got the old tank out of my 86 Suburban R20...I noticed that the mesh strainer bag attached to the gas line (in the tank) is ripped...can this be replaced with another type mesh ? Is this part sold ? Hate to spend $60+ on a new sending unit.

[Tx Firefighter]

It's called a strainer or a sock. They run anywhere from 3 to 10 bucks. Any parts store or Rockauto has them.

I tried to look up your exact part on Rockauto but you're contradicting when you say it's an 86 model R20. 86s weren't fuel injected, but R's were. You either have an 87 R20 or an 86 C20.

[Artie in Miami]

Kevin....thanks...yes, I screwed up...as you said it is a C20...says it right on the moulding !! Not sure where I came up with R ! Let me ask a question...can I also put an inline filter on the fuel line before the fuel pump ? Also...do I need to undercoat the new gas tank ? I found the "sock" online ! Do I need to remove the metal ring from the old sock before installing the new one ?

[Tx Firefighter]

Adding an inline filter between the tank and pump is up to you. I have always done it personally but some fellows feel that it causes problems for the pump. That hasn't been my experience. I like clean fuel. Your carburetor should have a filter in the inlet of the body but many have been removed and discarded by now.

I personally don't paint or undercoat my gas tanks but I'm in Texas and rust doesn't enter into the equation at all.

Just yank the old sock off of the fuel pipe on the sending unit. They usually just have a little thin sheetmetal ring that slides up onto the pipe. The new one just slides on in its places.

[Artie in Miami]

Kevin
I checked out your instagram....nice ! I see you like snap-on tools...I had a huge problem with them. My dad had a giant set back in CT...when he passed, the tools went to me. When I moved to Miami, I found the snap-on guys route and brought a few screwdrivers to trade in. He told me that if I did not buy them from him, he would not trade them...and...he was nasty about it. I tried to explain about the CT purchase etc...no go. I had to call snap-on HQ in Kanosha to ask what to do. They took my info and said they would take care of it. A week later, I answered the doorbell at my home...there was the snap on man to pick up whatever tools I wanted to trade...I was not happy with him and managed to find twenty or so items. He left in a huff...a few weeks later he was back with brand new tools ! I guess the reputation of snap-on depends on the person that drives the truck !!

[Tx Firefighter]

When I was doing it professionally I always tried to keep in hock to the Snap On man a couple of hundred dollars. It's interest free money and it keeps him coming back regularly to get paid. And he also knew in the back of his mind that if he acted poorly I'd just pay him off and send him packing.

They know better than to alienate a repeat customer.

Now I'm out of the professional mechanic game so I do all my Snap On purchases via mail order from their website and my warranty work too. They never have given me any troubles with mail in warranty stuff.

[Artie in Miami]

Kevin....that's a thought...I have just been tossing the broken tools in a 5 gal bucket to avoid the hassle...maybe I should try to send them to snap-on. I have a feeling that if I have not done business with them, it will not fly !
I inspected the inside of the fuel tank...zero rust ?? Got me thinking...so I checked the 3/8" gas line going to fuel pump from tank....full of rust ! I wonder if those pre-bent fuel lines are still available for a 1986 Suburban...or if I should try to bend them myself ? I bought the new 40 gallon fuel tank for nothing...the old tank is in really good shape inside...makes me wonder why the tank interior did not rust, but the inside of the line did ? Maybe when the truck is not used, the fuel drains from the line....but the tank always has fuel vapors that keep the humidity out ? We have tremendous humidity here in Miami...especially in the summer months.