Tank Armor Installation

Remove everything from your...        read full caption Remove everything from your trunk area, because you will need access to all the fuel tank mounting screw locations for drilling and for installation of the Tank Armor itself.

Remove the fuel filler neck,...        read full caption Remove the fuel filler neck, the filler neck hose, and the clamps from the fuel tank and trunk area.

As soon as you remove the...        read full caption As soon as you remove the hose from the filler neck opening, seal off the fuel tank with masking or duct tape. This will prevent a buildup of fumes and will prevent anything from dropping into the open tank.

Remove all of the existing...        read full caption Remove all of the existing fuel tank retaining hardware at this time. Our tank was only a few months old—but inspect yours for damage or rust, and replace if necessary.

The Tank Armor installation...        read full caption The Tank Armor installation kit includes a dense foam tape that must be applied to the high “ribs” of the fuel tank to prevent metal-to-metal contact between the tank and the Tank Armor product.

The installation kit also...        read full caption The installation kit also includes this heat- resistant, flexible adhesive seal to place around the filler neck opening. We scored the center with a hobby knife as shown for easy installation.

Remove the paper backing to...        read full caption Remove the paper backing to expose the adhesive, and place the seal over the filler neck opening. Press the seal securely in place.

In order to give the filler...        read full caption In order to give the filler neck enough surface area for the filler neck hose to seal, you will have to trim away some of the excessive seal material (if you install the gasket in the same manner as we do).

The Tank Armor is shipped...        read full caption The Tank Armor is shipped as a bare metal product. You can paint, powdercoat, polish, or chrome-plate it—depending upon your budget and what kind of look you want for your Mustang. Since this ’65 is a driver, we simply painted the Tank Armor with a high-temperature gray that is commonly used on late-model Ford engines.

After giving the Tank Armor...        read full caption After giving the Tank Armor ample time to dry, we test-fitted the product in the trunk of our ’65 hardtop. Since our hardtop had new trunk floors, we were a little concerned about alignment, but only two holes were partly misaligned, and it took only the passage of a drill bit to correct.

Once the Tank Armor was set...        read full caption Once the Tank Armor was set in place, our 3/8-inch drill made quick work of enlarging the original self-tapping screw holes to the new size for the mounting bolts.

The kit comes with all-new...        read full caption The kit comes with all-new hardware for installing the Tank Armor as well. We opted to put the supplied split washer and flat washer under the bolt head and added our own flat washer on the backside of the bolt. You may wish to do the same or place the split washer in the location the instructions suggest.

With an assistant securing...        read full caption With an assistant securing the bolt with a box-end wrench, we slid under the ’65 and cinched down the hardware with a deep socket. Work in a crisscross pattern to evenly tighten the product.

With the Tank Armor in place,...        read full caption With the Tank Armor in place, you won’t be able to install the filler neck retaining clamps in the correct location (at least the lower one). The head of the clamp will have to be positioned off to the side instead of straight back for clearance. This is simply a “correctness” issue for judging and has nothing to do with sealing or operation of the filler neck.

While we were very impressed...        read full caption While we were very impressed with the overall build quality and execution of the Tank Armor, the only fault we found with the product was the seal at the filler neck area. Since the seal sticks to the tank, we had a small gap between the Tank Armor and the seal. Tank Armor is looking into alternatives.

Putting your trunk mat back...        read full caption Putting your trunk mat back in place makes the Tank Armor invisible to most anyone. One word of note: the more common felt-back trunk mats will flex and hide the Tank Armor more easily, but the heavy rubber or correct Burtex mats will not sit as well on top of the Tank Armor, due to the added height.

Open the trunk of a ’65-’68 Mustang and what do you see (besides the folding chairs and a milk crate full of cleaning goodies)? You’re looking at the top of the gas tank. For those who are just getting into the hobby, it’s a shocking reality to find out that all the junk they’re throwing into their trunk (including the jack and the spare tire) is resting directly on top of the thin-walled gas tank. If a forceful jab with a screwdriver can puncture the top of the fuel tank, imagine what a rear-end collision could do.

Various products and owner-fabricated custom block-off plates have been designed in the past to protect the occupants from possible fuel splash, due to a damaged fuel tank but were usually body style–specific. Tank Armor is the first product to tackle the problem of differing body styles by installing directly over the fuel tank as a replacement “trunk floor” for all three Mustang body styles.

The gas tank itself has very little—if any—structural strength on its own. Tank Armor, which is made from 11-gauge steel (it weighs in at 30 pounds!), acts as a reinforcing plate between the rear framerails—dramatically improving rear body strength. The isolation of the fuel tank (installing the Tank Armor over the gas tank is akin to mounting the tank “outside” the car) will make the fuel tank virtually impenetrable from the top. The Tank Armor should do an admirable job of preventing fuel from entering the car in the case of a rear-end collision, though we do not claim to make any guarantee on such prevention.

Greg Hayman of Arizona designed the Tank Armor. With more than 10 years experience in metallurgical and mechanical analytical testing, Hayman believes he has devised the best possible solution to solve several of the vintage Mustangs’ problems. Available through either Antioch Mustang Stable or directly from the Tank Armor Web site, the Tank Armor sells for $158.95 plus shipping. We decided to try the Tank Armor on a ’65 hardtop to see if it is a viable solution to our concerns.