M 38 gas tank

Trip · Post by **Trip** » Sun Jun 20, 2021 7:57 pm

I am needing a gas tank for an M38,
. Preferably OEM and no holes:
Thanks to all,
Trip

rgmutchler · Post by **rgmutchler** » Mon Jun 21, 2021 10:04 am

Trip,
Hope all is going well with your project(s).
A while ago I was at Mullins in College Station. He had bought out a guy who had a lot of parts in Louisiana. I saw Mullin folks unloading the parts and there were several M38 gas tanks among them. I am pretty sure most if not all were used.
If you have a tank that is restore-able I have used Don Hart's Radiator in Waller. They have a process that works well and doesn't flake or deteriorate (in my experience) I have used it on a M274 tank that had problems and on my old tractor. The cost has been about the cost of a new MDJuan replacement tank.
Good luck
Ralph

Trip · Post by **Trip** » Mon Jun 21, 2021 4:18 pm

Thanks, I will contact Brent.

I have 3 tanks but very rough and need patches welded in so I thought I would acquire a solid one and save some time.

Trip

RonD2 · Post by **RonD2** » Mon Jun 21, 2021 7:18 pm

Hi Trip,
My opinion over 5+ years of observation is that OEM (NOS) tanks seem to be made of platinum or gold. Repops aren't far behind. North of $500 seems "normal" but still shocks me. And anything even remotely repairable also carries very proud prices.

If you don't mind, I believe the crowd here would be very interested if you could post some condition and cost facts when you land on your solution. There's not enough current info about gas tank buying or repair experiences in the forum. I guess if somebody finds a gold mine they want to keep it quiet?

My M38 came to me with what seems to be a new unmarked repop tank, which probably means Omix-Ada a.k.a. MD Juan. I'm sure I paid for it in the sale price, but it's solid, clean, and seems to fit well. I'm guessing (hoping) it must be one of their later models, as the horror stories about their early tanks are pretty scary.

Good luck!

Trip · Post by **Trip** » Tue Jun 22, 2021 6:48 pm

Thank you so much.

Post by **wesk** » Tue Jun 22, 2021 9:46 pm

Actually in todays environment (availability & pricing) I would personally custom fabricate a stainless steel or aluminum tank and paint it OD and no one will catch on and I will have a tank set to last another lifetime. All the openings, fastener set-ups and etc are simple to copy.

There use to be a shop in Montana I believe that made custom stainless M38 tanks.

Trip · Post by **Trip** » Fri Jun 25, 2021 7:42 pm

Army Tank Guy in College Station had probably a dozen tanks of which I grabbed one.

On a separate note, in speaking with Brent, I discovered he has a sizable inventory of military parts.

Thanks to all that replied.

Trip