72 Maverick sprint. I am putting my dads old car back together. The tank that I have is very close to the rear valance, I don’t remember them being that close?? Secondly, when I draw up the strap bolts, the tank is flipping around loose—it is not tight against the floor like it ought to be. I cannot verify where the tank and straps came from. They very well could be 74 tank and maybe 73 straps-I don’t know. Is there a difference in years as far as the tank/straps are concerned?
Yes there is a difference in tank and straps. I cannot recall exactly, but somewhere around 73-74 the tanks went to 22 gallon which necessitated longer straps for the larger tank.
Doesn't sound original. The '72 Maverick had a 15 gallon tank and is angled upward toward the valance. The big-bumper cars had a 15 gallon or optional 19 gallon tank. The larger tank is not angled at the rear, and is protected by the large bumper. I know of only two strap lengths; those for the 15 gallon tank, and those for the 19 gallon tank...
19 gallon, and optional for big-bumper cars ('74 and later). Not sure if it became standard at some point. Perhaps someone else will chime in...
I bought a tank from Rock Auto a few years back. They only sold tanks for a 76 model which was a direct bolt in for my 75. I have read on this site that others have installed this tank into earlier models with a slight modification. This was a 19 gallon tank.
A lot of that went on in the 1970s in order to put vehicles into weight classes which were more favorable for EPA fuel economy and emissions testing. If I remember right, some of the Dodge Aspen/Plymouth Volare models had aluminum hoods just to squeak under a weight break.
