Surge Tank

[redmt]

Who has a source for the drivers side outlet surge tanks for the FE?

[bill37341]

Just get a standard Galaxie tank and reverse it. You need a propane torch and some solder. It will give you the ability to shorten the round tube if the tank sits too high.

[redmt]

I don't want to rebuild an old tank. I'm looking for a NIB tank.

[dcdoug]

Here are a few options that are new:

Kit
Finish Line Accessories

Completed (Galaxie)
New 1961 1964 Ford Galaxie Thunderbird Upper Radiator Surge Expansion Tank | eBay

[vatdevil]

Kirkham makes a great tank that will outlive your car..and won't leak.

[Mark IV]

Like in this thread? Stainless Steel surge tank for 427 FE S/O

We supply the stainless steel version pictured. Otherwise we can supply a brass unit that will need to be reversed for use as a left hand outlet

[redmt]

I can find the left hand outlet tanks all day. I'm looking for a RIGHT HAND outlet. I have one that can be reversed. I don't want a kit. I'm looking for a right hand outlet, NIB tank.

[ItBites]

did you see the picture in Mark IVs link?

[redmt]

Yes. $500.00 for a right hand tank when the left hand tanks are $150- $225.00 ? They seem to be inflated costs because it is 'Cobra' affiliated. $300.00 and even more for a "kit" when a completely assembled tank NIB full guarantee is about $200.00? Northern Radiator used to be the mfg. for the R/H tank. They quit making them 3 years ago when their dies wore out. There hasn't been much demand for them as it is hot rod , Cobra related. The wholesale price was less than $100. The retail was around $200.00 until they no longer made them. Vendors seem to think they have the public over a barrel. rant over.

[Dimis]

Originally Posted by redmt

Vendors seem to think they have the public over a barrel.

Unfortunately for buyers, that's because often they do.

Just saying.

[Mark IV]

Originally Posted by redmt

Yes. $500.00 for a right hand tank when the left hand tanks are $150- $225.00 ? They seem to be inflated costs because it is 'Cobra' affiliated. $300.00 and even more for a "kit" when a completely assembled tank NIB full guarantee is about $200.00? Northern Radiator used to be the mfg. for the R/H tank. They quit making them 3 years ago when their dies wore out. There hasn't been much demand for them as it is hot rod , Cobra related. The wholesale price was less than $100. The retail was around $200.00 until they no longer made them. Vendors seem to think they have the public over a barrel. rant over.

Nothing to do with the "right vs. left" thing, the right hand tank is stainless steel vs. the McCord/Ford brass tank. McCord built the tanks for the 427 Cobra for Ford using a mix of Galaxie and Thunderbird pieces. They did not make a lot of extras so NOS are very rare. And if you think "the vendors have you over a barrel" on the stainless tanks, price an NOS Cobra tank.

Every time I hear about how a vendor is raping the public, I bite my tongue hard. I came close to building an exact repro of the McCord 289 Cobra tank. Tooling was $15,000 plus......piece cost was about $60.00 per unit plus the assembly and $10.00 for the water neck and heater tube. How many of those do you think I could sell in five years? 100? 250? Even at 500 what is my cost vs. what I can sell them for?

Don't like what us greedy vendors are getting for parts? Put YOUR money in tooling and deal with the public and then post. Rant over.

[LMH]

Didn't you know that the customer is always right?!!
Larry

[redmt]

"Don't like what us greedy vendors are getting for parts? Put YOUR money in tooling and deal with the public and then post. Rant over."

I have more money in equipment than any sane person should ever have. $15k in tooling ? How about 1/2 m in equipment that sometimes sits for 11 months out of the year? I don't get to rip the customer to try and recoup for a not so bright investment. I fully understand that it takes hundreds of hours to develop a design sometimes more. That doesn't mean you can try and make it all back in a couple transactions. If it was a bad decision going in, then you shouldn't be trying to make it all back at somebody else expense. There's an old saying about any sale is better than no sale. I've dropped hourly rates by as much as %35 percent just to try and get back to zero. I'll trade you stupid decisions and losses any day of the week.

Back on the subject of the tank. The basic components are the same whether left or right. There's literally thousands of the left hand tanks, maybe more. Do you really mean to try and justify because that the outlet is soldered to the other end it makes the value nearly double? Really??

[Dimis]

Originally Posted by Mark IV

Nothing to do with the "right vs. left" thing, the right hand tank is stainless steel vs. the McCord/Ford brass tank. McCord built the tanks for the 427 Cobra for Ford using a mix of Galaxie and Thunderbird pieces. They did not make a lot of extras so NOS are very rare. And if you think "the vendors have you over a barrel" on the stainless tanks, price an NOS Cobra tank.

Every time I hear about how a vendor is raping the public, I bite my tongue hard. I came close to building an exact repro of the McCord 289 Cobra tank. Tooling was $15,000 plus......piece cost was about $60.00 per unit plus the assembly and $10.00 for the water neck and heater tube. How many of those do you think I could sell in five years? 100? 250? Even at 500 what is my cost vs. what I can sell them for?

Don't like what us greedy vendors are getting for parts? Put YOUR money in tooling and deal with the public and then post. Rant over.

With all due respect kind sir, but after you (or they) retire do you kindly give the IP and tooling away for free?

Ps. Middle man vendor "on selling" is also a little different to manufacturing. But hey since you took it there...

Just saying.

[Mark IV]

You are not following that the LH outlet tanks that are available for "Cobras" are stainless steel and not brass. The brass tanks available are for garden variety Ford products thus the price disparity.

I know one of the people making the brass tank (actually he owns the tooling that is in China) and asked about having some LH brass tanks made. Again to do it properly there are some tooling revisions needed but much of the tooling would be the existing stuff. 500 pieces minimum is the run at the factory in China. Without the tool costs my price landed here with fees, duty, insurance, shipping (and of course some profit for him as he owns the tools)etc. is over $125.00 per unit. So I will have $62,500 minimum tied up. If I sell them at $195.00 per like the standard tanks how long before I am close to even? Do I have any cost of money for the inventory I will sit on until I die? Profit is not a dirty word and I subscribe to the "pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered" school of thought. Anyone who thinks 99% of the people involved in this hobby/business are getting rich needs to look harder. I can count on one hand with fingers left over those who made a small fortune that didn't start with a large one!

Give away the IP and tooling? Ford issues a "destruction order" to vendors for most items when they discontinue it as a production or service part. Woe to the vendor that doesn't comply.....although I know one vendor who kept a loft of emblem and trim tools in his home garage as he couldn't bear to trash it.

[redmt]

You are not following that there was never a request for a stainless steel tank. I'm also not looking for some chinese replacement. I'm not looking for a hand crafted Kirkham tank either. My original post was for a vendor of the drivers side outlet tank. I don't care about your costs. If it's not profitable , don't do it. Simple as that. Don't come on 'jacking a thread with your story about how expensive it is for you to provide something nobody even asked for in the first place.

[Mark IV]

Originally Posted by redmt

You are not following that there was never a request for a stainless steel tank. I'm also not looking for some chinese replacement. I'm not looking for a hand crafted Kirkham tank either. My original post was for a vendor of the drivers side outlet tank. I don't care about your costs. If it's not profitable , don't do it. Simple as that. Don't come on 'jacking a thread with your story about how expensive it is for you to provide something nobody even asked for in the first place.

Ok, you don't want a stainless tank, the point was the only readily available LH outlet tanks are stainless. You want a black brass unit. If you want to order the five-hundred units I can arrange it. But they WILL be Chinese. If you want an original Cobra tank, go for it....have not seen one in years. Otherwise buy one of the available brass tanks (also all Chinese), take it to a GOOD radiator shop and have it converted. I just don't know any other choices but I could be wrong....ask my wife, I usually am!

[redmt]

I think your starting to get my point,,, maybe. I found a source for the drivers outlet tank. US made. Northern USED to be the mfg. until their dies wore out and it wasn't profitable for them to replace them. They use the same dies for right or left. It is the assembly process that was different. There are still hundreds if not thousands of pass side tanks available new. US made , for about $200.00 bucks. There are a FEW drivers side outlet tanks available at near double the cost. THAT'S my *****!!

I appreciate the fact that some vendors have decided to fill some gaps in what is a specialty market. Your stainless tank appears to be a very nice tank but to me isn't worth $500.00 bucks. There are lots of vendors who make hand crafted products. Almost all are near works of art. That's not what I'm looking for. I'm merely searching for the run of the mill POS tank for a reasonable price. Please don't let your wife talk to mine. Mine still thinks that occasionally I do get something right.

[LMH]

It looks like you've already found one but I just saw this on eBay and thought I'd pass it along.
Ford FE 427 Cobra Radiator Expansion Surgetank 390 428 482 Shelby Drivers Side | eBay
Larry

[mickmate]

Hey John you dipstick, you're talking about right handed drivers side outlets?! Are you building a right hand drive car now??
http://www.parts123.com/parts123/yb....ficb~~~~A10~A1
61-64 Radiator Surge Tank (352, 390, 406, 427) - Ford Parts