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it is time to start the rehab on a 74 19ft outrage. i'm sure this will take some time but i'm ready to begin.
the first thing i did was give it a good washing and found that the only way to get it clean would be to take it apart. there was dirt under the bow light, under the clits, under all the teak so i started unscrewing and removed all the hardware. this was not enough because dirt kept washing out from under the center console so i unscrewed it and slid it over and now i'm looking at the deck plate that covers the gas tank and i unscrewed that and said a prayer and pulled it up. now i'm looking at rubber type mats covering the alum.gas tank. let me describe the condition of the deck plate's underside. it is solid with just a small rot in the area of the overflow hoseline and in the very back near the drain hole that drains into the bilge in the floor. i washed the deck plate and scraped all the cocking off and let it dry out. i'm very happy it can go right back on but first let me tell you about the tank. i crossed my fingers and removed the very damp mats from the top of the tank. they were very heavy 1/4 inch thick and 5 or 6 of them i washed them and laid them out to dry. i'm happy they can be reused. now i'm looking at the tank. all the hoses need to be changed. the over flow and fill lines are gone eaten up with rot. the tank is alum.. i washed it with soap and water scruping it with a brush to get all the dirt off and i rinsed it off good and dryed the hell out of the area for an inspection. the alum gas tank is well in place no movement at all. there is a 1/2 inch thick clue foam stuff holding it in place and it is NOT holding any water at all. very hard all the way around the tank and dry. no damp spots. AM I HAPPY? DO I PULL THE TANK OUT?What is that thing in the middle of the tank? a red plastic cap covering two wires. it seems to be in the spot for a manual fuel gauge. can i put a manual guage in its place? When i put the deck and center console back on do i use the same screws? Do i put a good cocking in all those screw holes and than screw it down? Can i put the cocking on the screws as i screw it in place? What are your thoughts? thanks, I will stop here and finish this part of the project before asking any more questions.

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Post up some pics of where you are at. If the tank is original I would really love to see the bottom of it. You never know whats lurking down there. I had to replace a tank in a 1995 Whaler I owned as water got under it and rotted it away. I believe the tank is supposed to have a fuel gauge on it that you can see when you remove the deck plate. At least that is what I have seen before.

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C'mon guys I can't be the only guy that thinks he needs to find a '74 outrage that needs it "clits cocked" ???:D

Good luck with your rehab -- I am really just jealous that I do not have a '74 of my own. The search continues!

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i'm sure it is the first tank. i sure don't want to pull it out. it seems to be set very well in its place. those two wires are for an electric guage and i would like to change it to the manual type. i'm looking in to that. if any body knows if it can be changed let me know. it sure would be a shame to cock it all up and not look under the tank but this boat has never been in salt or open water. the largest challenge has been the oxidation and cleaning. i'll get some pics. it will take some time. i'm out of town. SORRY bout the typeO with all that "clit and cocking" going on. how about a spell check? thanks