Tom,
First off, does the gauge work and exactly how
much gas is in the tank now? And are you running on
only untreated two year old gas, or have you topped it off,
additives? Either way, I would shut it down.
If you have topped it off and diluted the old
gas, all the better in my opinion. I would still however remove what you
have in the tank and get new gas at all costs. Because if you do
drive and fail, AAA will rescue you, but you still have a problem.
Only worse. If you have AAA, just have them hook it to your house and drain
the system some how. Under duress, this is what I have done.
You say the gas cannot be drained. By the fact
you are idling fine is not necessarily an indication of a clean, or especially
when under load, fuel system that is road ready. For if
you "ask" for it and she begins to cough and sputter because every filter
is jammed with sediment and the like, I guarantee you failure will happen
at the WORST INTERSECTION IN YOUR BACK ROAD JAUNT, and you will not "feather
that pedal" home. It is just Murphy's Law. So first thing is change
every fuel filter in her (I am not greatly familiar with the '63 and how many
there are).
Then disconnect the fuel line from the fuel
pump on the inlet side so you have a straight shot to the tank. This
only if it is truly not drainable from the tank drain plug, if your model has
one. Once you have the inlet side tube accessible, note what OD the pipe
is, or size it through your FSM. Go to your local hardware store and
they will have a small drill operated pump used by plumbers to drain hot water
tanks, kind of looks like two male hose connections with a post which your
drill will drive, about the size of the palm of your hand, to
pull the gas out of your tank. The outlet of the pump of course
is easy as you just attach a garden hose, the "make up" for attaching to the
gas line from the tank can usually be attained through adaptors on the inlet
side with clamps, reducers, hoses, brass, what ever it takes to get a
seal on the gas line. Make sure the fuel tank cap is off and before you
attach the homemade adaptor to your feed gas line, then you should, at the
variable speed of your choice, but not too fast as to inhale all the
sediment, but just slow enough to pull what sediment/varnish/growth is
possibly in there while trying to attain good flow. Then, with a clean
couple of gallons, repeat the procedure and see how it pulls through your gas
sump/filter that is in the bottom of the tank.
IF you are lucky, the tank and the fuel
lines will perform. Your first tank full should be 93 octane
and with an additive (members chime in as to preference) to help dissipate the
remaining pollutants in your tank. There is no doubt without
actually pulling the tank whether you have "cleaned"
thoroughly enough, which under these circumstances is probably not
really. But if on the second pull through, the gas is clean (just look
into the vessel you chose to pump into) you may be one of the lucky
ones. I would still keep her somewhat local for a period with "two exit"
highway runs to really push the fuel through and without leaving the comfort
zone of your mechanic's reach!!
ybshore
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