MTFCA Forum

I am restoring a Presto-Lite tank and have some questions and need some help. I have a tank with the raised letters that say "Prest -o-Lite". The tank has a valve on the end that is to one side of the tank. Does this valve go on the bottom, top, left or right side when mounted on the running board? Did all Presto-Lite tanks have a stencil on them? Does the valve end of the tank face the front or the back of the car? I would appreciate any help in this regard! Thank you in advance!
Regards,
John Haynes

Valve goes up.

Hi John,

The valve goes at the top.
As to the the valve at the front or at the back, I have see it both ways in period photographs and on restored cars. I suspect that tank orientation was entirely owner preference and convenience. For some, it might have been easier to have the valve at the front and the gauge at the rear of the tank would be protected from flying stones. Good luck with your project, Bill

The tank is mounted horizontally with the valve at the top. Generally the valve is at the front (closest to the headlights). All the original tanks I have seen were nickle plated.
Hope this helps.

]Thank you Chad, Bill and Les. I will try to attache a photo of the two Presto-lite tanks I have. One appears to have a galvanized coating and the other appears to be nickel plated. On the nickel plated one, there is remnants of a stencil, there is no such remnants on the galvanized one. Bill, thank you for all of the photos!
Regards,
John[image][/image]

Hi John, I also have 2 P O L tanks & both have the galvanized finish. I have one on my '14 Touring and I painted it with Rustoleum silver. I mounted it with the valve to the front of the car, and of course with the offset valve to the top. I agree with the others that the valve can be to the front or rear of the car, which ever the owner prefers.

I really like the P O L tank and use it mostly at the OCF. The lights remain bright for as long as I want them on, not like the generator where the lights go dim after having them on for awhile.

Keith

John-
Here is my Prest-O-Lite tank:
It is a B type tank.
Restoration Supply has a decal for the "E style" tank, which is shorter than the B.

I got my "B type" decal from a forum member who had some made.

: ^ )

Keith

I bought decal for the "E style" tank on Ebay

John, I finally found the right tank at a welding supply house. Stripped it and painted it silver. Got the repro decal from Restoration Supply. Mine looks a lot like KWs'.

While on the topic of tanks, how does one go about getting one certified or filled?

Chad that is a good question.That seems to vary. Where I am no one will fill a tank with a gauge. With the gauge removed and a plug in it's place they will take it for refill but only on exchange which doesn't work because you rarely find a tank where the valve is offset. Years ago there was a guy in NJ who would fill anything you brought him but he died and I am still running on the tanks he filled for me. I believe he filled them from a larger tank. Fortunately, I had 3 extra tanks filled by him but I am down to one tank now and have gone back to using my generators and carbide on my other cars.

I have not tried this but it is an idea and when I get to the point of using my tank (yard sale find for $2) I will dwell on my boating experience when it comes to filling oddball propane tanks. Take a full tank and invert it take your empty tank and set below. Run a hose between the two with no regulators and raise the full tank inverted above the empty tank. From what I have heard this may take a day or two and it helps if the lower tank is cooled in say a barrel of ice water.