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Tried to post a few minutes ago but for some reason it hasn't appeared on the forum.
I was looking at two tanks on eBay and found exactly what you said, Wolfie - the sender is on the top of the Rover tank, along with a big hole for, I presume, an in-tank pump. The other tank I saw was an earlier one, so I think that's the one I need.

Annoyingly, it's the more expensive one - an extra £13.95, unless I can get the seller to accept a lower offer...

...OK, assuming I have a new fuel tank.
1) Do I need to have it treated internally to cope with modern petrol?
2) My flexible fuel pipes are in all probability, quite old. It makes sense to replace the rear section where the tank connects to the rigid pipe. If I'm buying new flexi hose then the hose I buy today will be the correct type for modern petrol. Do I need to replace the front section too? More importantly, do I need to replace the rigid fuel pipe from front to rear, assuming the current pipe is copper, and if so, what do I use instead?

All comments welcomed...

David there's a guy on the metro owners club forum selling 3 different tanks for £25 each if that helps

wolfie wrote:David there's a guy on the metro owners club forum selling 3 different tanks for £25 each if that helps

Aaargh!

Too late! I offered a price to make the more expensive tank on eBay the same price as the cheaper tank, and had it accepted - so I ordered it. That's unfortunate, but are those 3 tanks new or used? The one I'm now expecting is described as "New - other" I think, so I expect it to be an unused tank but with the signs of having been lying on a shelf for decades...

Have you got a link to those 3 tanks, Wolfie? Might be worth having one to experiment on.

I've PM'd you with a link David

Stuart wrote:I've PM'd you with a link David

Thanks Stuart, I've submitted my registration request to the forum.

Right, I've now got a brand new (well, I suspect it's been on a shelf for a while) Metro fuel tank, in shiny bare unpainted metal.
I've already asked Frosts how I should treat it, inside and out, before I fit it to the car.
They've suggested their POR15 kit for the inside, which consists of:
Marine Clean - removes old fuel and contaminating deposits inside the tank
Prep and Ready (formerly known as Metal Ready) - prepares the tank
Tank Sealer - seals the tank
-all of which would benefit a tank which has been sitting around, open, for a few years.

They've also suggested a high temperature paint for the outside, and when I queried that, said it was just "belt and braces", which I suppose is fair enough. I suspect my current tank didn't have much in the way of protection on it, going by the state it's in now.

Has anyone any thoughts about tank protection? The main worry I had was about protecting the tank from the effects of ethanol, which seems like a good idea, and Frosts POR15 kit specifically states that it will do that.

The rest of the fuel system probably needs to be attended to as well, I'd guess. What's the best material to use for rigid fuel lines?

I find the outside of my tank well protected by the oily gunge dripping off the engine and coating everything in its wake

Won't work when I eventually fit the undertrays, though...

Mines just painted with a rust inhibiting primer and black paint and then has some heat wrap where the exhaust gets close to it. I think high temperature paint is a bit OTT but its quite cheap I suppose and mine only has some heat mat as I had it spare from the engine bay

Red oxide first then whatever colour tickles your fancy over the top