71 240...lost fuel out of the blue

[tzagi1]

Took the day off and decided to take the old girl for a spin, drove it about 3 miles and then it died as if its out of gas...right next to a gas station, pushed her in and put in $20, It was strange ..I just put in 4 gallons last weekend and drove it maybe 5 miles. Any way, the fuel pump is working (electrical) but no fuel gets to it (got a glass filter pre pump)

History: up to 2 years ago the car set indoors for 18 years in socal, when I drained the old gas (2 years ago) it was very clear and chunk/rust free, since then it was a strong runner with zero issues, I don't drive regularly it but do try to start and drive it at least twice a month.

I'm suspecting that something is going on with the pickup tube in the tank but didn't perform any diagnostics yet, how common is it for a pickup tube to rust or get clogged?. keep in mind that I'm in an arid climate and rust is not an issue here. I like to get some opinions/ personal experiences before I tear into it. 

[SteveJ]

Make sure the hoses between the tank and fuel pump are in good shape. If there are small cracks, it may pull air in without leaking fuel out.

[w3wilkes]

Agree on check the hoses. If they sat that long with ethanol laced fuel it could have damaged the lines. there's also some small float bowl filters at the SU carbs that may be clogged with bits of fuel line. Once you get it figured out you may want to switch to ethanol free fuel if it's available in your area.

https://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/11-2503

Edited November 1, 2018 by w3wilkes

[tzagi1]

1. it was parked way before corn juice was introduced.

2 Got dual webers, fully rebuilt, like I said it ran great for the last 2 years.

3. e free is available only over an hour from me. not that practical, I do find that if its driven weekly and refreshed with fuel its not an issue, let it sit for 2 month ....and it will not start.

Its something between the pump and the tank, either way the tank will need to be dropped....

Edited November 1, 2018 by tzagi1