Whether you need a stock tank or custom fuel tank like the one in this Chevelle, Rick’s Tanks has you covered.

Necessity is the mother of invention, and Rick’s Tanks is a company that was developed out of a necessity, coupled with the fabrication skills of Rick Guerrero and his father, Hector. Originally they started out as more of a fabrication/restoration shop, and as Hector explained, they used to upgrade vintage cars “replacing a lot of panels and doing a lot of suspension work.”

Over time, they made a few custom gas tanks, and the business evolved into what it is today. “Over the course of five years, things kind of snowballed, and gas tanks became the main point of our business,” Rick told us. After making a few custom gas tanks, word of mouth increased demand, and Rick’s Stainless Tanks was born.

Today, now fifteen years later, Rick’s Tanks is still family owned and operated out of Texas. They have 10 employees, including Rick and Hector, and continue to build their products by hand. “We take a stock tank, duplicate it dimensionally, and incorporate necessary provisions for in-tank fuel pumps and EFI retrofits,” Rick explained. “During the past 5 or 6 years is where we have really branched off into the fuel pump market. We now have our own proprietary fuel pump, so when someone comes to us, we can sell them a complete fuel system.”

Rick’s Tanks produces a variety of different systems that suit any build, ranging from low-budget to high performance.Their inexpensive stamped tanks are affordable without sacrificing quality, while their high-performance baffled tanks with in-tank, turbine-style pumps offer uninterrupted and controlled fuel to even the most rigorously driven vehicles.

One of Rick’s Tanks’ fitted in a Tri-Five chassis.

“The pumps that we make are a turbine style, vs. a gerotor,” Rick explains. “Our units are variable speed pumps, while a gerotor pump is either on or off. Trying to control speed on the old style pump just chews the gears.”

“I wear quite a few hats in the company,” Rick told us. Along with research and development, he also takes on the specialty projects, is the sole CNC-programmer on staff, and is the sole CAD designer as well. Let’s say you need a tank for a car that has not been offered, part of the process of getting a custom tank from Rick’s, is sending in a dimensional drawing, for which you will receiving a CAD rendering that demonstrates exactly what your tank will look like.

A CAD rendered custom tank.

“Custom tanks require a rudimentary drawing, and Rick will take and develop that on an auto cad program,” Hector said. “The rendering will then be sent back to the customer for approval. In doing so, they will end up with a true-to-life idea of what the final product will look like with all of the final dimensions spec’d out.” After a custom tank reaches that point, It’ll go through about four sets of hands before it is sent out the door. The whole process typically takes three to four weeks.

One of the great things about Rick’s Tanks is the people they have working there. While shopping for your tank, make sure that you give Rick’s a call and detail your build with them, they will make sure you get the right stuff for your car. “If you are shopping around, it makes sense to give us a call, because we can provide you with a more exact price depending on where you want to go with your product,” Rick explained. “Make sure you talk to us first so you know what to expect.”

If you are working on a custom build or just restoring your car and want a quality tank for your fuel system, make sure you take a look at what Rick’s has to offer before you go anywhere else. They provide quality where it counts, and will keep your project well fed.  If you have a project with one of Rick’s tanks in it, tell us what it is and how it is working out for you. We’d love you hear about it!