Since it has been pointed out to me how dangerous and irresponsible I am for running a plastic marine tank in the trunk of my 52 Mercury, some of you will be relieved to hear I am taking steps to remedy or at least improve the situation. I have removed the plastic tank and begun patching the rusted out trunk floor with a veritable jigsaw puzzle of metal pieces. Since I am fairly new at welding rusty car bodies with a wire welder, I though it would be best to learn in a location on the car that will not be visible once it is done.
And for those that didn't know, Meteor(Ford) gas tanks are not a match for Mercury tanks. The Merc has a slightly longer tank. I'm hoping to make this Meteor tank work but right now I'd say the odds are 50:50 that I'll be back to using the plastic tank next spring.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6vri27Mplk