Ok.. so it was a close call with the fire and my plastic gas can.  I decided to see if I can put the metal tank in.  I thought about the gas line I ran down the right rail of the car, swagged under the tranny,  over the axle and to the fuel pump.  The possible reprocutions of a crash or the line catching on a dead dog and exploding , propelled me to reconsider my design..   I cut a brake cable off my kids 10 speed and used the cable to see if I could break the gunk out of the original gas line.  

This did not go as smooth as i had hoped
First,  I had to jack the car up,  while i scissor jacked the front of the car up,  the bug rolled backwards,  rolling the jack over to the ground and bending  the screw shaft that make the jack work..  I decided to put it it gear and chuck the wheels .  With my 2nd jack, I un-pinned the first jack.
The first (now bent) jack still operates,  it just is harder to crank.  I got the car up in the air and shoved the ramps under the front wheels ( since the battery is dead and I could not get it started).  I tooked the 10 speed cable, and stuck it in the fuel line by the front wheels,  after about 30 seconds, I broke thru the tar.  I can't believe it.  I guess all the carb cleaner soaking in there for 5 months loosened it up.  A Miracle of modern chemistry.  Now I had to connect the back end of the line that goes to the engine.  

I took a scissor jack and started cranking up at the jack mount on the driver side.  I had the left back and left front tire up in the air with the right front tire on a ramp. The car started sliding again, only this time forward.  Gravity.  always working against me..  with my scissor jack leaning dangerously and the bug about to rolloff the wrong end of the ramp,  I began pushing the car back from the right back fender.  With my free hand I threw pebbles at the TV room window to distract an Xbox player to come to my assistance.   Soon my rescue'ers arrived.  ( I guess the match ended).  With the help of teenage angst,  they pushed the stuporbeetle  and jack back to verticle..   Now the car was lowered and bricked etc,  hooked up the line.  gas flowed,  all is well,  engine started.
Whew... close call. I need a beer.  SC

Zen
That was a good article about how gas will make a fire,  thats why I keep a milk jug full on water in my car.    Bob Hoover talked about how the metal line goes thru the bulkhead in the fan housing.  My fuel line has a 1-2mm hack saw cut right where the fuel pipe rests against the fan tin.  I just pulled the cut part out of the tin so un-cut pipe can rub against the tin.  I can't think of anything around the house that I can use to replace this pipe with.  Fish tank house probaly won't last and gas makes the plastic hose real hard and brittle.   I probaly have to spend more money and  go get a brake line at Advance and make a new bulk head pipe unless you have a better idea.

Aircooled online did not seem to have front flex brake hose for a 71 Stupor beetle. Whats the name of another good online store?    SC

Zen, I like to use an oily towel to squash out gas fires.  I use the water for
electrical fires.

I stuck the tank in today ,  all the stock gas hoses were cracked so I got heater hose for the big one that goes from the filler tube to the tank.  It will last a while but i need to order some correct gas hose.  I ran the the engine for a while an then it cut out.  Then it started and cut out,  then it cut out.. what the heck?  no gas.  the gas Tank is plugged up.  so I pulled the hose from under the front wheels.  no gas poured all over me.  I blew into the hose... Nothing,  it is backed up like a old man after a cheese and cracker party.

 Now the tank has 4-8 gallons in it and I have to man handle it out of the truck,  Frank helped, but he was smoking, so I was a little nervous.  We poured the gas back into my nifty red plastic gas can,  filled up all my vehicals,  poured some more,  then poured some on a leaf pile and had a big fire, ah fire, i love it

I have the tank sideways and I'm pouring solvent in to the gas exit fitting.
I'm ram rodding it with ten speed cable, wd40,  carb cleane, r3an1 oil,.  what exactly is going on inside the pipe that gas goes out of.  I seems like I'm hitting a wall. I am furious, I am mad, i am drinking a beer.  SC

Zen, you are right on the money.  I took off the gas tank drain plug.  then spent 10 minutes trying to unscrew the mesh filter with a 12mm socket.   that did not work too well , so I took some needle nose plyers and it pulled off.  I took some wire and poked thru the tar in the tube and then chisled the tar and washed off the mess on the mesh filter.  Threw the tank back in and Rock-n-Roll.,\  I am in bizness.  I ordered some front flex lines so I am getting closer to lift off.     My daugter is painting black circles on red bug.  I can't wait to drive the lady bug.  SC

Jezzzzzz !!!   Sounds like its a little late for metric wrench school. I take it you do have someone doing the "pedal thing" while you are stripping bolt/nuts to bleed the system.  
    You have 3 shots to do this right before I get the Rocks and old Dasher parts out.
   1--- Adjust all brakes up
   2--- Bleed  the right front brake
   3----Bleed the left front brake
   4----Bleed the right rear brake
   5----Bleed the left rear brake
Let me know if this works. There are a few other things if it doesn't , but I don't want to put to much on you at one time :lol:

Ass-back'ards will not do anything to help. Bleed like l told you. Are you getting any fluid out under pressure ?  If not ,you may have a bad master cly, but I'm not there so I'm not sure.

DO you think its a mast cyl?  I can get one for 20 bucks. sc

True, you can get a brand spankin' new one for $20.  But if you already have a bad one, why would you want to spend $20 on a new bad one?  The brake crap made in China and India is just that . . . crap.

I'll pull the rings off the Dasher pistons that David throws at me and put them on mismatched worn out 1500 pistons and put them in warped and worn 1600 cylinders, and stick 'em between a way past worn out bottom end and cracked heads, but I'm not going to pay good money for a master cylinder or wheel cylinder made in China or India.  I've used wheel cylinders from India and a master cylinder from China before . . . if they worked at all (which was not an impressive percentage of the time) they didn't work long.

A "GOOD" master cylinder is going to cost you more than $20.  If you decide to use a $20 master cylinder anyway, you need to:

a) Make sure your e-brake functions properly
b) Buckle up
c) Drive SLOW
d) Pray each time you start to press the brake pedal
e) Up your life insurance

 :wink:

You guys are such safety sticklers.  Bugtech,  I will rebleed in the manner in which you directed.  I saw on line that you should put a piece of wood behind the pedal so that you dont bottom out the master cly when you bleed the or something.  have you ever heard of that?  SC