Fuel Tank Removal help....

DD (CA)

Gold forum user
CAT Member
Messages
525
Have all the bolts and lines off, but cannot turn tank to clear trunk (boot) spring hinge hook.

May I remove the arm mount to trunk, in order to move hinge hook back and remove spring... or will a loose nut on the other side of sheetmetal fall into an irretrievable abyss inside the trunk lid? I loosened the screw enough to try and determine if backing nut is attached to sheetmetal, but cannot determine.

Thanks for your tips.

Other: Dad sure hacked up the trunk lid frame when installing a rack... then drilled some more to install a second one... sheesh. oh the things I'm sure we would all do differently if given the chance...

DD (CA)

https://picasaweb.google.com/65sunbeamtiger/GasTankAndOilFilterRemoval

Great help at this site...up to me figuring out best route to lever back that hinge...
 
Last edited:
Yes, remove trunk hinge base from trunk lid...

and the nuts are kept in place on a single plate.

Hinge moves back, spring moves forward, tank may now clear hook.

Got it off, got tank #1 out, and 6yo daughter removed rearview mirror at the same time! Her method was less skillful and will involve replacement part(s). @#%!

on to tank #2... crosspipe looks fun.

DD (CA)

(thanks to Warren C)
 
Getting them out id not tooo bad.. getting them back in is the ball breaker... I think there was a nice downloadable PDF on the SAOCA website of the removal + install process. The wire clamps on the fuel hoses of the cross pipe are also sequentially sized.. so take note. be patient.. and snug the cross pip hoses nice and tight... or the rubber joints will weep.

Also replace the breather hose across the top and take care to ensure it doesn't snag on the back of any rivets or screws being used to retain the soft top retaining strips.
 
Document Everything

and the nuts are kept in place on a single plate.

Hinge moves back, spring moves forward, tank may now clear hook.

Got it off, got tank #1 out, and 6yo daughter removed rearview mirror at the same time! Her method was less skillful and will involve replacement part(s). @#%!

on to tank #2... crosspipe looks fun.

DD (CA)

(thanks to Warren C)

The cross pipes: Pay attention to the position of all the different fuel hose clamps and make careful notes of same. The screw driver access during re-assembly can be frustrating.
 
Getting them out id not tooo bad.. getting them back in is the ball breaker... I think there was a nice downloadable PDF on the SAOCA website of the removal + install process.

Michael,

I am just getting ready to pull my tanks for refurbishing too. I am not having much luck finding stuff on the SAOCA site. Is the PDF something you find through the forum? Do I need to join in order to access a search function? Would you happen to have a link that would take me to the PDF?

BTW, I was going to go with a ReNu It tank refurbishing service, but am somewhat turned off by their process of drilling holes in the tanks for access for blasting the interior and then welding things up again. I found a local tin plating business that a friend of mine took his E-Type Jag's tank to have done. Says they did a very nice job. They do OEM plating work and are cheaper than RE Nu It. I was thinking it would be best to get the tanks galvanized, but this place said that tin would hold up better than galvanizing with today's fuels.

Now, if I can just get the tanks out...

And thanks everyone for the tips already posted.

Gene
 
help

you should mark the point where the rubber hose sets on the cross over pipes, we use masking tape and do not paint the outer area of the pipe where the hoses fit. if you are using new hoses you will find the outer diameter to be larger than the original so it would be wise to use new clamps.
 
New crosspipe hoses v. old?

Nearest I can tell, the current connector hoses never failed and show no signs of cracking, as opposed to the top rubber hoses. They do seem to have a tape or seal glue that was put on pipe prior to hose/clamp.

I'm considering NOT replacing these hoses or clamps. But, it's not a money issue... an "if it ain't broke" , keep it original looking type thought process... (shrug). But maybe the newer fuels will eat the older rubber more... dunno...

Also, I'm now slightly considering just leaving the center crosspipe in, and wire brush cleaning its guts in-situ. It may not be as nice as having the rest of the pipes and tanks professionally purged, cleaned, sealed, but kind of wondering if it would be worth removing and doing above it for the 18-22in length...?

Fuel lines, yes.... I'll get new.

DD (CA)
 
Nearest I can tell, the current connector hoses never failed and show no signs of cracking, as opposed to the top rubber hoses. They do seem to have a tape or seal glue that was put on pipe prior to hose/clamp.

I'm considering NOT replacing these hoses or clamps. But, it's not a money issue... an "if it ain't broke" , keep it original looking type thought process... (shrug). But maybe the newer fuels will eat the older rubber more... dunno...

Also, I'm now slightly considering just leaving the center crosspipe in, and wire brush cleaning its guts in-situ. It may not be as nice as having the rest of the pipes and tanks professionally purged, cleaned, sealed, but kind of wondering if it would be worth removing and doing above it for the 18-22in length...?

Fuel lines, yes.... I'll get new.

DD (CA)

I just put my whole trunk back together after taking it apart to paint the car...

I would NOT recommend leaving that crossover tube in place... firstly, even if you had a nice long round wire brush, you can't get it through as the center outlet pipe that the fuel line attaches to protrudes up inside the cross pipe at least 1/2" so that would block it... secondly, there's a very good chance that if it's never been out it will look like mine did. When I took mine out, I stuck my finger in the end and wiped around the inside edge and a nice 1": square chunk of I think paint flaked off !! there were several more so I took that pipe and the elbows to my rad shop and they tanked them overnight to clean everything out. You could probably do the elbows somehow yourself but the crossover is tough.
I decided to get some new ( modern ) clamps and hose when I put things back... all the lower tank to tank clamps are the same but the filler neck ones are somewhat larger. I picked up some new 1 3/4" Green Line fuel hose ( the softwall version is the one ) and cut it into slightly longer pieces than the original for a little more leeway. The new hose slides real nice onto the center section. I put the elbows and hose connections to the tanks on first and then mounted the crossover with the joiner hoses slid completely onto it. For a little more leeway, you can also leave the rear bolt between the tank and bracket off so you can swing the tank outward a little. Make sure that they are fastened before final tightening of the clamps though... It should all go together without any problem. I found that orienting the screw side of the clamps to the 'top' worked the best but your results may vary ;)
For the vent hose between tank, there isn't a lot of room to slide the new hose across to the other side and I found that the first hose I bought was actually a little too big a diameter but found a suitable hose at a marine place...


Jim
B382000446
 
Last edited:
Back
Top