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Petrol tank replacement

Posted: 31 May 2009 18:41
by john
okie dokie then it's got to be done so i'm going in any advice before i start......

[8 whole cylinders worth of punch to ram the world through the windshield and out the rear view mirror. Car & Driver]
1981 Grinnall TR7 v8
1981 Black FHC
1979 & 1980 Black Premium FHC(laid to rest) Sorry :-(
Image

John

Posted: 31 May 2009 19:02
by Underdog
Start soaking all the fasteners with rust penetrant. I've had my rear axle in & out so many times it doesn't seem much of a chore. Of course having an air wrench makes a huge difference.[:D]

72 MGB BRG
80 TR8 Persian Aqua
If women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

Posted: 31 May 2009 20:20
by john 215
Hi,
As well as the tank, get new straps, with rubbers and studs, new sender, with seal and locking, new fuel hose. Run the tank down on fuel as low as you can as you dont want to put the old fuel in a new tank and lifting a half full tank out is not the one either!!!
Good luck, not actually that bad a job, the first 6 you do are [:p]
Cheers John

LIVE LIFE A QUARTER OF A MILE AT A TIME!
1979 3.5 FHC(STATUS PENDING!!)
Image
1982 2.0 DHC NOW A 4.6,ON THE ROAD NOW KICKING AR5E !!!!

Posted: 31 May 2009 21:18
by Steve @ SandS
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by john 215</i>

the first 6 you do are [:p]
Cheers John

LIVE LIFE A QUARTER OF A MILE AT A TIME!
1979 3.5 FHC(STATUS PENDING!!)
Image
1982 2.0 DHC NOW A 4.6,ON THE ROAD NOW KICKING AR5E !!!!

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

It's the next 300 or so that are more difficult [:D][:D][:D]

Steve @ S&S Preparations

Posted: 31 May 2009 23:07
by Hasbeen
Fit lock nuts to the top of the strap studs, inside the car.
Two in the boot front bulkhead, & two behind the seats, in the back
cabin bulkhead.

Without these fitter, the studs screw out, when you try to remove
the strap nuts, making things difficult, by winding the straps up
into a pretzel.

Hasbeen

Posted: 01 Jun 2009 02:37
by Jolyon39
Hasbeens method is the way to go.

The studs for the tank straps protrude into the car through the captive nuts they are mounted in. A lock nut on this protrusion makes it an easy task. Well, easy compared to the alternative. Use a wire brush and lots of penetrant too, those threads under the car will be a real mess.

Posted: 01 Jun 2009 09:34
by busheytrader
Hi John,

My tank emptied itself of fuel without any help from me......

All above is good advice, my tank straps were mangled in the removal process and the rubber cushions had rotted so budget on new items. My sender was in A1 condition so fitted a new seal and refitted it. In hindsight a new one would have made sense.

Robsport recommended coating the outside of the tank in Waxoyl to protect the outside from corrosion. Refitting it was a bit like juggling a slippery pig afterwards. It would have been better to coat the top half in Waxoyl and only where the straps fit on the bottom half. This enables you to grip the bottom corners to move the tank around, then Waxoyl the rest afterwards. The rubbers have been known to trap water and rust the tank from the outside.

Spray lots of rust penetrator on the nuts / bolts well before you start work on removing the tank, axle and exhaust. Reassemble with lots of copperease / coppaslip in the appropriate places etc. to make things easier to undo next time. (10 years after fitting a recon rear axle I had to drop it for the tank replacement. Having used copper grease previously it was a doddle)

Whilst the tank is out, stick your head and a torch up there and clear out all the mud / grit with strong brushes, look for rust to treat and apply more wax. There are some beautiful rust traps around the chassis rails that you can't see otherwise. I've heard that after 30 odd years this is the next MOT weak spot on our cars.

Wear an old cap to keep all the crap and waxoyl out of the hair. Otherwise "simples".

Adam

Image

TR7 V8 DHC Jaguar Solent Blue. 9.35cr Range Rover V8, Holley 390cfm, JWR Dual Port, 214 Cam, Lumention, Tubular Manifolds, Single Pipe Exh, 3.08 Rear, 200lb Spax & PolyBushes, Anti- Dive, Granada Vented Discs & Calipers, Braided Hoses, 4 Speed Rear Cylinders, Uprated Master Cylinder & Servo, AT 5 Spokes and Cruise Lights. No Door Stickers. Mine since July 1986, V8 from 1991

Posted: 01 Jun 2009 17:41
by john 215
Hi Adam,
I done the same as you, painted the top in Waxoyl and then got covered in it whilst refiting it [V] if that stuff sticks to metal like it does skin then we have nothing to worry about!!! If you have a roll over bar to fit to a DHC or plan too, with the tank removed is the ideal time to do so, as you can get to all the bolts to fit nuts, normaly the N/S is hidden by the tank!

LIVE LIFE A QUARTER OF A MILE AT A TIME!
1979 3.5 FHC(STATUS PENDING!!)
Image
1982 2.0 DHC NOW A 4.6,ON THE ROAD NOW KICKING AR5E !!!!

Posted: 01 Jun 2009 18:49
by pupinabox
How 'bout taking some pictures as you go to help out us amatuers[:p]

Image

Posted: 01 Jun 2009 19:58
by busheytrader
Too high on Waxoyl to grip anything, not even a slippery camera.......

Posted: 01 Jun 2009 20:32
by frankman
poor guy I saw it a few months made ...[B)]

You need to take one Spring and one Damper (Shock absorbers) out (Driver side US+Euro)

good lock and a lot of WD40 or anti Rust [}:)]

Hello from Switzerland

Frank

Posted: 02 Jun 2009 15:30
by windy one
On rusty nutz, bolts, screws...whatever, I use a chemical (Ive found) far better than WD40. Its called 'PB- Blaster'. Made in Cleveland Ohio, they call it a 'concentrated copolymer penetrant'.

I have gotten even the nastiest rusted bolts free with this stuff, far faster than WD40. It smells and its odor lasts a while unless you really clean it up afterwards, but the stuff is incredible.

www.blasterproducts.com (no, Im not an employee or stock holder of the company, just want to share info on products I find to work the best)

Johnny

Posted: 02 Jun 2009 15:59
by john
ready to roll lads suspension dropped couldn't get the damn exhuast to part company with the centre box so i've pushed that to one side,after releasing it from the other end of the manifold and as i guessed and you've confirmed the LH shock needs completly removing. most of the nuts gave way without too much trouble just need rick to tell me the tanks in so i can go and collect it.


oh and me to remove the old tank tonight

so far so good

in the meantime i'll give the area it a good rub down/wire brush and paint all i can see...

[8 whole cylinders worth of punch to ram the world through the windshield and out the rear view mirror. Car & Driver]
1981 Grinnall TR7 v8
1981 Black FHC
1979 & 1980 Black Premium FHC(laid to rest) Sorry :-(
Image

John

Posted: 02 Jun 2009 18:49
by TR7Aaron
I'll give a second vote for PB Blaster. It's outstanding!

Aaron
1976 TR7 FHC (an ongoing project)
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Posted: 03 Jun 2009 08:52
by john
She's out easier than i thought,

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what did make it a lot easier was disconnecting the hand brake and brake lines from the body as show above, i could then drop the rear axle a lot lower to wiggle the tank out.

only real bug was the petrol filler cap, the nuts being well rusted in on that, but otherwise a lot easier than i thought it would be

[8 whole cylinders worth of punch to ram the world through the windshield and out the rear view mirror. Car & Driver]
1981 Grinnall TR7 v8
1981 Black FHC
1979 & 1980 Black Premium FHC(laid to rest) Sorry :-(
Image

John