The 'E' Type Forum

3 bolts that can make your life hell.

I have a couple of modifications that make it easier to get the mounting bolts to line up and go in easier.

The first problem is that 2 of the captive nuts are very difficult to get a tap into to clean the threads out, especially after the boot area has been painted. My solution was to Dremel 4 cuts into a 3/8" UNF bolt which can then be run through the threads easily using a ratchet spanner. This is the shorter gold passivated bolt in the picture.

The second problem is getting the mounting bolts to go in square. Access for the front outboard and rear bolts is very limited and although the original bolts have a 45 degree point on them this doesn't really help you locate them. You often need to use a lot of leverage to get the distance tube aligned and you can't see what you are doing with those 2 bolts. The third one is easier and doesn't really need a modified bolt.

So what I do is to modify two of the bolts to make them easier to position. Buy 2 new 3/8" UNF bolts 2 1/4" long. First, turn a 45 degree point on the end. Then turn down the first section of the thread so that the bolt end is just narrow enough to slide unhindered into a 3/8" nut. Approximate measurements will be 8.4mm diameter and about 8.5mm length of thread. Now, when you have the bolt correctly aligned with the captive nut it will drop down into the thread and remain sitting parallel. This makes it a lot easier to get the thread started.

I usually Super Glue all of the rubber bushes onto the tank and glue the distance tubes in place as well to stop them falling off.

I have done the same on the bolts but gluing the rubber and spacer is very smart…..

Marvellous....how did they ever do it in the factory I wonder they must have employed very patient production line workers!!!!!

Very clever!

cactusman wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 25, 2019 6:43 am

Marvellous....how did they ever do it in the factory I wonder they must have employed very patient production line workers!!!!!

When I was a teenager taken around production lines as I remember there was a lot of physicality involved and the odd "Birmingham screwdriver" in use. Remember, the workers were on piece work so patience most certainly wasn't a virtue and the production line rolled relentlessly on.

You can also Dremel about half a centimetre off of the the front and rear lip of the tank, i.e. the bit outside of the seam weld as viewed towards the front and back of the car. This means the tank will fit the gap it has to go into without any problems with it being a tight fit. After that, doing up nuts and bolts is relatively straightforward as there is plenty of room to jiggle things about.

kind regards
Marek