The 'E' Type Forum

I'm hoping that removing the tank (new in 1990) ought to be the final déprime in the apparently endless spiral of seeing my car going backwards, as there's now just an almost empty shell.

As usual, you never stop learning things about your car, more specifically about the horrors and short-cuts executed by the PO when he rebuilt it thirty years ago.

The whole rear-end had been replaced (I have the pictures) but making sure the petrol tank would fit inside it only occurred at the end of the process, and the boot is essentially 1/4" too short ; the tank was only ever held in by two bolts, not three, as the holes didn't line up, and the boot paint was sadly abraded both fore and aft as getting the tank in and out required a fair bit of bashing and scraping.

Before



After





I have managed to grappille 5mm here and there (from the verb grappiller, which is to go through the vines after the vendanges and get the grapes that have been missed, I thought this was suitable for the refined polyglots on the Forum) on the tank edge, whilst remaining outside the rolled weld,



and it can now be got into place without force, and maybe even without scraping if/when I re-do the paint.

Careful ovalising of the big holes that take the fat rubbers means that I can now get all three bolts in, although sadly probably only two of the spacer sleeves - but it's a vast improvement.

Question 1 : what else should I look out for when doing all this ?

I was able to correct the alignment of the filler-collar on the car -

Before





After



using a pair of suitable sockets and a bit of 1/2 bar (doesn't have to be this EN32B from the Mini gear-selector rod, tho' it is lovely and stiff),



these make a good device for tweaking the angle of the top pipe without damaging anything, and I include the pictures in case this may inspire someone else ; this ought to make re-fitting the rubber linking sleeve much easier than it used to be.



Question 2 : do these parts look right ? Is there a more elegant way of blocking off the old aperture now that the pump is an external one ?





Question 3 : the rather nasty (unused and still new) gauze filter that I bought a decade ago, seen here, from that firm near Gatwick, doesn't suit the diameter of the messed-around-with pick-up pipe anyway, and it occurs to me that there must be a plethora of better end-of-pipe petrol filters on the market that would fit into the tank, and perhaps remain accessible via the sump extension ?

Any advice about what fits / can be made to fit would be much appreciated.

We always take care to fit the tank sump to the tank outside of the car first. Just to make sure it screws up fully and smoothly. Also check alignment of the hole in the boot and the sump. Don't forget the doughnut between tank and body. Don't overtighten the sump as you will risk the seal being damaged. When you have it in, I wouldn't bother tightening it down - fit the sump and pour just enough fuel in to cover the seal between the sump and the tank. That way you will find out if you have a leakage issue.

A paint spray gun filter was considered when I had the tank etc out many moons ago. They are available in a variety of sizes, white 'nylon' and fit snugly over brass pipe. In the end I used the original type .

And (prob stating the obvious) fit the bumper before you put the tank in Rory....I believe it can be done the other way round but I wouldn't want to try.

You could use the 4.2 cover and pick up pipe - which is steel - centred over the sump or modify your 3.8 one to be the same.
Barrie

Thanks everyone. Good advice there, didn't even know there was a donut, Angus.

Once the sump extension was bead-blasted, it then pissed petrol out ! Are they all made with a brass collar at the top (for the thread) and a brass bottom, brazed together on either end of a bit of steel-pipe, so it can then rust ?

I've soaked the whole thing in baker's fluid and soft solder and it's now ok. Some years ago I seem to remember adding the 5/16 drain bolt to the bottom, in the centre of the 1" hex, to enable the thing to be easily flushed as a regular servicing operation, just to empty and water/impurities, without having to drain the tank.

Re the bumpers, puzzled as my bumper-bolts are captive, or rather welded in from the back, so fitting is not influenced by the presence or not of the tank.

Is this another PO fudge ?!

My bolts weren't captive. Rusted into position, yes, but not welded in place. I can't see how one could smooth and paint the shell with captive bolts sticking out. And even if you could, the threads would get filled with paint. When I was refitting the bumpers on the restored shell, I found I had to have all the bolts loosey-goosey, then worked the endless trial and error process of nipping up the nuts, loosening, repositioning, fitting different spacers and washers, tightening again. Had I been unable to access the bolt heads easily I don't know what I'd have done.
Yours sounds like a PO bodge to me but if they are in the exact right place it may be a massive benefit!

I think the earlier rear bumpers were bolted on from the inside through the body into captive nuts in the bumper. the later ones were bolted on from the outside. The bolts were welded to a captured plate that was pop riveted to the shell with two pop rivets from the front to the inside plate.

The nut you can see is simply refitted in this picture:





This is the original welding by the way.



Paul

Interesting Paul. Would that have applied to mine? I guess that captive plate had long since rusted away in my case, and the rivet holes filled with filler, mud, and rust. And it was a refinement entirely missing from the shell after Robey rebuilt it - just a hole for a bolt.

Yours should have had the captive bolts and notched bumpers Jeremy. Rory’s should be bolted through the body.

Is there anything Angus doesn't know about E types?
Err, nope, there isn't

I spent hours and hours tweaking the fronts with spacers, angled wedges etc (cont page 94) but the rears have always looked good and I can't move the bolts anyway.

Think I might just leave them .............. they don't get in the way of body preparation and finishing, which - in that area at least - needs no work, they're on a hidden seam anyway, and with a bit of tape over them the threads survive fine ?

Thankful for small mercies ?!

Heck yeah...

What I would have given for a set of captive bolts in exactly the right place...lying on my back, supporting that monster of a chrome elephant tusk, terrified of scratching the paint (even though the body was swathed with masking tape), trying to get the nut to engage, knocking the bolt through into the boot floor yet again....

Then taking it all apart for the nth time to file the spacers a bit more (that'll do, Ed.)

That was another moment when I would have paid a lotta money to get in a time machine and fly to the factory to watch how how they did it. Now I know!

https://www.dynatexpro.co.uk/product/su ... l-fmt2020/

david muir wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 28, 2020 4:42 pm

A paint spray gun filter was considered when I had the tank etc out many moons ago. They are available in a variety of sizes, white 'nylon' and fit snugly over brass pipe. In the end I used the original type .

Was that the kind of stuff you had in mind, David ? Have asked for confirmation of dimensions, it would indeed be a convenient pre-filter to have sitting on the end of the pick-up pipe.

Rory,
Those were exactly what I looked at!.......don't remember why I kept the original, must have been in reasonable nick (often those soldered gauze affairs on bike fuel taps are in parlous states!).
D

I've put the spare new original gauze filter (C.19271) up in For Sale, the pipe wasn't the right diameter so I've gone with the paint-gun type.



I actually found it quite hard to buy these filters, despite their being so standardised, and now have 10 - if anyone wants them in multiples of three, for ££ peanuts, send me a PM.



I ended up re-making the pipe, adding a brass locating tab on one of the old pump footings, and guiding it right down into the sump, so it can easily be cleaned/changed.







- found a suitable brass plumbing fitting to blank-off the old exit, looks more plausible than the crass 1/2 UNF nut-bolt that were there before, PLUS a tenth of the weight, which - as a cyclist - is always uppermost in my mind .................

Many years back, but as I was going through my stock I came across the other NINE filters I still have in stock, if anyone is tempted to go down the same route they can have one for FREE.

This method / set-up appears to work just fine.

Rory, the word free always appeals, yes, I’m a scrounger, unwashed, unloved and all those terms of endearment. But happy to also be the conduit for posting on to others in Britain if you get a bulk acceptation of your offer.

ATB

Geoff

I apply too, Rory. PM me if you have one left for me. Thanks!

Philippe

Philippe, Geoff - posted.