1969 XKE 2+2 Fuel Tank Trouble

[eddiecross]

Hi,
Couple of problems with the fuel tank that have me stumped.

1st, the sump assembly under the car is angled towards the back and looks wrong. It also started leaking. I pulled off the pickup plate and wanted to know....is the pickup pipe supposed to be straight? If so, looks like the sump assembly took a large knock

Also, is the base of the fuel tank around the sump area supposed to be completely flat? Mine is pushed upwards but wanted to be sure it should be before I make with the block of wood.

2nd problem was when I attempted to remove the tank. The centre bolt and the bolt by the hatch came off easily but the bolt in the wheelarch corner was really stiff, and then spun the captive nut. Any ideas for removal? My thoughts......hole saw, hacksaw blade. both pretty messy.

Many thanks
Eddie Cross
Egham

[abowie]

Hi Eddie and welcome to the piece of bastardry that is the E Type fuel tank. I have now been involved in restoring a number of E types and removing and refitting the tank is one of my least favourite jobs.

The sump does angle back a little, however it should be roughly perpendicular to the floor of the car as viewed from below. The base of the tank at that point should be a gentle, regular curve without steps. So yours is probably bent from your description.

On my first car I had the same experience with the front corner bolt and drilled the head out. Took me about 2 hours. If you're going to use anything with that makes sparks can I suggest you fill the tank with water first.

I made up a square plate with a 3/8" UNF threaded hole in it and riveted into the bracket. This repair worked for a number of years although I did remove it and weld in a replacement captive nut when I eventually repainted that car.

[eddiecross]

Thanks Andrew,
Removing and fitting sounds like a real trial but I managed to throw in a couple of extra challenges.

Drilling the head off is the least damaging option and glad to know that it worked.

Last q........

Do you know if the fuel pickup pipe should have that angle at the base? Found an image of a straight one and then an angled one too!

All the best
Eddie

[mgcjag]

Eddie.....try useing the SNG site....lost of diagrams and photos of parts....here is ghe fuel pickuo http://www.sngbarratt.com/ProductDetail ... ef5d8b&l=7

[eddiecross]

Thanks for the link. Looks like that's how it should be.

I'll drill the seized bolt, remove the tank. flatten the bottom and keep checking that the pickup slides in place.
All easy to say!

Thanks to all. Will keep you posted.

Eddie

[cactusman]

Agree with all the above...a bastard job. Mine had to come out due to a leak. I was lucky...all my bolts moved after a soak in WD40. The trickiest bit for me was getting the rubber inlet hose from the filler to the tank back in. Lots of wrangling and expletives eventually worked. How they ever fitted the thing on a factory line beats me...took hours!!! Do ensure there s absolutely no fuel or vapour around. Once I had emptied the tank using the fuel pump and a Jerry can I carefully removed the pump and sump and then left the tank a couple of days till the smell of fuel had gone. Even with water in the tank any fuel vapour there would explode if the conditions are right. Have fun!!!!

[abowie]

The trick with the filler hose is to cut it to the correct length. It needs to be a couple of mm shorter than the distance between the top of the tank and the bottom of the metal filler pipe.

To fit it you lube both ends of the hose then fit it onto the tank end, then gently slide it up and clamp it into place. You can slide the clamps over the hose first before you fit the hose and gently nip them up so they don't get in the way. I usually position them in the middle of the hose. Think about their orientation because there's not much access.

Personally unless you're concourse mad I'd replace them with a modern clamp with a hex head rather than a flat screwdriver head as you can get a lot more purchase on these.

[abowie]

Oh. And the other trick is to use Super Glue to stick the 6 rubber bushes firmly onto the tank before you put it in. Saves a lot of profanity.

[JagWaugh]

Has anyone got a simple trick for fitting the rubber fill tube? I seem to drop the screwdriver I use to slip the hose over the tank about half the time I do this job. Something with a bit of hedge trimmer cord, or a place to purchase large screwdrivers that will dissolve in gasoline would be greatly appreciated.

Cutting to the right length, lubing with something or other, and even working in hot summer temps just doesn't seem to be enough for me.

Andrew

[Hugo]

[quote="cactusman"]Agree with all the above...a bastard job. Mine had to come out due to a leak. I was lucky...all my bolts moved after a soak in WD40.

WD40 isn't much good as a penetrating oil, as it doesn't 'creep'. The best thing is a mixture of ATF and acetone. I don't know why ATF as opposed to any other oil, but that's what everybody swears by. But there's a trick to this, as I discovered; if you mix ATF and actetone, the acetone will separate out & float to the top and evaporate before your eyes, leaving you with neat ATF in a matter of hours. If you are mixing enough for a 'one-off' hit, keep shaking it. What I do is mix it in a pressurised (sealed) squirty bottle, so it doesn't evaporate, then just shake it as you use it. The idea is that the acetone will 'pull' the oil into wherever it has to go, then evaporate & leave the oil where it needs to be. Pouring this mixture down a seized bore is a complete waste of time, as all the piston will see is the ATF while the acetone sits on top.

[christopher storey]

Whatever you do, don't get any acetone on your paintwork

[cactusman]

I would have to disagree 're WD40 but horses for courses. One I have used since is ACF50. Allegedly developed by NASA, it is a purple oil that is slightly heavier than WD40. It is an excellent penetrating oil. Also excellent for protecting aluminium and chromium during the damp days of winter. Few squirts on rocker covers and wipe with a rag and it keeps corrosion away for weeks. Available from a well known auction site as an aerosol or as the oil that you put in a garden hand sprayer. Bikey boys swear by it.

[eddiecross]

Hi,
Tank is out. My engineer friend used cobalt drills to weaken the head. Chiselled off then power belt file to deburr the shaft of the bolt so you could drive it through the spacers. Then just another 40 mins...remove centre bracket, rubber fuel hose etc. Still very tight. Will post pictures.

Thx
Eddie