We're gonna drop the fuel tank on our '58 Olds tomorrow in preparation to getting it cleaned out and resealed and were wondering if anyone has any tips to offer up. My service manual has jack shit about it, but I assume I'm gonna wanna empty any gas (there's prolly less than 1 gallon), disconnect the filler tube, fuel line, and fuel guage and unbolt the straps whils supporting it with a floor jack. Will I be able to get to any of this stuff before unbolting and dropping the tank? I've never done one before, but it's high time we start making moves towards getting this beast back on the road...
You've pretty much got it covered. IF it's been in place for a while, you may take some measurements, and pick up some new fill hoses at the parts house while it's out, along with some new worm drive clamps (pipe clamps, whatever you wanna call them) Use some 2x4's or similar on top of your floor jack to support it. They're not terribly heavy, but you don't want to drop it on your chest while wrestling with it. Soak all the hardware with PB Blaster or similar for a day or two before the big unbolting. If the bolts still don't want to come off, heat is not really a good idea to break them over, tht near a gas tank, invest in a nut splitter, they're pretty neat, and work well.
I usually put a 2 by 6 on the jack for extra support. Also have some golf tees in hand to plug your line, don't want a face full of vintage fuel. Be gentle with the filler neck gasket, Hard to come by and if there is only 1 gal in it do'nt worry about draining the tank. You should be able to disconect everything befor unstraping it.
Gummi Bear pretty much covered it. The golf tees are a great idea, too. My tip, if there is less than a gallon, don't bother to drain it before hand. Wait till it's out, then drain it. It'll make it a lot easier to deal with. After you get it out, and get the sender out, take it to your local coin-op car wash, and spend about $5 on high-pressure soap and just hose it out good. On the last minute of the timer, change it to rinse, and let the water run clean. As was specified earlier, get new fill hose and clamps for every joint, and don't forget the PB Blaster. One last thing: DON'T SMOKE! But I'm sure you already figured that one out. Cyrus
That's one of the reasons I've suggested the car wash like I did. I had to cut/weld on an old tank, and I did the car wash trick, and let it sit open for a week in the hot sun. When I was ready to work on it, we fired bottle rockets at it until we had a perfect shot to make sure it wouldn't blow, then I did my cutting and welding with no problems what-so-ever. Besides, it was fun shooting fireworks at it!
Never ....ever... use a drop lamp !! You cannot move fast enough to get out of the way should the bulb explode or start any fumes on fire. Many people die each year from this little over looked item each year...Please WORK SAFE TIP Tie a shop rag around each wrist to help prevent any wild runaway gas from running down your arms into your pits or further ( BOY THAT STINGS )...H
That's freakin hilarious. I suppose that some roman candles might do in a pinch? ala Joe Dirt style...
the guy that refurbed my tank for my had a tank explode in his oven. It blew the steel doors open and then blew out all the windows in the shop. He is luck that he was out side at the time. That's enough to scare the shit out of a person.
Snapper is SO right...I was stupid and almost fried once because I had a bare bulb trouble lamp with me while repairing a tank sending unit!!! Had the lines pulled in prep for full removal and a friend turned the key on to check the fuel level (D'oh!), resulting in the electric pump starting up! The spraying gas from the tank went into my eyes and soaked my clothing but missed the lamp I was holding. The Lord watches over the dumb...sometimes. If your inside a garage, make sure there are no ignition sources that the "heavier than air" gas fumes can flow to. Think electric drills, blower fans...anything electric that might switch on for some reason or have a pilot light.
not sure on your Olds, but you might be able to disconnect the sender unit from the inside of the trunk. My 56 Ford had a little access panel in the trunk.
Wear safety glasses. Even though it is pretty fun running to the bathroom sink to wash your eyes out, while contemplating how awesome its going to be living with one working eye.
Okay, anyone done a GM car of this era? The filler neck goes up through the driver's side taillight and appears to be a one-piece all the way up with no apparent way to take it off. It looks like if I drop the tank, I'll be able to pull the whole thing out, but I'm worried about clearing the leaf spring on that side. Also, there is no block-off plate in the trunk to access the outlet or sender, but I assume that'll be easy to pull once it's dropped. In other news, the trunk floor of this car is in a lot better shape than I thought, hell it's mostly there. Anyone?
I know my 58 Chev has a vent tube that come through the trunk, to the right of the latch. If yours has a vent tube make sure to disconnect it. As it will get in the way if its still through the trunk.
There wasn't one that I saw, I'll climb back under after work today. Maybe I'll even take some pics...
If you need someone to clean and recoat the inside,I just had the tank of my Safari done at a place called D&F Collision in Archbold Ohio.They came highly recommended and did a great job(cleaning and removing old epoxy coating,repairing several leaks,and double coating the inside)for very reasonable money(about $200).Archbold is right off I-80 about halfway across the state.If you need their phone number,PM me. Taking the tank out of my Safari sounds a lot like yours.It is mounted lengthwise next to the left rear spring and the neck is one piece.Required letting the suspension hang until the tank was unbolted and then gradually jacking up the left side of the axle until the tank could be wiggled out past the spring.The neck went between the frame rail and the spring and is a PITA. The service manual recommends bending the bottom edge of the rearmost crossmember to ease removal of the tank! Try that sometime without heat!
Shit, this project just got a lot more involved. Oh well, one step at a time. Thanks for the tips. Any idea if a '59 Chevy tank'll fit? I saw one at Springfield and took a pic of it, looks close and at $140, is prolly better than getting the old one cleaned and sealed...
The Jalopy Journal
