Installing the new fuel tank
So not a smooth process, but it's getting done.
The old tank came out pretty easy. Shuffled it down with some scrap wood, the floor jack and a skate board. Taking the old tank out I stuck a wooded block between theneck and the frame rail lower the drivers side and pryed a 2x3 board between the tank and the frame. I took the tank to the outside work bench, aka the trash can tops, brushed the dirty off. Drained about 2 gallons of some pretty nasty fuel. I mean it half smelled like fuel looked like milky whiskey.
The fuel filter was on backwards so that might have been my flow problem. Changed that for a nice new wix filter. The fuel sender top is pretty rusty but the pump assembly was ok. Swapped in the new pump, hose, clamps and screen. I'd change both housings next time I was in there but I will be treating rust in that area in the future. No holes in the trunk floor yet but it needs roughly 3 small patches and a good clean and paint, so I will get under there again.
I cleaned the sender and the pump housing with a wire brush, scrapers and slathered the rust with a good thick grease and reinstalled the new hardware. The fuel pump came with a housing seal ring and the tank came with 2 rings. Got confused and thought I left 1 out for a second. I was tempted to use wax to slow the rust on the top of the sender and fuel pump housing but a synthetic brake grease should last the same. The fuel hose was a bit long but not kinked when installed so i went with it. The wiring was ehh dirty but passable. The connections show no resistance so i regreased the plugs with dielectric grease and reinstalled. I am going to cover the outside of the connectors with grease as well but i didn't like the hard grease jammed in the bottom of the connectors.
I need to harvest the neoprene pads from the old tank and paste them on with weather strip adhesive. They started to tear so i need to razor them off. I test fitted the new tank and it is a bit taller than the oem one so that presents a problem. I had read about that being a regular issue with the repop tanks. Rather then crush the tank with the jack and risk breaking things I am adding 1 inch to the tank straps with my welder. I'll put the pads in and get my final lenght. Just a lap welded piece of 18 ga scrap should be plenty strong. I might need a mig gas run soon, cause I have 400 psi left.
I am going to take the filler neck loose since it's going in and out to get the fit right once or twice. The vent line is the only short hose and I can get me hands in enough the take it on and off. The other hoses have enough slack the tank almost can sit on the floor.
Now that the gas smell is gone I can keep the door shut and the a/c on. It was a real sweat fest getting the tank out because of the fumes had to keep the doors open, and then to seat on the filler neck on the grommet.
