Gas Tank Removal

[caramiciu]

Hi everyone,
just got my "new" 73 GT and started stripping it.Maybe somebody can help and tell me how to take the gas tank out.Got the interior out and can see it but cannot see the hold down straps/bolts/brackets.
Tx
Marius

[BQS4]

Marius;
You'll have to look inside each rear fender well and you'll see a series of bolts under the undercoating, dirt and grime, these have to be removed to get the tank out

[namba209]

Mauri, once you get the spare tire shelf supports out that Gene was referring to, the hold down bolts and plates are visible alongside the tank, two on each side. HTH.

[Gary]

Moved posts to fuel system forum.

Marius, where in MA are you?

[caramiciu]

Hi Gary,
I live in Dracut, close to 93 going into NH

[caramiciu]

Thanks for the reply.
On each of the sides of the tank, there are to brackets about 12 inches long, but it looks like they don't do anything.
The tank looks like new, but the connection (rubber)from the bottom of the tank to the rubber hose (going to the engine) just fell apart.It happened just as I moved the car in the garage.The tank is empty now.
Tx

[namba209]

Marius, those are the spare tire shelf supports, they are held in place with a pair of nuts accessible from the rear tire wells and probably covered with undercoating as Gene suggested. Once you remove those supports the bolts that hold the tank in are visible along side the tank.

[72GT]

You might need to remove the fuel line fitting from the bottom of the tank as well.

[caramiciu]

Thanks,
I'll check it out this weekend

[caramiciu]

Thanks,
it is the fuel line (bottom) that broke,If I can change the connector to the tank, I'll leave the tank in place.

[namba209]

You can get the whole assembly from OGTS. Just unscrew it from the bottom of the tank with a wrench, and replace it. Their's come with a new steel line about 6-8" long. Also, check to see if the fuel sock is in there too. If it is do a search on how to remove it. Otto, aka "Tekenaar" had a real good thread on the how to....HTH.

[soybean]

Here's the thread about the fuel tank sock and the removal tool that Otto came up with. http://www.opelgt.com/forums/showthr...Fuel+tank+sock HtH, Jarrell

[Bo Mows]

hhmmmmm. Did you say it comes with a "steel" line? I just got one about a month ago and paid $19.00 for it and it had a "copper" line with a metric compression coupling. :disappoin I really thought this was way over priced for getting a copper line. I think i'll call and see why. I thought all fuel "should" be steel myself. Just my $.02 worth.

Bo

[kwilford]

Originally Posted by Bo Mows hhmmmmm. Did you say it comes with a "steel" line? I just got one about a month ago and paid $19.00 for it and it had a "copper" line with a metric compression coupling. :disappoin I really thought this was way over priced for getting a copper line. I think i'll call and see why. I thought all fuel "should" be steel myself. Just my $.02 worth. Bo

I made a new connection for my tank, and I used brass fittings and a copper line. Copper is fine, especially for such a short length. That said, I didn't like having the copper line exposed to road debris, so I covered it with the length of rubber hose that in turn connected to the OEM nylon fuel line. JM2CW

[namba209]

Nylon fuel line, Keith. I thought they were hard plastic, same as the vent lines. I'm glad I've got all stainless and rubber fuel hose for Willit? now. But I'm telling you 1/2" stainless is really hard to bend by hand.

[kwilford]

Well, I would like to THINK it is nylon. More reassuring than "hard plastic".

Whatever it is, after 34 years, mine came off on the weekend looking brand new, and not brittle or anything. I decided to "go big or go home" and stripped the body down to the bare nothings. Removed the dash, the side windows, the wiring harness and fuse box, the brake lines, the gas tank and lines, the firewall grommets... It is now officially a shell on a body dolly. Looks kinda neat, but putting all the wiring and such back in scares the CRAP out of me. What HAVE I done!

Well, I am getting ready to send it off to a paint shop where I hope they will take ALL winter to make the body smooth, and paint it inside and out a beautiful blue pearl metallic black. That will let me move the SportWagon into the garage this winter (and the Lexus on to the driveway!) to install Charles' battery box patch, re-do the wiring and such. Maybe even get IT ready for the paint booth. Then I have a few months in the spring to put the GT back together and MAYBE drive it once before winter.

[namba209]

Well Keith, I'll tell you, from first hand experience. It is scary, I hope you bagged all the hardware and labeled it, then tied it to what it goes to. I did, or at least thought I did, but stuff kept getting lost. When I remarked about it to Margaret, she asked if I was sure I looked everywhere, the reason she said that, is because she knows I'm anal about putting stuff all together where it's supposed to go. I'm still looking for the screws that hold the spare tire shelf in place, along with some others that grew feet. The folks at the local nuts and bolts house know me by name now.

[asdasc]

That is the biggest pain, keeping track of the nuts and bolts. A friend of mine has a beautifully painted MGB body that he can't get back together because we can't figure out where all the nuts and bolts went to. When I did it last, I used a bunch of egg boxes and labled what was in each spot on the lid so I could see it from outside. That seemed to work better.

Getting back on post, can someone confirm if caracimiu can get at the outlet nut without removing the tank? Thanks!

[greensmurf20]

that fuel fitting can be a pita to get to since its upside in the body. best way i've found is to just cut the steel fuel line as close to the body as you can and use a 6-point deepwell socket and ratchet to spin it out.

[namba209]

I didn't have a problem getting mine out, I just slid a box wrench of the right size over the line and on the fitting, then took it out. Putting in the new fitting, a double wrap of teflon tape will help seal the fitting, you can't use a socket on it at all, you have to use a wrench, the line will be in the way. HTH.