Adams Probe 16 Restoration Project...

[javadog]

Once you get most of the varnish and crud out of the tanks and sending units using whatever mechanical scraping you can conjure up, this is what I use to clean all of my fuel system parts.

I don’t know if you can get it in the nanny state but it is available everywhere else. It comes in a variety of sizes, up to 5 gallons, I think.

[tcora]

I think I can safely say that this is the first time I have heard anyone talk about using a router on a fuel tank repair!

[Nostril Cheese]

Originally Posted by javadog

Once you get most of the varnish and crud out of the tanks and sending units using whatever mechanical scraping you can conjure up, this is what I use to clean all of my fuel system parts.

I don’t know if you can get it in the nanny state but it is available everywhere else. It comes in a variety of sizes, up to 5 gallons, I think.

You can still get the carb dip tanks of Berryman in CA.

WELL worth it as a cleaner. Just did an well varnished IDF the other day.

[Wayne 962]

I just looked this up for OReillys and they apparently still have it here in CA. Also on Amazon, although everyone seems to agree, even though it smells just as bad, it doesn't work as well as the benzene-style stuff from the 1970s...

-Wayne

[Scott Douglas]

That's some weird looking stuff in that one tank Wayne.

[Wayne 962]

Originally Posted by Scott Douglas

That's some weird looking stuff in that one tank Wayne.

Smells terrible. Had to change clothes, and then the new clothes I put on smelled like it too because I still had residue. I'm not sure why the stuff seems to have gathered right below the gas tank sender? Something to do with the reaction to the metal in the sender? Maybe the electricity flowing through it (not likely, as the battery was surely dead and not "on")? Maybe there was an air leak around the seal?

Probably the first - a reaction to the metal.

-Wayne

[1990C4S]

That looks like pot metal corrosion. Does the sender have a drain hole? I wonder if it fills up when the tank is full, but never drains properly? I would think the fuel in there should drain out as the tank drops and then get exchanged with new fuel when you fill up.

Or the drain became plugged?

[Wayne 962]

Originally Posted by 1990C4S

That looks like pot metal corrosion. Does the sender have a drain hole? I wonder if it fills up when the tank is full, but never drains properly? I would think the fuel in there should drain out as the tank drops and then get exchanged with new fuel when you fill up.

Or the drain became plugged?

Not really - no real drain hole, but the cover is not air tight, and there is a gap in there from some corrosion. So, it's obviously not supposed to be "fuel proof". It does look just like the corrosion that builds up on battery terminals, and the housing for the fuel sender looks like the same type of pot metal as the battery materials. I'm planning on vacuuming this out today.

The overall plan is to fix the brakes (and perhaps suspension), and then put the wheels back on, put it in the trailer, and then take it back to work to place in our HUGE carport in the back parking lot. Then I will fill up the tanks with some type of volume of carburetor cleaner, and pump it through using a spare low pressure fuel pump (that I use for emptying tanks - I have a pre-made rig for this stuff) through a few filters (that reminds me, I need to order about 10-20 of these). Then re-evaluate the condition of the tanks. We'll do this outside under the carport - it's 30' x 20' so even if it happens to rain, it should be well protected from the elements.

That's the plan at least. I'm sure it's likely to change...

-Wayne

[Wayne 962]

Check out the green here!

-Wayne

[javadog]

That’s a lot of progress, congrats.

[Wayne 962]

Originally Posted by javadog

That’s a lot of progress, congrats.

Thanks for the encouragement. The more I dig, the more I find, so it doesn't really seem like progress at times!

-Wayne

[javadog]

This is why I spend more time lately restoring motorcycles than cars. Much smaller, simpler systems, you can usually see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Currently I am working on a motorcycle that hasn’t moved since 1991, it’s not as crusty as your car but just about everything on it needs some attention.

[Wayne 962]

Went to the hardware store today to pick up some replacement hardware. I'm going to replace as much stuff with stainless steel as I can, as the bolts and screws (wood screws, as this car is made of wood) have all rusted over the years. Some of them have this weird "wood deck screw" square head on them - I'm going to be swapping those out for normal screws. I think that those may have been added later on by a later owner. What's slightly irritating is that nearly none of the screws match, which shows a bit of a lack of attention to detail - both in not bagging the screws properly when they came out, and also in not getting them all to match when putting it back together. We'll fix this right when it goes back together.

Another issue is what to do with the tires. I believe it has the original tires on it. The car was imported into the US in 1972, and the tires are old Goodyear G800 tires (common on smaller performance cars of this era). Except for one that has been rubbing against a bolt on the bodywork who who knows how long, they actually all look very, very good. No cracking, treads are good, and they hold pressure very well. I can't decode the date code / serial number printed on them - I think they may actually pre-date date codes.

A brief search of the Internet reveals that I'm not the only one looking for a good replacement, and all of the "modern" tires look, well, modern by comparison. There's a part of me that would love to find another set of wheels (or 1/2 set, since I already have a front and rear spare) and keep a set of the "vintage tired wheels", but then again, how important is that? I won't know how it will look until the new tires are on it (it may look better!).

It's funny because it has 12" wheels in the front, and 15" wheels in the back. We all know that 15" wheels look a little small on the 911 sometimes - these look absolutely huge compared to the 12s on the front!










-Wayne

[Wayne 962]

Although I just measured them, and the wheels are 16" on the rear, and 13" on the front. Weird, the tires say 175-12 on the front, and 185 SR 15 on the rear. Not sure what they convert into exactly, I'll have to do more research.

-Wayne

[javadog]

When you measure the wheels, make sure you’re measuring the diameter of the wheel where the bottom of the tire bead is seated, not the maximum diameter of the outside face of the rim. There’s generally around a 1 inch difference between the two measurements.

[HarryD]

Did you check Coker Tire?

[Nostril Cheese]

Look up tires for a Hillman Imp. There should be something available new that will work.

[Nostril Cheese]

My UK car guru friend suggested these guys for classic style.

https://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/

Updated info from him.

He's using Yokohama A539 165/60r12 on his car. Says they should fit on rims up to 6.5" width.

https://www.minisport.com/165-60-r12-yokohama-a539-sports-tyre.html

[flipper35]

Roger Kraus Racing can get you some Goodyear or Avon that would have tread patterns and be close to that period.

https://rogerkrausracing.com/

[Wayne 962]

Cool, thanks for the tips everyone. This one is going to be difficult because the clearances are pretty thin. Any tires I get might not actually fit when we're done. I think I'll have to find a local tire shop who will work with me to figure this out - if we put them on there and they don't fit, then I need to be able to send them back. Good "ole" tire shops like in the "good ole" days don't tend to exist any more...

-Wayne