How do I lift up gas tank a few inches to wire brush some surface rust ?

[sugarwood]

There's a little surface rust on the front lip of the tank that might have been the result of a leaking wiper reservoir. My tank is at 1/4 so I want to jack it before I fill up for the rest of winter. Wire brush and some RustBullet. How hard is this?

I'm not currently in the garage so I can't be specific, but I recall seeing a few hex head retainers. Do I just remove them and jack from underneath? Anything need to be removed underneath? Anything else?

Do I need to detach the large gas hoses? They seem like they'd be hard to remove since there is no slack on the large tube. Do you partially displace the tank first, and then detach the tubes by angling the tank?

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Chances are there is rust underneath all around the sealing seam. To lift up the tank, remove the 3 cheesehead bolts holding the tank down with the grey metal clips. There isn't enough slack/flex in the filler tube system to do a competent job cleaning up rust so I'd remove the main hose by removing the clamps, placing a heavy rag over it and then gripping with large channel locks to twist and free up, then slide up the filler tube. The lines below will restrict how much you can jack it up from there.

I hope you don't have to but my guess is you'll be removing the tank completely to clean it all up properly.

[sugarwood]

Thanks Shaun,

Ok, I will try to see if a partial jacking is sufficient. The 3 bolts sound east enough. The hoses connected to the small plastic box seem straightforward.

One clarification about the big snorkel hose in the photo above. Once I remove the 2 hose clamps and zip tie, I break the seal on the black rubber hose by twisting. In the photo, it looks like there is a good 8-9 inches of overlap between the black hose and long tube. Will the hose just pull away backwards, free from the tank's large tube, while the tank is still seated in position? Or does the tank need to be jacked and moved forward to get the rubber hose for clearance to slide off ? I think raising it a few inches might be enough to get a wire wheel in there.

But, let's say I do have to remove the tank entirely. There are some hoses underneath I need to disconnect? Then what? Put blankets on the fenders and try to lift it out? Seems clumsy with little leverage, bending over. Just how empty should the tank be? Lift it up and move it forwards and out? Is tank removal a 2 or 3 man job, if you wanted to make things easier?

[redturbo911]

I agree with Shaun but I would pull the tank out completely because you just never know what is hiding under there also I would replace the seal at the same time just my opinion. Either way keep us posted.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by redturbo911

I would pull the tank out completely because you just never know what is hiding under there also I would replace the seal at the same time just my opinion. Either way keep us posted.

+1 Even if the car hasn't been driven in the winter.

[Larrybrook]

In my experience, there isn't very much slack in the fuel lines coming off the bottom of the tank. You'll do a far better job killing the rust if you do a full tank removal. Use your fuel pump to drain the tank into a Jerry Can, You'll probably need to rig something up in the engine bay using some spare rubber fuel hose. Once the fuel lines are disconnected, have a pail ready to drain it completely underneath. Tilt the tank to drain as much as possible, the duct tape the tank shut.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

The big black hose covers about 3 inches of gas tank pipe so you only need to wriggle it up a few inches. I would do that while the tank is secure in the car. Disconnect the battery first too.

The problem with raising it up a few inches for the wire brush grinder is it will probably catch and spin off and hit the car. Sure, probably not a big deal but being under the car grinding away is, to me, more painful than pulling the tank.

You've got two hoses to disconnect underneath and drain, and drain. Even at a quarter tank, it's a lot of gas. I use an oil drain catch container.

With hood secured up (I like to use a mini vice grip on the passenger strut), lay blankets over the front, pull the tank up from the inlet pipe, that moves all the gas in it (because there's always more) to the front and away from the in and out ports.

They are only about 35 lbs, just cumbersome.

I hope this helps.

Originally Posted by sugarwood

One clarification about the big snorkel hose in the photo above. Once I remove the 2 hose clamps and zip tie, I break the seal on the black rubber hose by twisting. In the photo, it looks like there is a good 8-9 inches of overlap between the black hose and long tube. Will the hose just pull away backwards, free from the tank's large tube, while the tank is still seated in position? Or does the tank need to be jacked and moved forward to get the rubber hose for clearance to slide off ? I think raising it a few inches might be enough to get a wire wheel in there.

But, let's say I do have to remove the tank entirely. There are some hoses underneath I need to disconnect? Then what? Put blankets on the fenders and try to lift it out? Seems clumsy with little leverage, bending over. Just how empty should the tank be? Lift it up and move it forwards and out? Is tank removal a 2 or 3 man job, if you wanted to make things easier?

[Ayles]

Might as well replace the in tank filter while you are in there.

[sugarwood]

I've been putting this off for months because it's just seems a little over my head.
All I want to do is brush off some possible surface rust at the lip.
I would prefer to avoid finding a helper, and also dealing with 8 gallons of gas.
I don't even have a drain pan that can handle that much liquid.

It is out of the question to jack up the tank a few inches when it's 1/2 or 1/4 full?
It sounded like I would still need to disconnect the houses underneath.
If not a full drain, could I pinch off the gas hoses underneath?

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by sugarwood

I've been putting this off for months because it's just seems a little over my head.
All I want to do is brush off some possible surface rust at the lip.
I would prefer to avoid finding a helper, and also dealing with 8 gallons of gas.
I don't even have a drain pan that can handle that much liquid.

It is out of the question to jack up the tank a few inches when it's 1/2 or 1/4 full?
It sounded like I would still need to disconnect the houses underneath.
If not a full drain, could I pinch off the gas hoses underneath?

When I drained my tank I found an old empty 55 gallon plastic drum and cut it off so it fit under the car with the car up on jackstands. I then removed the large plug for the tank and drained it into the cutoff drum. Some recycle places will give you the empty drum, mine was free.

[sugarwood]

Ok.

[sugarwood]

Ok, I am back at this one.

I have decided to remove the tank.

I have replacement foam seal, sender gasket, drain filter, drain O-ring, Permatex Rust treatment, black Schutz undercoat, and body paint match spray for the battery tray.
Only thing I am missing is the grey paint for the tank.

I used a hand pump to pump about 12 gallons out of the tank into a 5 gallon can (3 times)
I poured all that gas into my other car. No disposal needed.

So, my next step is to remove the underbelly pan (that was a ***** to reinstall last time)
and then disconnect the fuel lines.

After that, I will try to lift the tank out of the car.

Wish me luck.

[rbogh901]

Luck wished.

What will you use to plug lines and holes while working on the tank?

Can you get photos?