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I'm not sure what a "tank cutter" is - is that a fancy word for "hole saw"? Dunno. But the sheet of fiberglass appears to be about 1/8" or so thick. Really thin stuff. This means it's certainly not structural...
-Wayne |
Drill the hole:
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZXsQAXx_ao0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> SmileWavy |
Not going to stop there! I'll drill through the car and the tank too!!!
-Wayne |
lol
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Okay. After watching that video I’m ready!
Wayne http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1611020310.jpg |
Considering it's a timber frame car, you may want to seek advice here:
https://www.lumberjocks.com/forums |
Okay, inspired by Shia Labeouf, I simply measured and cut using the hole saw. Long story short - this was the *only* viable solution after I saw what was in there. I would not have been able to get to it from below. I would not have been able to pull new lines, and there was no way to get to any hose clamps without drilling out a large access hole through the fiberglass and wood. I don't like it, but I had no choice (unless going with the last option which was to bypass the tank altogether and install a new one in the trunk - a very undesirable option).
In the end: - The hose clamps and fuel hose were completely encased in foam. - The hose inside the foam was completely disintegrated and never would have held fuel - it was leaking already. - This way will leave access to the gas tanks and the lines for replacement in the future. This car will probably be around after I'm long gone, and someone else will probably want to renew these lines - now they will have a way. I took 35 photos along the way, here they are: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1611032999.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1611032999.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1611032999.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1611032999.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1611032999.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1611032999.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1611032999.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1611032999.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1611032999.jpg |
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1611033167.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1611033167.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1611033167.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1611033167.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1611033167.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1611033167.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1611033167.jpg |
Thanks for your help and suggestions. Getting everyone together really gave me the confidence that I was on the right track!
-Wayne |
It will most likely be fine but 1/8 glass with a wood core is very strong, looks like the inside is also glass? So it could still be structural, most boat decks and hulls can be less than 1/8 layers of glass with balsa core or foam.
Need to make sure the wood core is sealed from water, if it will see any, was it wet at all? Was the foam damp? With boats a common problem is the wood rotting out and turning to mush, the fiberglass needs the separation for its strength. Also put duct tape or something to cover the glass before getting some stuck in your arm. |
Nice aim!
Could you make a gasket and then put a metal bar on the back to screw the plug back on for future access just like the 911 torsion bar cover? |
To plug that hole after all rework is complete I would make an aluminum plate maybe 6" x 6" and screw it on . I would take the plug cutout from the hole saw and make a new plug the correct diameter to snugly fit the hole . Use adhesive to glue new plug to new access plate . Between the new plug going IN the hole and the access plate going OVER the hole it should be enough of a seal .
It will look clean/professional and provide easy access in the future if needed . Let's face it I doubt this car is going to see a lot of miles driven in rain ......... may not see many miles in the dry 😁 . Have enjoyed following along thanks for sharing . |
I would probably be a bumpkin for saying this but given the headache of accessing an important part of the car, I'd make an aluminum access hatch that screws down flush over the area inside a frame.
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Yeah, I’d probably install something like a blind cover for a dry break coupling on a fuel tank.
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If you cut back the wood between the glass with a T slot cutter in a drill and them fill that area in with fiberglass, that will seal the wood core from water. Then you could just use a flush plug like a test tite flush mechanical cleanout plug. Do you have a metal lathe? Pretty easy to make a nice plug.
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Yup, all good suggestions. I will probably make an aluminum square panel that will use the existing plug on the right (I'll make a new one for the left), and then I'll get some type of seal that will seal it all up effectively. That, fortunately, is the easy part!
-Wayne |
Is this part of the next book?
101 projects for the Probe 16? |
I'm going to suggest 1001 Projects might be more appropriate.
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How did they miss all that in the PPI ?....
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Victory! That fuel line routing looks a mess, good to set it straight and safe.
Definitely seal all exposed wood (especially end-grain), I love using West System for this, but there are cheaper epoxy alternatives available at surf supply stores. (foam-EZ is one) You want to make sure when fastening into wood backed glass, definitely wet install your fasteners, it is well worth it. There are techniques for glassing over wood, (hot coat first among them) , well explained on West Systems website. Lotsa material sources available locally. A free hand available when you are ready, if needed. |
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On this one, the car was / is simply so rare and unique that the actual condition was secondary. The best part about this car was how original it was - the most original out of the three of them for sure... -Wayne |
My pops had a kit plane that had its fuel tank fiber glassed and foam encapsulated to hold the tank in place. Why, lord only knows, the plane was made of wood, carbon steel, fiber glass and other stuff. To pass inspection, the tank needed to be removed, it was alot of work removing the foam fill and cutting and hacking into glass fiber, but once it was done the tank was free to be replaced, alot of work for this kit plane. So good luck!http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1611279464.jpg
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Am I the only one thinking copper fuel lines instead of rubber? Not sure how you'd work out all the bends and then fitting it... Yikes, back to rubber!
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-Wayne |
After seeing what was inside the tank and the condition of the hoses, I decided to just pull the motor and send it off to someone to have it rebuilt. The Petersen Museum also called and they want the car back in the next month or so as they open again, so I will have it rebuilt while it's at the museum.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1615599866.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1615599866.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1615599866.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1615599866.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1615599866.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1615599866.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1615599866.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1615599866.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1615599866.jpg -Wayne |
Huh, that's a Mini drivetrain.
It has to go back to the Petersen? Or are they asking to display it? |
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-Wayne |
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What? Surely you Jest..... tease us with a few holes in the fiberglass, then we don't get to live vicariously through the engine rebuilt?
What about the "How to Rebuild and Modify Probe 16 Engines" book? |
It's indeed an Austin B-Series motor that's been tuned. Relatively unexciting in general, and I don't know enough about them, and I also know that if I do it myself, it will take a long time and distract me from the rest of the car (which needs my attention).
-Wayne |
Now we're talkin'!
Pretending to not have seen the "defective" jack and crescent wrench... |
Yes, that one has a tiny, slow leak that makes it drop down if you leave it up overnight. Works fine for day-to-day stuff, but I don't trust that one (or any jack for that matter) for any length of time. The sign is there as a reminder...
-Wayne |
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Wayne, I am curious, if it is displayed with no engine, will they put a weight in place to make the ride height look right? I suspect like most cars it will look funny with the suspension jacked up with no weight.
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Nope, it looks a little funny. But it looks funny regardless, so no one's the wiser? Not much I could do - I didn't want to stuff concrete blocks in the (wood) trunk!
-Wayne |
The drivetrain is straight out of the Austin 1800, known famialarly as the Landcrab. There was an 1800S version, which was essentially in MGB state of tune.
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Car is back! Picked it up this week and promptly took it apart again. The gas tanks are / were full of crap - we've been working on those all week. Flushing them with POR-15 degreaser (yes, this stuff does work) and then flushing them with water. Seems counter-intuitive to use water, but that's what everyone recommended, and it is working, since the solvent is indeed water-based. The tanks were replaced 40+ years ago with stainless steel tanks (thank goodness), so the job involves simply cleaning them, and not replacing them (as they had to do with the car that was restored in the UK - that one, they had to cut the tanks out of the wood and fiberglass body to replace them).
The tanks are full of the degreaser right now at this moment, and are almost 99% clean. I'll leave them full over the weekend and then flush again. I'll take some photos, I have before and after, and the difference is quite amazing. We used a "throwaway" carburetor fuel pump to pump the contaminated junk out. The pump is not sounding too good nowadays as we weren't able to use a filter (it kept getting clogged because there was so much stuff). Doesn't matter, the pump was considered "expendable" anyways. Next is to replace the shocks while we're waiting for the tanks to clean out. Of course they are ancient SPAX shocks which don't appear to be made any more, and I don't think anyone is rebuilding one. So, last night I pulled one, and I will see what we can do with finding NOS ones, or a similar replacement that maintains the period-correct look. Cheers! -Wayne Here's the car as we're picking it up from the Los Angeles Petersen Car Museum: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1630796816.jpg Back at the Dempsey Motorsports garage: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1630796816.jpg Stripped down again and flushing the tank: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1630796816.jpg Everything taken out of it again: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1630796816.jpg Front view, flushing the tank: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1630796816.jpg Seats, etc. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1630796816.jpg Inadvertent selfie while trying to take a picture of the SPAX shock part number: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1630796816.jpg In with the hose, and out the other end: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1630796816.jpg The POR-15 Solvent doing it's job: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1630796816.jpg Proof of the POR-15 solvent doing it's job! http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1630796816.jpg |
Very cool. Thanks tons for the update!
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