Fuel tank

Roll hoop escutcheon final fixing

Remember that I had one of the 18 bolts "disappear"? I thought that I would have to fill the hole with resin and then tap the hole for the fixing bolt. However, after talking to a few fellow builders and to GD, I decided to try wedging the bolt with a small sliver of wood and then screwing it into the hole. It worked and held the escutcheon in place! So roll hoops now complete.

Fuel tank

Now the roll bars, grommets and escutcheons were fitted, my attention turned to the fuel tank. Earlier I had installed the fuel lines and the fuel pump wires through the boot floor.

The dip tube sensor was fitted to the tank with five M5 rivnuts and bolts. The tank had to be drilled with 7mm holes for the rivnuts and the swarf removed with the vacuum cleaner.

Five holes made and rivnuts fitted

The sensor was then secured with the five M5 bolts, using the rubber gasket and some Hylomar sealant.

Dip tube sensor fitted with gasket and Hylomar blue sealant

The tank was then manoeuvred into its final place. Then the hose unions were connected to the tank using Loctite 572 on the male part of the fitting (not the threads). I removed a small amount of GRP, using the Dremel, at the saddle of the boot floor and where the filter went to give a little clearance. I also used a small amount of Hylomar on the threads.

Not a lot of space!

Straps were needed to secure the fuel tank. These were fabricated from 50mm x 2mm stainless steel. The straps were bent to match the shape of the tank and holes drilled in each end of the straps to secure them to the body. Stainless steel is a pig to drill - I burned out 6 drill bits drilling just 4 holes! M8 nylocs nuts with bolts went through the boot floor and 2 x M5 button head bolts with rivnuts were used above the differential for each strap. GD suggest using self tappers at over the diff, as the strap is in sheer. However, I reckoned that over a bump the strap would be in tension, so either a nut/bolt or rivnuts would be better! Rivnuts were easier to fit, so that option won the vote. A few small strips of neoprene were used on the straps to isolate the straps from the tank.

Top strap fixings

Tank in place with straps

The sensor cable was then attached to the main terminal and the two earth wires, from the loom and the filler attached to one of the tank studs. The carpet was fitted over the fuel inlet on the tank and then the joining hose was fitted. Next the fuel filler cap was refitted to the body with the new earth strap attached to one of the bolts. Finally the two hose clamps were tightened.

Tank and carpet in place

Heat shrink was put over the fuel pump cable, before ring terminals were attached to the cable and then heated to shrink it. A small amount of silicone sealer was applied around the cable and heat shrink joint to ensure that no moisture was trapped inside. This just added some protection to the terminals and wires in the exposed area at the rear of the chassis. 

Heat shrink over exposed pump cable connections

The ring terminals were connected to the fuel pump, the black going to the earth terminal (both terminals were a different size).

Electrical connections made

I expected that the boot would simply be a case of refitting the two bolts. No! I had to adjust the lid to get it to fit properly. Never mind it's all done now.

Photos

And a few photos, 'cos I can!