Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi,any tips on removing a Petrol Tank from a saloon. I need to get some welding done on a rear spring hanger and boot floor and my Welder said if I removed the Tank and bumper it would save him time,and me money,if the tank was ready to come off when I drop it off to him. I dont think the tanks been off before so ANY tips,no matter how dumb you think they are I am dumber, would be taken with thanks.

It's easy:

Run the tank down to near empty.

Remove the screws/nuts holding the plywood shelf (above the fuel tank)

Maneuver the plywood shelves out and set aside. You'll have to pop them up out of the framing recess and wiggle toward the center.

You'll find several sheet metal screws all around the perimeter of the tank -- take all of those out. There's a gasket/sealer between the tank lip and the body. Using something like a chisel, gently pry around the edges till the seal lets go. Make sure to get under the lip, and not between the two halves of the tank where welded together. Now put maybe one screw back on each side, marking them with tape or something for the welder.

Remove the wire leads connected to the fuel tank sending unit (top/center/toward front of car), or leave them be and let the welder do it.

Loosen the clamps on the filler hose -- wiggle, twist, etc. until you can pull the hose off the tank. Spray the fitting on the tank with a bit of WD40 so the hose slides back on nicely, then put it back together. This will make it quick for the welder to pull it off (the hoses like to mend themselves to the tank).

Your welder will have to jack the car up and remove the left rear wheel. Jack stands, of course. He'll be able to stick his head under and see the fuel line (1/4" steel line) where it connects to the back of the tank. You can also do this by sliding under the car from the rear if it's already in the air (without have to remove the wheel).

The welder can seal off the fuel tank opening and the filler pipe (really good duct tape will work).

He can now remove the tank.

What Rob gives you is complete and correct, but I'll add a sentence: it's quite probable that the screws holding the tank in have rusted, meaning their heads may be "wallered out" as my dad says -- that is, a cross-head came to be a circle. You may have a hard time getting them out, so just be aware. When I removed Mog's fuel tank, that was true of about half the screws.

Cheers rodebney, I am sure that MY fuel tank will slip off with no hassle, its just that when I searched for " fuel tank removal"on here there seemed to be issues removing the fastening screws. If there is a "gizmo" to help,let me know ( I've discounted using a 9" grinder)

Avoiding the grinder is a good idea. Soak all the screw heads with a real penetrant (WD40 is not a penetrant) a day or so before. Most of mine came out without a fight, but a small pair of vice-grips will often work -- you have to mess around to get them really clamped on to the screw head. I also find that using an extra long screwdriver helps, in that it allows me to really lean into it before turning, which helps in not stripping the head. The easiest (and probably safest) way to get the really stubborn ones out is to simply drill the head off with an over-sized bit. Once the tank is out, you can grab the bottom (threaded portion) of the screw with vice-grips and twist it out.

Another thought: As you've got to pull the tank anyway, you might want to pull the sending unit and have a good look inside with a flashlight. Many of our tanks have a lot of crud inside, including rust, after these many years. If needed you could grab the tank while the welder had the car and flush it out -- or take it to someone and have it done. It's a good idea to pre-order a new cork gasket for the sending unit so you have it on hand when you put it back together (or make one). If you want more info on strategies for cleaning a tank's interior, just ask!

On a positive note all my screws came out ok and it was stood for 22 years. I did use a new screwdriver bit, and tapped the screws with a hammer first. Good luck.

robedney wrote:. If needed you could grab the tank while the welder had the car and flush it out -- or take it to someone and have it done. It's a good idea to pre-order a new cork gasket for the sending unit so you have it on hand when you put it back together (or make one). If you want more info on strategies for cleaning a tank's interior, just ask!

actually, I'd be grateful for tank cleaning strategies please - mine is full of crud but hopefully salvageable!

Thanks

I recently removed my tank from my series 2 all but about 5 of the retaining screws came out no trouble the remainder were undone by using a small pair of mole grips from underneath the car and used end on to the screws I managed to get them all moving by getting them to undo /tighten by side to side action as soon as they moved I also used a lot of WD40 and carried on with the side to side action then used the screwdriver on the screw head inside the car and out they came

For cleaning the tank: Remove it from the car. Give it an initial flush with hot, soapy water. Now, believe it or not, get yourself a bunch of BB's -- not the new air-soft sort, but the old fashioned metal ones. If you can't find those, improvise (sheet rock screws will work, but are harder to remove). Fill the tank about 1/3 full with boiling hot water, a good de-greaser and the BB's (or screws, or whatever). Seal all the openings with good duct tape (not the cheap stuff).

Hopefully you have children -- or can borrow some. Give them something enticing to roll the tank around on a soft surface (like a lawn), or pick it up and shake it in every possible position. My children have become young adults, making them too expensive for this sort of work. So, I improvised a shaker table. What you're doing is braking all the crud and rust loose -- the bits that might plug the fuel line.

Drain it all out. This is where the BB's are nice, because screws and the like will get trapped behind the internal baffles. You can get them out with persistence, however. Give the tank a truly stunning washout with the garden hose -- or a pressure washer if available.

Now, get yourself some Ospho. Ospho (or similar products) convert rust (mostly iron oxide) into iron phosphate -- which is much harder and non-friable. Put about a quart of Ospho into the tank, reseal, and roll it around to make sure all interior surfaces are coated. Do this every few minutes for half an hour or so. Drain the tank (with care) and allow it to dry.

The Ospho will have turned the rusted areas black and will leave a bit of white powder behind. Rinse the powder out with plain water and dry the tank. I advocate setting a good, strong magnet in the tank on the bottom center (but not over the drain). Although pure iron oxide is non-ferrous, the magnet will capture an amazing amount of gunk over time.

stag36587 wrote:

robedney wrote:. If needed you could grab the tank while the welder had the car and flush it out -- or take it to someone and have it done. It's a good idea to pre-order a new cork gasket for the sending unit so you have it on hand when you put it back together (or make one). If you want more info on strategies for cleaning a tank's interior, just ask!

actually, I'd be grateful for tank cleaning strategies please - mine is full of crud but hopefully salvageable!

Thanks

Some have been known to strap the tank to a cement mixer for the 'shaking' process....... And some swear by POR 15 as the coating medium. I have personally done neither !

Having had lots of experience with coatings, I'm skeptical about the long-term use of something like Por 15 -- but that's just me. Some do swear by it, though.

That 'tip' comes with great enthusiasm from TR7 owners in USA..... TR7 tanks are very prone to rot - and are 'expensive' here, and 'ludicrously expensive' in USA..... So they try everything to save their tanks. I have doubts about it myself - but they swear by it!