HELP! - Leaking Fuel Tank on S1
Discussion
I've had a look at the tanks (thanks!) and I don't think they are the same. Mine are held on by four brackets whereas the eBay ones look like they are held on by straps.
I thing I've no alternative but to remove the tank and have it patched. The leak is on the lower outside seam so an old fashioned brazed patch would probably do the job. it's going to be a right bu
er to get out though.
I thing I've no alternative but to remove the tank and have it patched. The leak is on the lower outside seam so an old fashioned brazed patch would probably do the job. it's going to be a right bu
er to get out though.These are the upper brackets....
There are two similar ones lower down. Also my tank is welded along the seam where the two panels butt together whereas the edges on the tanks on eBay are folded.
There is a slight "ding" in the edge here so I'm assuming it was dropped on its edge when the chassis was being rebuilt and this caused a small fracture in the weld. This type of seam welding along the butt joint looks very neat but it's not as robust as a folded joint.
There are two similar ones lower down. Also my tank is welded along the seam where the two panels butt together whereas the edges on the tanks on eBay are folded.
There is a slight "ding" in the edge here so I'm assuming it was dropped on its edge when the chassis was being rebuilt and this caused a small fracture in the weld. This type of seam welding along the butt joint looks very neat but it's not as robust as a folded joint.
mrzigazaga said:
..Are your tanks angled as in the pic?
The brackets look "factory" to me. The back of the tank is vertical, the front is sloped to match the body moulding and and the bottom slopes down slightly towards the front. This is a picture from the original TVR parts manual.
Look closely at the rear upper edge....brackets.
Edited by v8s4me on Saturday 24th September 00:24
Hi Andy
The "straps" you think you can see are just insulation/vibration strips running over the top of the tank where it contacts the body. When I first saw them I thought "straps" as well and then realised they were on top of the tank and so couldn't be anything to do with a strap, which would of course run under the tank. Perhaps this is just one more oddity from TVR, we'll never know. The answer is probably in Ian's post above about this type of tank being more expensive to manufacture than the type with the folded joins and straps for support.
Do you happen to know the answer on my other post about the trailing are spacers?
Thanks
The "straps" you think you can see are just insulation/vibration strips running over the top of the tank where it contacts the body. When I first saw them I thought "straps" as well and then realised they were on top of the tank and so couldn't be anything to do with a strap, which would of course run under the tank. Perhaps this is just one more oddity from TVR, we'll never know. The answer is probably in Ian's post above about this type of tank being more expensive to manufacture than the type with the folded joins and straps for support.
Do you happen to know the answer on my other post about the trailing are spacers?
Thanks
It turned out that the seams were soft soldered. Here's the faulty seam cleaned up ready for repair...
It looked like this seam had been re-soldered at some time in the past beacuse the solder was a different colour to the original. To be on the safe side, all of the old (non-original solder, if that makes sense) was cleaned up and the whole seam filled with new solder....
Once we were sure the leak was cured, a folded strip of mild steel was soldered along the seam for added strength. Thanks to Steve at MTS Classics who did the job while I waited.
Now waiting for new fuel hoses to turn up so it can be re-fitted.
It looked like this seam had been re-soldered at some time in the past beacuse the solder was a different colour to the original. To be on the safe side, all of the old (non-original solder, if that makes sense) was cleaned up and the whole seam filled with new solder....
Once we were sure the leak was cured, a folded strip of mild steel was soldered along the seam for added strength. Thanks to Steve at MTS Classics who did the job while I waited.
Now waiting for new fuel hoses to turn up so it can be re-fitted.
Just when it was all going so well! Today was set aside to refit the tank and so in preparation I ordered new fuel hose from ASH on Tuesday stressing the importance of guaranteed delivery this morning. I specifically requested Parcel Force 48 Hour because I know how reliable it is. Despite assurances that that's how the order would be sent, the toers sent it by YODEL for delivery on or before 30th. YODEL! is there a worse delivery service? When I called ASH earlier they told me they don't use Parcel Force. So why didn't they say that on Tuesday? So that's it for this week, the earliest I'm likely to find time for this job now is Sunday afternoon. So the moral of the tale; YODEL are as bad as ever and I'm never buying from ASH again.
ers sent it by YODEL for delivery on or before 30th. YODEL! is there a worse delivery service? When I called ASH earlier they told me they don't use Parcel Force. So why didn't they say that on Tuesday? So that's it for this week, the earliest I'm likely to find time for this job now is Sunday afternoon. So the moral of the tale; YODEL are as bad as ever and I'm never buying from ASH again.I've bought from them before without any problem which is why I went to them this time. Never again! Buyers beware. In the interests of balance though, The part from TVR Parts turned up on time and as ordered and Neil at ML has been very helpful.
Edited by v8s4me on Thursday 29th September 21:50
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