Lotus Europa Community
Lotus Europa Forums => Garage => Topic started by: 69merc on Friday,March 18, 2022, 11:31:50 AM
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Do the fuel tanks just bolt through the 4 holes in the fiberglass? Just wondering if there is any metal bracing or supports? ( the fuel tanks were already removed when I received the car).
Thanks
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That's all.
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Thank you
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When you install them, it helps to use large fender washers to spread the load. Also, round the edges of the washers. Two of mine had punched through the fiberglas because they had sharp edges. Plus stress from an accident.
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As the other guys have said, yes, they are only mounted on fibreglass. I used large diameter washers behind to spread the load but you could easily make up a single plate for both top/bottom mounts if you want a bigger safety factor.
By coincidence you can see the petrol tank mounts in a photo I took when replacing the seat belt sill plates - shown below. These haven't moved since the late 80s (as evidenced by the muck on them ;) ) and there's no sign of cracking, etc, the tanks are solid.
It's not as bad as you might think, 1 US Gallon = 6lbs, so roughly 90lbs in total over both tanks. 45lb per tank (+tank weight ??) probably means 50lbs over 4 bolts. Ok, there's bump loads & cornering but even so, it's not so scary when you do the sums.
Brian
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The problem is the holes in the fibreglass have to be quite big to locate the tank, and they seem to get bigger with age.
I have had to make up a few quite big plates to spread the load where the holes have become too big.
Normally they have "penny" washers, about 30mm in diameter.
Actually getting the bolts into the tank is a "challenge, but once you have 2 in, the next 2 are easier to locate.
You will need a lot of patience to get them in, and beware, your arms are likely to get rubbed against the fibreglass, quite badly.
Use a ratchet spanner to tighten the nuts.
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The problem is the holes in the fibreglass have to be quite big to locate the tank, and they seem to get bigger with age.
I have had to make up a few quite big plates to spread the load where the holes have become too big.
Normally they have "penny" washers, about 30mm in diameter.
Actually getting the bolts into the tank is a "challenge, but once you have 2 in, the next 2 are easier to locate.
You will need a lot of patience to get them in, and beware, your arms are likely to get rubbed against the fibreglass, quite badly.
Use a ratchet spanner to tighten the nuts.
I thought of back-threading stainless bolts through the mounts (mine have welded nuts on the tank straps) and using fender washers and stainless nylocs on the inside the fender side to re-attach.
Of course, getting the car up in the air high enough to drop the old tanks (I picked up a set of tanks this weekend...just need to get some of the surface rust on the inside off...) so I can get to this stage will be a project in itself. I've done it on an S2 and it was not the simplest task to accomplish. Lots of cinder blocks, jack stands...and incremental lifting to get it high enough. loosen everything up first, raise the car, drop the tank, install new one, then lower. Keep it in the air as little as possible....
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I did my TCS tanks last year. The opening was pretty tight without any studs in the captured nuts. So I don't know how that would go. It didn't seem that hard to locate the bolts in the holes with the stock setup. But I had glassed over and re-drilled all of the holes. I also nudged them a bit to get the filler neck lined up with the hole in the deck. That makes a difference in getting the filler hose on straight.
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I added nut plates to a aluminum plate then riveted the plate to the backside of the fiberglass panels ,
Pulled in place with some wire until I drill through. Now from the front I just remove the bolts.
You can also use to nuts but the nut plates and backing is much stronger.
Dakazman
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I have put studs in 1 tank and tried to fit it up the big hole.
It was a real bitch to get in, I had to cut two slots in the bottom fibreglass underneath to clear the extra size, but getting the penny washers and nuts on the studs was a doddle compared to fishing in the dark with a bolt in one hand and trying to hold the tank steady in the right position with the other hand.
How the hell they did that on the production line I would like to know. They probably had a jig to hold the tank steady in the right place.
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I think they put in the tank(s) in before they riveted the top and bottom part of the body together.
In my car I can remove the tank from the inside so the tank rests om the fiberglass bottom, so no weight problem there, and hardly need for bolting it in place.
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I think they put in the tank(s) in before they riveted the top and bottom part of the body together.
In my car I can remove the tank from the inside so the tank rests om the fiberglass bottom, so no weight problem there, and hardly need for bolting it in place.
Actually, it's a toss-up between the tanks and the shift lever bushings being the first part they started with and built the car around. lol.
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I think they put in the tank(s) in before they riveted the top and bottom part of the body together.
In my car I can remove the tank from the inside so the tank rests om the fiberglass bottom, so no weight problem there, and hardly need for bolting it in place.
Actually, it's a toss-up between the tanks and the shift lever bushings being the first part they started with and built the car around. lol.
I find fitting the hand brake cable in the tunnel to the reaction lever the hardest thing to do.
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I think they put in the tank(s) in before they riveted the top and bottom part of the body together.
In my car I can remove the tank from the inside so the tank rests om the fiberglass bottom, so no weight problem there, and hardly need for bolting it in place.
Actually, it's a toss-up between the tanks and the shift lever bushings being the first part they started with and built the car around. lol.
I find fitting the hand brake cable in the tunnel to the reaction lever the hardest thing to do.
I'll give you that. It's easy if you have the body off to use a piece of wire to fish it up through the slot on the top of the chassis, but I can see if the body is on that it would be a PITA. I had to do it once....it's a pain, no matter what (though, disconnecting from the drums first makes it a 'little' less painful...
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I'll give you that. It's easy if you have the body off to use a piece of wire to fish it up through the slot on the top of the chassis, but I can see if the body is on that it would be a PITA. I had to do it once....it's a pain, no matter what (though, disconnecting from the drums first makes it a 'little' less painful...
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You cannot take the body off the chassis with the reaction lever bolted to the chassis.
The fitting of the reaction lever has to be done with the body on, and would be easier with the handbrake cables disconnected in the tunnel, but it is far easier to fit the spring holding the cable end to the chassis in the tunnel, with the body off. Chicken ..... egg.
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You cannot take the body off the chassis with the reaction lever bolted to the chassis.
I'm aware of that. Have pulled and dropped many a europa body in my time. The black arrow points to the length of safety wire pulling on the cable, which got snaked up through the matching hole in the body when it was dropped on.
The fitting of the reaction lever has to be done with the body on, and would be easier with the handbrake cables disconnected in the tunnel, but it is far easier to fit the spring holding the cable end to the chassis in the tunnel, with the body off. Chicken ..... egg.
Yup. You can snake a pull wire back from the matching slot in the body plenum even with the body on and capture the cable fitting for the reaction lever through the chassis hole under the armrest (not easiest, I grant you) but it is doable. About the same fiddly mess as replacing the speedo cable.
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Do the fuel tanks just bolt through the 4 holes in the fiberglass? Just wondering if there is any metal bracing or supports? ( the fuel tanks were already removed when I received the car).
Thanks
69merc, If your still locking for another form to anchor tank this type bracket can be inserted from the front, held in place and riveted thru the glass afterwards . you may want to transfer the hole locations after you make a cut thru the wall ,then mark.
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Did it yesterday, the handbrake cable.
Before putting the body on the chassis I zip tied the cable, so that it kept in place.
Made it much easier.
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Bert,
What is the tube (pvc?) near the heater pipes and the hole adjacent to it for?
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I run the wiring loom through the chassis, so this is where it comes behind the dash.
The other hole is for the speedo cable.
The pvc pipe helped to hold the wires in postion when I put the body on the chassis.
After that done I pulled the pipe.
I also ran the brakelines and the hydrolic clutch line through the chassis.
I used two brake lines because I connected the front right calliper with the rear left, and the front left with the rear right.
So the are diogonal separated for safety.
I used a masterbrake cylinder from a VW bus, that has 4 outlets on the cylinder.
The hydrolic clutch comes from a MG B