Fixing the tank cross over for good I hope and changing gauge.

[Richard Oben]

As you have all seen in person or in other threads the cross over with the plastic tanks can be a pain. The FFR panic and crappy solution and instructions made us all wonder if we should even do the stupid thing. Well I did it the way they told us and now have to do it again.

Well I did mine with Pro Seal aircraft sealer the first time and they held until I moved the tank and then leak city. The teflon washers are a joke, the fittings to small for the hole, there is no provision for actually sealing anything. I wish I would never have drilled holes in the tank, live and learn etc.

Well I followed some other members guidance and ordered some parts and this is what I did.

First drained the tanks, wife is still pissed the house smelled like gas for three days. had to remove the seat belts to get the tanks outs and then let everything dry and start new. I tore up one of the fittings as I did not get the nut inside the tank I got the thread, that was my fault but oh well.

First ordered two different orders from McMaster carr They are great but they almost have toooooo much stuff. Anyhow I bought:

Stainless pressure sealing washer PN 93781A051
Buna-N Gasket for hose coupling PN 5345K12 Pack of 10 Anyone need some?

I then modified the stainless washer to fit the fitting, the tabs made it very hard to thread on to the fitting. Without it was still very tight.





Here are the rubber washers:



They are 1.06 ID same as the AN fitting and 1.75 OD which should be enough to make a good seal.

From inside tank. The order is same outside and in. Nut, stainless pressure washer and buna gasket at the tank. The rubber ones start out thick but I compressed them a fair amount, i have no idea of the torque but they are more than just snug.



Then I added plugs to check for leaks, 5 gallons and no leaks. I will leave the cap on for now, because this whole mess started when I was trying to figure out why the AC did not work. Well I need fuel and the passenger tank area accessible which it is not with the cross over hooked up. So I will end up with fuel everywhere again at some point to hook the cross over back up. I may not hook it up, I may just redo the fuel system to have the lines go back and forth to level the tanks, not decided yet.



While I was there the stupid fuel gauge never worked right so I got the Autometer 4310 which is one listed as programmable and decided to program it first. I figured while I had the sending units out I would just be done with it and do it manually I disconnected the ground wire on the fuel pump so it would not run while doing this. I wired up the gauge using jumper wires at first so I could get to everything from the dash with the original gauge out of the dash. Followed the directions on the programming and put the senders (used both, figured why not) in the empty position.




And again in the full position.


Turned off power, put the gauge in the dash with everything wired for final and tried it again going full sweep on the both senders. I used both as that would be the least amount of work to get to the wiring.

I hope this helps someone else. Cheers Richard.

[Daniel Dinverno]

Richard, thats great to have it seal without using an expoxy sealer.

I went to the McMaster-Carr website and there isn't a part number that matches
the Stainless pressure sealing washer PN 9378A051. Can you reconfirm the part number?

[Richard Oben]

Fixed the PN, missed a one. Dang dyslexia, no wonder I always sucked at computers.

My logic with the no sealer was the factory pump and senders did not have any sealer on them why should the fitting? All it has is a rubber (fuel proof) gasket and some tiny bolts. Like I said I hope it helps others. Richard.

[Shane]

That looks like a great solution Richard! My guess is that you probably wouldn't need the seals inside the tank, as the fuel is just going to follow the threads into the hole anyway.....unless the ID of the rubber washer is on the smooth/unthreaded part of the AN fitting and compresses tight down against it? Anyway, looks like a great solution! Thanks for sharing!

[Richard Oben]

A quick update, the frame and aluminum panel by the compressor ate the connection and popped the fuse on the AC system which is why it was not working. Of course not being used for a while most of the R-134 seeped out but a quick charge and all is working as it is supposed to.

Removed the section of frame that was causing the problem relocated the aluminum slightly so I now have about 1/4 inch of room and put the tanks back in. Feeling confident I put all the fuel lines back on and put the cross over back on and no leaks.

Put about 7 gallons of fuel in and reading about 1/3 on the new gauge which sounds much closer than the old gauge. Not sure of the exact capacity. AC blows cold, fans come on after a couple of minutes of AC running so that is working as it should also. Ordered the alternator pulley strengthening kit from Shane to fix that annoying little squeak.

Put more insulation on the waterfall (needs a lot!) and I hope to put all back together this week. Then all I have to do is put all the aluminum back on the bottom of the car. Thought everyone would like to know. Richard.

[mendo]

Richard,
put together a kit with all the parts that you used and I will buy one from you.

you can call it the "Super Tank Sealing Kit"


let me know how much and how you want to be paid.

[mendo]

[QUOTE=Richard Oben;2722117]A quick update, the frame and aluminum panel by the compressor ate the connection and popped the fuse on the AC system.
Removed the section of frame that was causing the problem relocated the aluminum slightly so I now have about 1/4 inch of room QUOTE]


I saw a post that the builder re-clocked the connection on the compressor so it didn't hit the frame there.

[Dalton]

Richard, I would also buy three fuel tank sealing kits if you offered them.

[Richard Oben]

Dalton, the McMastercarr part numbers are listed above, you get 10 of the rubber washers so you would need the stainless washers you need (sold individually) and only two kits (10 ea) of the rubber washers or one kit and have someone else ship you the other pair you need, but the shipping is more than the washers.

I could put a kit together but by the time I ship them, everyone pays extra compared to going direct. Everyone ends up with extra washers but they are so cheap it makes no difference. Also I got most of the info from Vidal and others on this site. HTH, Richard.

[Dalton]

Richard, I understand and thank you. McMaster Carr stopped taking new Canadian customers 4-5 years ago. As such, I cannot order from them, they won't even consider shipping product across the border. Having said that, I am prepared to pay you a bit extra to send me three kits.

[Richard Oben]

I can do that for you, we ship to Canada all the time. I will get the parts together. Shoot me an email and I will get the stuff shipped. Let us do the rest of this via email to keep the thread less cluttered. Richard.

[Richard Oben]

Ok sorry for the long delay I have been doing other stuff. Finally got all the interior back in. It was a nice day today and I drove the GTM around some. AC works, did not need it but it works. The fuel system has been with fuel for a month and bone dry. I am pretty sure the other stuff always seeped a little. My aluminum under the tank area was dirty and grimy. I have not put it all back on. Tomorrow I plan to fill it up and drive it around more to see if the fix holds with 3 ft of fuel pushing on it. I have no reason to think it will not be fine.

Thought people would like to know. Cheers Richard.