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Posted by: East coaster Jun 2 2006, 08:57 PM

OK, after a frustrating day assembling my car, I've bumped up against an issue with the oil tank. I'm using a new factory six oil tank and it won't fit correctly. I'm wondering if the later bodies added the brace in the picture below (yellow pencil aiming at it) to beef up the door latch area. My tank is teetering on this bracket and doesn't want to lay flat agianst the mounting area.

I can't be the first one to deal with this, what have others done to address this??? I hope it's not just crankin' the bolts down, cause that's got to wear into the tank sooner or later.

Posted by: Eric_Shea Jun 2 2006, 09:01 PM

&^$#$ I have a late 74 too...

I'll be here waiting with you for some answers.

Posted by: East coaster Jun 2 2006, 09:05 PM

Ok........second problem:

How do you deal with the output fitting on the bottom of the tank? If I put the oil line on first I can't get the tank into position because the fitting hits the lower fender and prevents the tank from fitting.

If I install the tank without the hose attached, how do I get the hose on with the tank in position?? There's no room for a wrench in the fender well. Is there a special wrench or something (crows foot??) I've tried getting the tank in with a straight fitting and a 45 degree fittings attached and neither lets me get the tank in with the hose pre-mounted.............Again, I'm quite sure I'm not the frist down this path..............Help!!

Here's the two fittings I tried:

Posted by: Eric_Shea Jun 2 2006, 09:50 PM

Should be able to get that from the engine compartment. The shelf and the wall there should be cut out for it. (unless I'm reading this wrong)

Posted by: J P Stein Jun 2 2006, 10:03 PM

I have a 74 & my tank went in....not easily, but it went.
For the outlet line, I used a 2 piece rubber hose that is sold as a
replacement for the stock 6 hose (GPR, IIRC). Attach & tighten it before installing the tank.

Many guys have trouble installing the tank...myself included. It takes some screwing around, but I used no pry bars. You'll also want some rubber grommets on the tank for the mounting studs (twixt the tank & body) and on the inlet fitting at the bottom.
IIRC, I used big rubber washers below. All this shittage has to be on the tank prior to putting it in.....PITA, but doable. Once you get it in, you don't wanna take it out.

Posted by: GeorgeRud Jun 2 2006, 10:19 PM

You should be able to get an open ended wrench on the fitting at the bottom of the tank from the engine compartment - be sure the oil filter console and the electrical connection plate are out of the way first. Go slowly and don't go crazy tightening the line - just till the point where it seals and doesn't leak.

The same for fitting the tank, be sure the spacers are in place and fiddle with it. Once all the studs have had the nuts put on and the tank snugged up, you can release them one at a time and put the engine side washer on the tank stud.

Be patient, it will eventually fit.

Posted by: East coaster Jun 3 2006, 06:07 AM

Sorry, I think I threw everyone off with the second picture. The fitting I'm having trouble with isn't the one in the picture, it's the large (30mm) fitting at the bottom of the tank. It's the one that feeds the engine, not the return. The two piece hose is making sense. I was wondering if the factory hoses somehow allowed for this situation. The sucky thing is I already dinged my new paint trying to get this damn thing in!

Without the hose pre-attached to this fitting the tank goes right in. However, the tank doesn't sit flat. It rocks front to rear and either I get the rear stud through the hole or the front, but not both cleanly. I can get both sticking through enough to start a nut on them, but if I crank the nuts down I'll be complressing the tank into the bracket shown in the first pic. I would think this would eventually detroy the tank. My tank is aleady scratched/gouged from this braket and I didn't even try to crank the bolts down.

I'm getting the feeling that everyone with a factory tank and later tub is running with the tank crushed into this bracket.

I'm thinking of trying to remove the portion of the bracket that hits the tank?? I wish I could confirm that the older tubs did NOT have this piece???

Posted by: J P Stein Jun 3 2006, 06:45 AM

QUOTE(J P Stein @ Jun 2 2006, 09:03 PM)

Posted by: Joe Bob Jun 3 2006, 06:47 AM

Having NEVER done a conversion on 74....I can only say that each one was a beeeyotch each and everytime to get the tank in. On my last conversion the tank came out four times...my conversions were all 70 and 71 models...and one 73.

The bottom 30mm required a VERY thin walled wrench to get into tighten it down and I had to put it on first and then install the tank.
Then I tighten it down.....

There are specialty wrenches from Porsche but I have a set of "Park" and "Campagnola" bicycle wrenches that work nice.

Are you using oem lines in some cases? I used a combo of oem ones...actually just one, the one that goes to the cooler line that you have to trim....there the other end is a slip on.....the other lines were aircraft fittings with metric conversion fittings to -AN.

The extra length seemed to ease install.

Posted by: East coaster Jun 3 2006, 07:14 AM

I have the grommets (clear urethane step washers, male on inside and female on outside?) for the studs. That's not one of my mounting problems. I'm really starting to believe that no one ever noticed this interference before.

As far as the oil lines, I'm not using any factory lines. All my lines are Aeroquip. For the tank outlet (bottom fitting in wheel well) I have two choices. I have a straight 30mm to AN-16 hose fitting (black/gold in above pic) and I have a 30mm to AN-16 male adapter and a 45 degree AN-16 female to AN-16 hose ( blue/red in above pic). Maybe they interfere more than a factory fitting, cause there's no way in hell I can get the tank into position with either of these fittings attached. I don't think the factory lines are an option in my case due to the 3.6.

Posted by: echocanyons Jun 3 2006, 07:25 AM

My 72 -4 doesn't have this brace. I wonder if it cold be grounded down a bit? Any idea when in 74 was this brace added?


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Posted by: Cap'n Krusty Jun 3 2006, 07:32 AM

Fitment issues aside, why are you using those braided hoses? I guarantee you'll be in there in a couple of years to replace them. They leak at the fittings. If you have to use anything non stockish, why not the much cheaper and much better black "push lock" hose and fittings? The Cap'n

Posted by: db9146 Jun 3 2006, 07:39 AM

It is likely that the brace was added at the same time as the incorporation of the internal door braces to provide additional side-impact protection.

Posted by: Joe Bob Jun 3 2006, 07:40 AM

QUOTE(East coaster @ Jun 3 2006, 06:14 AM)

Posted by: East coaster Jun 3 2006, 07:42 AM

Kelly..........Thanks, that's what I had expected!

I would assume these brackets were added when the doors were beefed for the side impact regs. ( late '73 models on???).

So for all you guys with post '72 bodies running factory 6 tanks you have a potentially hazardous condition where the tank hits this bracket. The two little "tits" on the bracket sure seem like they could wear through the tank at some point. If you simply crank down the nuts to pull the tank in, then there's a sh*tload of stress on the two spots where the bracket hits the tank!

I see two options, remove the portion of the bracket that hits the tank or create a recess in the tank to clear the bracket. I think I'll be removing the offending bracket material and leaving my tank alone!

With all the six conversions done, I never thought I'd run into a problem that wasn't specific to the 3.6......go figure

Posted by: J P Stein Jun 3 2006, 08:38 AM

QUOTE(East coaster @ Jun 3 2006, 06:42 AM)

So for all you guys with post '72 bodies running factory 6 tanks you have a potentially hazardous condition where the tank hits this bracket. The two little "tits" on the bracket sure seem like they could wear through the tank at some point. If you simply crank down the nuts to pull the tank in, then there's a sh*tload of stress on the two spots where the bracket hits the tank!
hought I'd run into a problem that wasn't specific to the 3.6......go figure

Posted by: SLITS Jun 3 2006, 08:44 AM

And the drivelmaster throws an astounding 150 mph third strike to end the inning.

Posted by: Dr Evil Jun 3 2006, 08:46 AM

Yup, huge PITA. Yup, ground the bracket down on my 73.

Posted by: michel richard Jun 3 2006, 09:02 AM

I used a crowfoot wrench to tighten down the line at the bottom of the oil tank.

Posted by: Eric_Shea Jun 3 2006, 10:12 AM

JP's OD'ing on his "Nice" pills again

Posted by: Aaron Cox Jun 3 2006, 10:18 AM

or he just woke up from a nap LOL

Posted by: Aaron Cox Jun 3 2006, 10:39 AM

from turtle girl thread....

Posted by: pete-stevers Jun 3 2006, 11:13 AM

now that you ask i had trouble fitting mine too....
we pushed the inside wall in a bit for fitting the tank...i thought it had somthing to do with a fender bender i had...
but i did nothing about the braket other than rubber gromets to space it back a bit
i have yet to get my soft lines on ....

Posted by: East coaster Jun 3 2006, 11:37 AM

Update...........I used a cutoff wheel to remove just enough of the bracket (about 3/4") to clear the tank and it went right in and fit perfectly.

JP - I do have the factory spacers on the tank studs, one on each side of the mounting wall. I don't think I could've spaced it out far enough to clear and still have enough threads left to get the nuts on. I'm sure the tubs vary some and maybe this worked out OK for you.

I still can't get the fitting to thread on at the bottom of the tank though. It hits the bottom of the fender just enough to prevent it from threading on. If I had another 1/8" of clearance it would go right on. And just to pre-empt another JP strike, if I had more spacer it would be worse not better. I think if I fiddle with it enough I can probably get it started by loosening the mouting bolts and tilting the tank in at the bottom?

**Aaron - the turtle girl pic is not the fitting I'm having trouble with, that one fits great. It's the big one that dumps out in the rocker area off the bottom of the tank.

Posted by: SLITS Jun 3 2006, 11:44 AM

QUOTE(East coaster @ Jun 3 2006, 10:37 AM)

Posted by: Aaron Cox Jun 3 2006, 03:29 PM

just tryin to help....
maybe i should read the post next time LOL

Posted by: East coaster Jun 3 2006, 09:34 PM

My fault Aaron.

I think I misled a couple people with my second pic. I was just trying to show the hose end options I had on the -16 hose, the tank was just in the background of the shot

I did get the tank in and the hose on today. I just had to loosen up the tank mounts and tilt the tank in at the bottom, while prying the rocker flange out a little.