With the good always comes the bad!!! I was really encouraged with getting the wipers fixed but I was concerned with the strong smell of petrol inside the car after I had put several cans of petrol the day before.
The best way to check was to remove the back seat & look through the holes, especially the one near the fuel sender unit. Yes, it was obvious that there was a small leak & on closer inspection, it was coming from the fuel outlet pipe which seemed to be a little loose. What a bugger!! Get one thing sorted & then something else happens! Another bout of depression set in when I thought about removing the fuel tank. Another one of my favourite tasks! I spent the rest of the day doing constructive things like replacing one of the dash lights & thought how I might repair the tank. After a lot of research on the internet, I bought some fuel tank repair putty from Autobarn & tried working it around the outlet pipe. Slightly less leak but still not satisfactory. Tried some Selley’s Kneed It Metal & a similar result. Maybe the metal was too smooth & it would not adhere & it was in a very awkward place to see what you were doing. There was no alternative but to REMOVE THE FUEL TANK AGAIN! Great!! I love fixing these old cars!!! F********* F******** Bugger, Bugger Bugger!!!
LESSON 26A: Nothing is ever easy & don’t ever attempt to restore old cars unless you are slightly crazy!
LESSON 26B: Some fuel tank repair products don’t really repair!
It was now mid October and as I was going away again in November, I really wanted to get this car finished before Christmas. The engine was sounding quite off and after fiddling with the timing, I could get it no better. Not looking real good so I would have to consult with my good neighbour, KH, again. I did some other tasks like fitting new rubber boots to the steering arms & that wasn’t a big drama. Most things are nearly complete & the steering wheel looks really good with the new black cover.
KH & I spent all morning trying to get the motor running better. It was still missing despite all our fiddling & we eventually diagnosed that the distributor was the culprit. So KH volunteered to take it home, clean it & tighten the backing plate, all of which I appreciated very much. While he was doing this, I removed the fuel tank which wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Maybe after you have done things several times, you learn the short cuts. After draining the tank, I removed the sender unit which also wasn’t the drama that I thought it might be. The outlet pipe was a little loose & that was where the leak was. It took for ages to solder it up & then I placed a rubber washer on the inside & then gave everything a coat of Araldite, so hopefully, it won’t leak. I did try with a small amount of fuel & turned the tank sideways & no leak, so I will put it back in & keep my fingers crossed. Well, after putting in about 10 litres, there was no leak the next day. So, good news & another thing fixed.
LESSON 27: Check the fuel sender unit when you have the tank out. Replace any gaskets etc that are worn. Also when replacing the tank, remove the back seat & hang the tank loosely off the top bolts & that allows enough movement to connect all the hoses & the difficult filler hose. Once they are all in place, put the bottom two bolts in & then tighten them all.
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