RE: IML: draining gas tank on a '53

["Dick Benjamin" <dickb@xxxxxxxxx>]

This is way too early a car to have TORX fasteners; they first appeared
sometime in the 1980s.  

Take another look at it to see if it isn't just a simple square hole.  If
that is what you have, try your 1/2 inch and 3/8 inch drive breaker bars in
the hole - one of them will probably fit just fine if you clean out the hole
carefully.  If you get this far, then wire brush everything in the area of
the plug, especially the thread area, and then spray some really good
penetrating oil onto the threaded area (I use "PB BLASTER").   After soaking
in for a few hours, you can try gently bumping the handle of the breaker bar
- go in the tightening direction first, then bump it to the loosening
direction.  If you get any motion at all out of the plug, just keep
squirting penetrating oil, soaking, and wiggling it until finally the
threads begin to loosen up.  DO NOT, at any time, use a LOT of force on
this.  The threaded bushing into which the plug screws is only crimped to
the sheet metal of the tank, and any significant force will break the seal;
you'll have a nasty drip then!


There is another way to drain the tank, of course, and that is to just
disconnect the fuel line at the front of the tank, install a temporary
fitting with a rubber fuel hose on it, and route the hose to a container
below the level of the bottom of the tank.  Then, with your vacuum cleaner
hose plugged into the exhaust port of the cleaner so as to produce a SMALL
AMOUNT (!) of pressure, apply the pressure to the gas filler pipe (seal
around the hose with a damp rag).  Once you get the gasoline flowing, it
will continue on its own until the fuel is drained down to the level of the
pickup tube inside the tank, which should be real close to empty.

Dick Benjamin

-----Original Message-----
From: mailing-list-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:mailing-list-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of captden30@xxxxxxx
Sent: Friday, July 22, 2005 6:26 AM
To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: IML: drain gas tank

my 53 imp. has a plug of some kind underneath the gas tank towards the 
front right side. i would like to drain  the tank and i think this is 
where it can be done. the plug has a torx type hole and what i do not 
know is how this plug is removed and replaced. i prefer not to 
experiment with this as these tanks are not easy to find. perhaps this 
is not a drain plug at all and dropping the tank is the only way to 
drain it. i have dropped one before and one of the straps bvroke and 
the line into the tank stripped the threads when i removed it. both of 
those problems took considerable time and energy to rectify and for 
anyone who has tried to replace the tank strap you know they cannot be 
found, only fabricated. anyway, can the tank be drained through the 
plug if it can be removed?  dennis


-----------------  http://www.imperialclub.com  -----------------
This message was sent to you by the Imperial Mailing List. Please 
reply to mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx and your response will be 
shared with everyone. Private messages (and attachments) for the
Administrators should be sent to webmaster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To UN-SUBSCRIBE, go to http://imperialclub.com/unsubscribe.htm

---
[This E-mail scanned for viruses by Declude Virus]




---
[This E-mail scanned for viruses by Declude Virus]



-----------------  http://www.imperialclub.com  -----------------
This message was sent to you by the Imperial Mailing List. Please 
reply to mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx and your response will be 
shared with everyone. Private messages (and attachments) for the
Administrators should be sent to webmaster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To UN-SUBSCRIBE, go to http://imperialclub.com/unsubscribe.htm