[OG68]

This is how the lines were run on my Fremont car. And how I finished it.

[dataway]

68ragtop ... here is a pic of mine, yes they go in front of the pocket ... like you, did mine the way they are because that's the only way I could get them on. I do have that last clip installed.

I tried bending them up after the body was on ... just can't get enough wiggle room to do it. I'll have to fabricate something to replace the OEM tab that holds them up to the body.

Got the rear bumper mounts installed last night and realized I'm going to have to put the bumper on before I make any final call on the exhaust, can't tell if they are in the right spot without the bumper on.

I do my best work between midnight and 4am .... so I often post my thoughts and questions after that

[Shiny]

Thanks for the discussion and photos regarding the straps being difficult to start.

I am ordering parts to install my tank (Spectra) and I hope it isn't a bear.

Great suggestion about using longer bolts to encourage strap cooperation.

I saw this online somewhere and found it interesting. The bolts I removed were not flanged and as a result, were difficult to get a socket on. None of the online suppliers show flanged bolts so I'm wondering if they were used originally or not? If so, anyone have a source?



Thanks,

Mike

[OG68]

The original bolts on my 68 had flanged heads. Available from AMK.

[Shiny]

Originally Posted by OG68

The original bolts on my 68 had flanged heads. Available from AMK.

Thank you!

I'll chase them down. The ones I pulled out were dog-point but no flange... same as all the repro hardware kits I see online. My tank had obviously been out before. The sending unit had no o-ring/gasket and the signal wire had been patched.

I don't care so much about correct but in this case, the flange will make it easier to install/remove.

Mike

[Shiny]

Could not find flange head bolts.

AMK shows the same hex head bolts as all suppliers I've found online. I'll declare this good enough and use a washer if there isn't enough clearance.



3/8-16 x 3 3/4

[Sidponcho]

Just cut lengths of 3/6 x 16 threaded rod and pull the straps up with washers/nuts

[Shiny]

Originally Posted by Sidponcho

Just cut lengths of 3/6 x 16 threaded rod and pull the straps up with washers/nuts

Sure, that's an option, thank you. And all-thread might be a good way to get the straps stretched out to avoid the hassle described by others in this thread.

I have new hex bolts and nuts coming from Ames, but I was just wondering if a flange-head bolt was actually "correct" and if so, where to get them. So far, it doesn't matter as I haven't found a source for flange-head dog point bolts.

There are lots of sources for hex-head dog point bolts - AMK is one source. Lots of places to buy "gas tank strap hardware" but they all currently sell hex-heads as "correct".

[dataway]

Would definitely help to stretch the straps some first.

If I recall ... think twice before securing the loop on the rear of the strap to make sure you don't short yourself up front.

[Shiny]

Strap hardware from Ames on the right, what I removed on the left (don't know if original). I think I'll re-use what I had, as it's in good shape after a bath in Evaporust.

[dataway]

Those original clips look way stronger .. actually a captive nut instead of threads in stamped steel.

[north]

Yes and no, those captive nut still clips have a tendency for the weld to let go between the nut and the clip

[Shiny]

Good points..

From a manufacturing and finishing perspective I was surprised to see a nut welded to spring steel. It's easy to see why the "extruded" design would be more attractive.

OTOH, the nut style probably distributes clamping loads better and after they both rust, I'll take the nut remaining vs nothing remaining. GM couldn't afford to have gas tanks falling off after a few years on salty roads.

Both will work fine for me, but if the nut style is original, the repro really isn't.. nothing new there.

Mike

[Shiny]

I'm happy.. tank went in without any hassle. I was worried it would be harder than it was.

Thanks again to Sidponcho for suggesting the threaded rod. It worked great!





A couple more questions came up, will follow in another post.

Mike

[Shiny]

Questions remaining:

1. How tight should the strap bolts be? Any guidelines or just wing it?

2. The vent hose from Ames included a foam cylinder to use as a breather/anti-splash filter but it's diameter was too small to be secure in the rubber hose. What have you used to stuff in there?

3. When I connected the new sender wire, I found the connector in the trunk had a mounting clip but was not attached to anything. I could not see any obvious location for the clip. Where does it go?



Mike

[P Glade]

Originally Posted by Shiny

Questions remaining:

1. How tight should the strap bolts be? Any guidelines or just wing it?

2. The vent hose from Ames included a foam cylinder to use as a breather/anti-splash filter but it's diameter was too small to be secure in the rubber hose. What have you used to stuff in there?

3. When I connected the new sender wire, I found the connector in the trunk had a mounting clip but was not attached to anything. I could not see any obvious location for the clip. Where does it go?



Mike

Mike -

I believe your original hardware is original....and correct. I've never seen flanged bolts used on the two forward positions of the tank straps from the factory but who knows......maybe there was some variation in what was supplied to the factories over the years. I have a lot of original tank strap bolt sets and none are flanged. The AMK bolts are correct as well.


1)You want the bolts nice and snug.....reasonably tight but don't crank them in SUPER hard.

2) You might look into getting some breather material...typically a white scotchbrite pad looking material and it comes in various shapes and sizes. I've found it at O'Reilly's Auto Parts before. Used on valve cover breathers inside the air cleaner, etc.

3) Look for a exposed edge of metal somewhere near that clip (I'm assuming nothing has been changed in length on the wires) and that's likely what that clip will slip over. Maybe someone has an Assembly Manual and can look up the placement. In your pic it looks like there are two oval(?) openings, with exposed edges, behind the terminals/clip assembly.....see if it will get to one of those exposed edges without unduly stressing/pulling the wires. Then again, if that light green wire was curled up originally, they may have just left the wires that way originally.....and not slipped the clip over any exposed metal edges. It almost looks like the light green wire is too short to allow a "relaxed" stretch to a clip mounting point. Factory wiring tends to take a "set" when its bent into various curves and shapes and then sits that way for decades.

[Shiny]

Thank you for the info on the bolts and nuts Patton! My tired car is far from "correct", but I try to keep it close just because.

And your insulating pad worked great. Thanks again for that.

I'll chase down some filter material... like used in PVC filters going back into an air cleaner.

As to the clip on the sending wire harness, I probably missed it. There are 2 welded tabs along the back wall where connectors for the tail-light harnesses clip but nothing near the latch where this tan sender wire comes through. The sender wire is new from Ames (M&H) and was very accurate and high quality. The two "oval" openings you pointed out are larger clips that hold the tail-light harness. There may be a way to attach the smaller sender connector clip, but I probably just don't see it. The other option may be the sheet metal that supports the trunk latch. Again, it's not obvious to me.. I will pull out my repro assembly book and see if this detail is there. Not a big deal, just curious.

Mike

[P Glade]

Thanks Mike.

Another idea is to grab those connected wires/terminal housings and start pulling them in different directions toward ANY metal edges....that might lead you to the most possible clip point and maybe there are some scratches on the metal where the clip was slid on to/pulled off.

[Shiny]

I don't have a wiring installation page for Tempest but the attached sheet for Grand Prix doesn't show the clip.

You can see in the photo that the rear harness has been hacked by a previous owner so perhaps something got shortened in the process.

The gas tank page I found says tighten the strap bolts to between 80? and 110 INCH-LBS if I'm reading it correctly... so roughly 9 to 10 ft-lbs.

There are also some features shown in the drawings I don't remember seeing. I'll have to check them out when I install the big breather hose.

[Shiny]

Sorry for the trivia dive but can anyone explain the logic here?

I thought it curious the rear strap screws are intended to be driven until they spin freely:



When I removed the tank, I still had one original fastener and found it was quite weird but consistent with the installation instruction:





The repros from Ames were definitely not these and I just tightened them down, which clamped the strap to the nut and mounting bracket.

So why would this be designed this way?

And is the original screw reproduced if it's important for the strap to not be clamped tightly?

.