Fuel tank filler tube installation trouble

-
K

KindredSpirit

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2015
Messages
80
Reaction score
33
Location
Petaluma, CA
My '71 Swinger's old fuel tank was rusted and leaking so I bought a new tank, which is made by Spectra. I also got a new tank grommet from Classic Industries. The tank fit the car fine, even clearing the dual exhaust nicely, but when I attempted to install the filler tube it was a no-go. After much struggling with no success I removed the new tank and tried to install the filler tube with the tank on the ground just to see if I could make it fit with more leverage. Still a no-go. I used silicone grease on the seal, heat and still it will not slip through the grommet. The grommet fits the tank opening fine and it is fully seated.

I measured the tank opening and it is 2 1/4 inches. My filler tube is 2 inches outside diameter while the grommet inside diameter is 1 15/16 inches. I thought the rubber grommet might have enough give even though it is slightly smaller than the filler tube. Do you think the problem is the grommet being to narrow, or is my tank opening not large enough? Thanks for any comments or help.
 
KindredSpirit said:
My '71 Swinger's old fuel tank was rusted and leaking so I bought a new tank, which is made by Spectra. I also got a new tank grommet from Classic Industries. The tank fit the car fine, even clearing the dual exhaust nicely, but when I attempted to install the filler tube it was a no-go. After much struggling with no success I removed the new tank and tried to install the filler tube with the tank on the ground just to see if I could make it fit with more leverage. Still a no-go. I used silicone grease on the seal, heat and still it will not slip through the grommet. The grommet fits the tank opening fine and it is fully seated.

I measured the tank opening and it is 2 1/4 inches. My filler tube is 2 inches outside diameter while the grommet inside diameter is 1 15/16 inches. I thought the rubber grommet might have enough give even though it is slightly smaller than the filler tube. Do you think the problem is the grommet being to narrow, or is my tank opening not large enough? Thanks for any comments or help.
Click to expand...
My son has a 71 Swinger as well. He had the same fight with a new tank, grommet was to small. I can't remember
if he modified the grommet or not. I will talk to him today and get more info. I know he used silicone grease.
 
Lee Robinson said:
My son has a 71 Swinger as well. He had the same fight with a new tank, grommet was to small. I can't remember
if he modified the grommet or not. I will talk to him today and get more info. I know he used silicone grease.
Click to expand...
I talked to my son. He fought it until he got the tube in. He didn't modify the grommet.
 
You can heat grommet up with heat gun and physically stretch it out from inside.It usually will soften up rubber.
I have used dish soap as well on both surfaces.


Dave
 
Thank you. I enlisted my son for help, too, who now acknowledges that Dad may not be in bad of shape as the exercise continues. Some consolation even though the grommet is still winning!
 
The grommet has to be installed with the big I.D. chamfer facing out. The chamfer helps the pipe to go in. It is a very tight fit, especially if the rubber is hard/cold. It will go in somehow. Don't modify anything or you will have a leak!
 
Try this... Stand the pipe up and put the tank on it. You'll have the tanks weight in your favor plus more area to apply force.
 
My 72 Demon filler tube would not go in with a lot of lube and my 200# pushing. Luckily I had a bench nearby that I laid a bottle jack on against the wall. With some blocks of wood and a piece of 3x3 lumber against the end of the filler tube , constant but very slow pressure from the jack it slid right in.
Yote
 
I read that thread on the '70 Swinger. OMG. At least I'm not alone. I'll keep trying. Thanks everyone. This forum is amazing.
 
I boiled my tank grommet first. That made it soft enough to get to fit into the tank opening without too much trouble. Then I applied a liberal amount of dielectric grease to the grommet and the tube slid right in.
 
Progress update: No luck so far. I decided to order a new grommet, this time from DMT, and see if it works better. The old one was branded OER. This may not be the problem but before I damage something (or myself) I'll give the DMT seal a try and report back. I'm learning that my biggest hurdle in getting this car back together is no longer my skill level but the inconsistent quality of the restoration parts now available. Quite a change from the 1990's when I last worked on a classic Mopar.
 
Update and a vendor applause: I received the DMT gas tank grommet on Friday 11/24, which in itself was amazing because I ordered it last weekend and we had the Thanksgiving holiday interrupting USPS service. The new DMT grommet was the same shape as the previous grommet but very different material. Much more flexible. It fit snugly but the more flexible construction made all the difference. I used warm dishwasher solution to soften it up and in a mere 30 seconds my filler tube was installed exactly as described in the factory service manual. Thank you to the folks at DMT for the incredible service and quality of parts.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top