C1 Gas Tank Compartment

[Scott Myers]

I am in the middle of replacing my 42yr old gas tank with a new one!
my question is: while the tank is out I want to clean the compartment
of the grease & oil that has accumulated over all those years, can I
A.) use degreaser or will that hurt the raw glass. B.) use Simple green
or other mild detergent and scrub harder or C.) leave the grease and dirt
there cause' darn it that stuff is original and should be preserved!

Flight Judge to Owner: OK lets drain that gas and get a look under the tank!
(just kidding guys)

[Dale Pearman]

Re: C1 Gas Tank Compartment

You can't go wrong with baby shampoo and DISTILLED water.

Dale.

[Scott Myers]

Re: C1 Gas Tank Compartment

Ah....but will it have that soft silky feeling you
would expect from a newborn?

No really, will mild degreaser hurt the fiberglass???

[Al Cellier (32673)]

Re: C1 Gas Tank Compartment

Scott -
I just replaced my tank, and used a little Simple Green in some spots - but still couldn't get some stains out.
I replaced the straps and anchor brackets as well.
Not having means to re-rivet the brackets, I threaded some 3/16 aluminum rivets so that from below they look original; the nuts are hidden under the screwed-down cover, and the strap tension holds the brackets firmly in place.
One caution - the rear brackets must be placed in the proper "tilt". How do I know? I had to do it twice...
... Al '58 #378 245hp NCRS SACC

[Scott Myers]

Re: C1 Gas Tank Compartment

Al, could you elaborate on the rear brackets, when I removed my straps
(yes i ordered new ones) the location at the front by the seats has a pin
and bracket setup which in my case is still intact. the rear where the bolt
to strap the tank down is, had a nutplate on the underside, which came off.
Where are you referring to the angle being??

[Al Cellier (32673)]

Re: C1 Gas Tank Compartment

Scott -
The rear nut-plate holds the welded nut at an angle to the mounting surface - it is kind of deceptive when you look at it from underneath (at least, when laying on the ground!). The correct orientation allows the bolt (coming through the strap and the fibreglass) to enter the nut in-line with the threads of the nut. This requires the nutplate to be closer to the glass at the front - i.e., the bolts slope forward as they go down. If at a bad angle, there's a danger of ripping the nut loose from the plate.
Initially I had a hard time getting the bolts started, seemed too short, I had to use some longer bolts to get started and snug everything up tight, then let it sit a couple of days (option?) following which the proper length bolts worked fine.
Regards, ... Al '58 #378 245hp NCRS SACC

[Scott Myers]

Re: C1 Gas Tank Compartment

One last question: are you supposed to glue the tank anti-squeak
pads down to the glass or just set them there? it seems if they
are just set in place they will move when installing the tank.
if so what type of adhesive?