Dutton Dementia

[Mitchelkitman]

Originally Posted by Mick O'Malley

I managed to start the necessary hacksaw cut. I got about two thirds of the way through before the saw's frame started hitting either the flange or the tank's body, so I took out the blade, made a grip at one end of it with gaffer tape, and finished off the cut. Neither easy nor finger friendly!



I gently filed clean the cut edge, gaffer taped over the hole, and called it a day, pleased that I'd at least done something .

Regards, Mick

Well done - I look forward to your updates....... an interesting rebuild.
If it makes you feel any more positive about the sawing today...... A couple of years ago I had to get a cistern off a customer's toilet. Some idiot (a so-called professional) had decided that the 2" x 1" wooden spacer between the cistern and tiles could be attached to both with "no nails". With a hacksaw blade between my fingers, it took 1.5 hours to cut through the adhesive that was holding the cistern to the wood.

[Lucky@LeMans]

Making some good progress there Mick, I wish I could say the same for my project. Your 7mm tap you were intending to use must be a rarity in itself. I've been in engineering for longer than I care to remember but I don't recall ever coming across a 7mm tap or screw / bolt come to that !

[MartinClan]

Originally Posted by Lucky@LeMans

Your 7mm tap you were intending to use must be a rarity in itself. I've been in engineering for longer than I care to remember but I don't recall ever coming across a 7mm tap or screw / bolt come to that !

Standard thread size on a Citroen 2CV. Relatively easy to obtain. Its the 9mm and 11mm that they also used that are tricky to find!

[Lucky@LeMans]

Nothing is a surprise on a French car ! Quirky for sure, 7mm threads are not a common size , in fact they would be considered a b****** size by anyone in engineering in most countries ! 9 and 11mm are not far behind either !

[peterux]

And I'm afraid it's not just the French..............
My German designed BMW M52 engine has m7 exhaust manifold studs and nuts.
Exhaust manifold by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

[Mick O'Malley]

Many thanks for input and interest guys, it's good to know .

Yesterday I decided to offer up the tank to its boot home and maybe make a start on cutting the relocated filler holes, one in the rear deck and the other in the top of the tank. Now, why won't the tank fit where TDW intended? D'Oh! Thinking back to '84 I remembered that I'd had to cut off the front and rear flanges as I clearly would have to do again. I briefly considered fetching the disc cutter to it but my modicum of enthusiasm had evaporated as it often does when such setbacks occur .

Anyway, today I wandered down to have another look and decided to have a go. My hands aren't the steadiest these days so I again dismissed disc cutter thoughts and resigned myself to an age of awkward hacksawing. Then I had a Damascene moment, wondering if my tin snips would be man enough for the job? On the contrary, my initial effort revealed that it was me who was lacking in the wrist tendon department . However, by slipping handy lengths of one inch box over the grips to multiply the leverage I was able to successfully tackle that part of the job



Offering up the slightly slimmer tank my efforts were rewarded, albeit with a bit of a struggle. The rounded corners of the tank matched exactly with the cut in the front of the boot floor, showing that its twin had once sat there.



I measured the gap between the tank's top and the underneath of the rear deck and, having had a play with the Spitfire filler and the length of tube which will bridge that gap, decided that it didn't need cutting as it will slide into the yet to be cut hole in the tank before TIGing. I marked the outline of the deck hole, drilled a couple of pilot holes for the padsaw and called it a day, well satisfied that another small hurdle had been cleared.

Regards, Mick

[Mick O'Malley]

Today, time being at a premium, I was only able to address some of the filler relocation jobs. A first attempt at cutting through the rear deck with the padsaw proved both awkward and tedious, so I used the 'ring of holes' method with a 3mm bit, joining them with a short and super slim padsaw blade which I made by cutting down an old hacksaw blade with tin snips. Five minutes later - job done. I then dropped the 2" tube through the hole and, aligning it accurately, marked where the hole in the top of the tank would need to be cut.



I removed the tank and tidied up, the metal cutting being left for another day.

Regards, Mick