My latest toy.

SRF

Member
I am now the proud owner of a 1973 P6B auto. I have owned a P4 a few years ago. Loved working on it but hated driving it so I sold it. My new classic is in good condition, but is not without its faults.
The first one which the seller told me about is that the fuel tank sender is duff. I assume the tank has to come out, is the area where it sits a known rot area. I have sealed petrol tanks in the past with varying success so I am prepared for the worse. Has anyone any tips to pass on please.
talking of varying success I will try and post some shots of the car. Well that didn't work my files are too big I am using a Samsung mobile how do I reduce the file size? anyone.
 
Petrol tanks are inboard so don't usually rust. Did he tell you what was duff about it?

Richard
 
Petrol tanks are inboard so don't usually rust. Did he tell you what was duff about it?

Richard

Well, I completely misread that :)

Mines out of the car at the moment, so if you need a pic of the tank or sender, let me know

Richard
 
Thanks for the replies. The car came with a spare instrument cluster. He said the gauge had been checked and was ok. I spent this afternoon making one set of gauges from 2 lots. Having seen the printed circuit board I imagine that over the years plenty of glitches have been caused by moisture. I checked every light bulb to make sure they were ok. Long story short, put dash back in to find connections were different on tachometer so had to take it out again!!! As for the tank, I didn’t realise the sender could be removed with tank in situ. PO said he kept tank brimmed so I will burn some off before draining the tank.
I take it there is no drain plug, how good is the reserve facility? I will carry spare fuel can just in case.
 
I take it there is no drain plug, how good is the reserve facility? I will carry spare fuel can just in case.
The reserve is good, as long as the tap is set the correct way to begin with. In other words, if it's set to main and you drive until it runs "dry" and switch over, it will be great, but if it's set to reserve already and you drive it dry then you are stuck.
If you have an electric pump then simply disconnect the feed pipe at the carbs and pump the fuel out.

Also worth mentioning is the standpipe in the tank could be covered in crud which would render the reserve useless, so I'd keep a Jerry can handy until you drop the sender and have a look inside. The senders normally corrode stuck in the last position where it stoodfor the longest time, and you may get lucky to free it and it works like I was or you will need a new one as the little coil may be damaged, too.
 
The reserve is good, as long as the tap is set the correct way to begin with. In other words, if it's set to main and you drive until it runs "dry" and switch over, it will be great, but if it's set to reserve already and you drive it dry then you are stuck.
If you have an electric pump then simply disconnect the feed pipe at the carbs and pump the fuel out.

Also worth mentioning is the standpipe in the tank could be covered in crud which would render the reserve useless, so I'd keep a Jerry can handy until you drop the sender and have a look inside. The senders normally corrode stuck in the last position where it stoodfor the longest time, and you may get lucky to free it and it works like I was or you will need a new one as the little coil may be damaged, too.
Thanks, it has an electric fuel pump so that is something I never thought of. I have ordered a new sender. With my other classics I have used a similar sender from a different make of car. The p6 one looks different to others, so I have ordered one from Wadhams.
 
I would find a photo helpful before tackling the job thanks

The picture shows the underside of the tank, and the hole to the right is the only bit you'll see from under the car. The sender unit, shown fits into the hole and is secured by a steel ring and a rubber seal.

IMG_0108.JPG
 
The picture shows the underside of the tank, and the hole to the right is the only bit you'll see from under the car. The sender unit, shown fits into the hole and is secured by a steel ring and a rubber seal.

View attachment 13414
Thanks, I know what I am looking for. If it becomes a struggle it probably won’t be much harder to take the tank out. I did my Scimitar not long ago but that was at the front with better access.


Am I right that jacking the car is best done via the round jacking ports on the sills. I would normally avoid this area and use the diff or the front cross member, but this doesn’t seem an viable option
 
Do not jack under sills. Front crossmember ok. Small rectangular box section at rear just in front of rear valence but check for Rot first.
 
Do not jack under sills. Front crossmember ok. Small rectangular box section at rear just in front of rear valence but check for Rot first.
Thanks just found a good section via search. It answered my question nicely. Must remember to use search first
 
Another job the PO told me about was that a headlight wanted replacing. I have some spares for my Scimitar which are the same style. A small job not. The screws holding the chrome rime were rusted and I had to drill them out. I decided to do both NS headlights, but I had to remove the outer bowl for better access. I tested both lights with a meter and both were ok, so the fault lies elsewhere. I have noticed that there are a lot of hand written labels on the wiring. One actually says "wire to no where" If the fault isn't an easy trace I'll do what I normally do and run a new wire. It's much quicker than trying to find a fault in the loom. I also noticed whilst looking under the car that it has brand new front brake calipers, flexi hoses and new kunifer pipes. So that's one job I won't have to do. I haven't seen the back ones yet. I also noticed that the exhaust is old and will require replacing soon.
 
The long journey continues. I put the headlights back in but due to restricted access in my garage I wasn't able to do the next logical step which is check the fuses. It appears to me that when the brake system was repaired the PO removed the exhaust to help access. Most of the bolts appear to have been replaced recently. So it makes sense to me to replace the exhaust whilst the bolts are easy to remove. The discount I got off the asking price will go a long way to the cost of an exhaust. I also started to empty the fuel tank. I got about 50 litres out and there wasn't any reserve. Next job is doing the tank sender. I also got the chance to check under the car properly. There doesn't appear to be any areas which cause me undue concern. I have found a company in Stockport who will scan and mix me some paint to match the car. I have taken the front scuttle panel off to take with me next week. There are numerous small areas which can be improved with a touch up with paint. If they are left they will be vulnerable to rust.
 
There isn’t a reserve tank. The reserve is a lower outlet in the tank. The main feed is higher up the tank. When you run out of petrol and pull the reserve you are using the petrol in the bottom of the tank below the main outlet.
 
The wire to no-where might be front fog light wiring. The wiring is in the car from the factory, the lights themselves were optional. The unconnected terminals are usually behind the headlamp bowls.
 
There isn’t a reserve tank. The reserve is a lower outlet in the tank. The main feed is higher up the tank. When you run out of petrol and pull the reserve you are using the petrol in the bottom of the tank below the main outlet.
I pumped out the fuel until it stopped. I pulled the reserve button but no more came out. So I assume either the tap is faulty or the outlet is bunged up
 
The wire to no-where might be front fog light wiring. The wiring is in the car from the factory, the lights themselves were optional. The unconnected terminals are usually behind the headlamp bowls.
It is exactly where you described, so that explains that. I had to run a bypass wire to get the nearside dip beam to work. I replaced the offside inner so I have a full set of lights.
 
Today I carried on checking the car over. The tyres whilst they have plenty of tread are old and I think new ones would be a sensible move. I am still trying to work out the best way of jacking the car up. The front cross member is ok but the best position of axle stands is still puzzling. I have tried using metal bars in the jacking ports but it seems a bit precarious. I have a mid rise hydraulic ramp in the garage, but again I can't see the best locations for the arms. I am seriously considering going old school with a couple of drive on ramps. I will have to buy some I got rid of mine years ago.
 
Back
Top