I was all ready to fire up the '46 FL to ride to The Winter Thaw Party on Sunday...I re-installed the tanks last week and now she just needs a battery and gas...I filled the tanks banking on the fact that I would have no leaks. Hey, I aligned the shut off and installed new brass washers and tightened everything up just right...wrong again! The lower banjo leaked like a sieve!
Fucked...while tightening to fix the leakage around the lower shut off, it broke in half! That's a first...
Gas poured out every where!
Siphoned out what I could...the rest rest spewed forth...
Off with the tank...again!
Fucked...again...
This may work...using the half holes and a screw driver to turn it out...
It worked! Got the busted piece outta the tank...
Found a suitable replacement...
The surface on the tank is pitted and just won't seal...
Hhmmm...
Using a little valve grinding compound and the lower broken piece of the shut off I began to attempt to lap the surface by hand...
not good enough...
Ahhhh...now we're talking...power tools! Made a lapping tool for the drill using a screw, some fuel line, a fitting, some copper fuel line and the lower broken piece of the shut off...
BEAUTIFUL! It worked like a charm and I was doing Hole Shots all the way to the "Winter Thaw" Party!
Three days later and it's dry as a bone baby!
I love the way you always have the part you need to hand... nice fix!
ReplyDeleteJeff, had to do the same lapping on ol Bessies fuel tank to get rid of the leaks. I did also go for modern dowty seals rather than the brass rings.
ReplyDeleteNow my concern is other than fuel leaks though.
Will get there eventually.
Best
Sverre