Anyone have any tips on dropping the tank in a 72 Vista Cruiser? I've removed both straps (horizontal and vertical) on the tank and it doesn't budge. Is there another anchor point? I'm inclined to gently try a pry bar or a rubber mallet, but it doesn't give at all.

Thanks,

John

 

It should have fallen out and hit you on the head but it may be that the pad installed between the top of the tank and the underside of the floor have stuck together after all these years and it may need a bit of gentle persuasion. tap it lightly with a rubber mallet and keep your head out of the way!

 

The CSM tells you to disconnect the LH shock and let the rear axle drop as much as possible on that side. Also, it shows that you need to gently pry the bottom of the fender open to allow the tank to drop.

 

A few taps from a rubber mallet did the trick, thanks. Along the lines of what Joe mentions, I think I'll need to flatten the tabs that held the stoneguard in order to tip the tank forward, and then release the shock on that side to drop the axle.

How about getting the horizontal strap ends out of the way? From underneath, I could tell that the vertical ones were obviously hooked into place and easily removed, but I can't see how the horizontal strap ends are held in place up inside the fender. Do I just flatten them as well, or do I need to remove them? I'm thinking that the less I bend old metal, the better.

-John

 

Answered my own question. The straps do need to both come out, otherwise they prevent the tank from moving forward far enough, and it was a bit of wrestling to do it anyway, since the tank still had about 5 gallons in it.

Did not like what I found. Tank was totally rusted inside, the sending unit was toast, and I'm not really that sure the tank itself is salvageable. I'm going to look around for a used tank, but if anyone has feedback regarding the Eastwood gas tank restoration kit, I'd appreciate it.

-John

 

I believe there's a used tank on ebay now.

 

Lol! Indeed there was. For the price and condition, there was no sense paying $50 for the Eastwood kit. Now I wait for the tank and new sending unit to arrive.

 

Thanks Joe! This is exactly the information I was looking for 3 years after you posted it. I searched the 72 A-Body Assembly Manual and it had a bunch of drawings, but not the information the CSM has, which I will try to find for the future. I already had removed the rear drum which only gave me an extra one or two inches of forward movement on the gas tank. For others who are trying to do this. The gas tank doesn't drop straight down past the lower edge of the rear fender skirt, but slides forward and the down and out. Now that I got the gas tank out which also made use of the "gentle prying of the fender" I'm a little worried that one I weld my newly fabricated section of lower repair patch to the also repaired inner fender (which is the main reason I took the gas tank out in the first place) it will be much more difficult to jam that gas tank back in there, hopefully not impossible and hopefully without out bending the lower section that I spent so much time and effort to get as straight as possible....

 

Caveman. I'm curious how hard it was to get the straps to hook back into their receiver pockets once the gas tank was back in there. I barely had enough space to get them out when I was taking it all apart.

Thanks, Tom

P.S. And yes. The lower stone guard/ splash shield retaining tab flattened itself when I pulled my gas tank out. I also had to cut away the left hand dual exhaust tip that the previous owner had installed, which was all welded together as one unit from the headers to the exhaust tips. You want to fix one thing and it always leads to several more other things that you didn't even want to touch. Now, I have not only a complete Vista Roof that I had to do rust repairs too, but also a lower left quarter panel with rust repairs, a gas tank that's out of the car (luckily in good shape, but will get new rubber hoses), a cut off exhaust end... When is this thing going back together instead of further and further apart!? My living room can't take any more Oldsmobile parts :-)...

 

I remember it being a bit of a pain, but it's manageable. I think I may have supported the empty tank and nudged it into place with a small jack and a block of wood while I got the straps back on.

Good luck!

-John

 

Thanks John

This site is great! Even on a thread that's more than three years old you get a response in less than ten minutes :-)
Hope your "new" gas tank worked out for you...

 

The Assembly Manual tells you how to ASSEMBLE the car. The Chassis Service Manual is the book that tells you how to SERVICE the car.

 

Yep, no problems with the replacement tank so far. Fuel sending unit repair/cleanup also seems to have held up for - wow, it's been 3 years? LOL

Hard to find some of these parts... I'm still looking for driver side doors, mostly the rear one.

-John

 

I have driver side doors John. No rust at all, but some light bondo on a section of the door skin below the waist line.

Joe, I didn't know about a CSM, so was looking for anything I could find in the AM, but it seems like Oldsmobile doesn't consider installing the gas tank part of assembling a car. They have plenty of pictures of fuel lines and felt pads, but nothing about the actual assembly procedure.

 

Tom, sounds great. PM sent...