86 fuel tank removal
 

Working on my 86 stepliift, i started removing the factory fuel tank so i can have it pressure tested for leaks. I scrapped off as much of the foam around the tank and removed the two wooden floor supports (2x2) which were nailed in with rubber spacers under it. i power wash to remove as much of the foam around tank (messy). the tank wont move yet. this weekend i will use a Eng lift or come-along to lift the tank up slowly. I got as far as i can go around the tank. i enclosed a few pictures, will take some during lifting.
jet:train:

how about using a piece of cable and a couple of handles to saw the tank free

EDIT: I guess it would be about impossible to get it under the tank

A couple of guys here had done that same job already. Maybe they will chime in and tell you the best way to get it out.

:news:

I did saw along the outside of mine with a handheld pruning saw, but no matter what, you will still need a come along to break it free. Run a 2 x 4 across the gunnels to support it, and you should be able to break it free. Good luck.

I pulled mine with the cap off. I used a chainsaw around the edges and no luck. I was lifting the back of the boat off the trailer. So I tear the front bulkhead out and go under the tank with the chainsaw as far as I could. My saw has a 22" bar. Try lifting again and still lifting the entire boat. So I turn the boat uphill put the plug in and start filling it with water while the back is hanging by the fuel tank. Then I said to hell with it and start driving wedges under the tank. I begin to hear something ripping and panic. Before I could let down on my winch the whole boat dropped onto the trailer and my fuel tank was floating in about six or eight inches of water. Turns out the foam itself ripped apart. Now this is with the cap off and a bulkhead ripped off.

86 fuel tank removal
 

well i having no luck with this fuel tank removal, i broke off the fuel tank outlet, and the fuel tank inlet is slightly crush, the tank area around the inlet flexes, but that's all i get. i dont want to remove cap, or cut any of the stringers of frame. last hope will be to fill tank with water to removal any gas uels and cut tank open :( any another ideals out there.
jet:cry:

i use a tree chain saw to get my out i did not have to cut the stringers if you be careful you can get it out you have to cut deep then use the engine lift to take it out hope to help

http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/...ps99f3fe95.jpg

http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/...pscd36e971.jpg

Maybe mount something to the surface to grip, or even place something beneath the surface. Remove the cap that the wiring connects to. Find a heavy duty steel rod or similar. Tie your strap or chain to it, then slide it inside the tank. You only need to lift one side, then the rest will take care of itself. Good luck.

I have an 85 steplift and considered this myself. I chose to leave it in since I see no reson to pull it. Why are you removing it in the first place? I can understand preventive maintenance, but is there a failing tank issue with these boats I dont know about? Also, your 1 1/2" filler hose looks like mine, would you replace that too or is it ok to have fine exterior stress fractures since its so thick anyway.

How about the possibility of cutting around the top perimeter of the old tank and finding a new tank to fit inside of the old tank. :head:

86 fuel tank removal
 

Wedsday I will try again, this time I will wrap the rope around the fuel inlet and fuel vent, using the eng lift. If that fails, I will try to use the steel pipe in the tank method. I haunt had any luck finding a cable saw to cut under the tank. Since the tank is the original one I don't trust it's integrity unless I have it inspected or replace. I also wish to inspect the area under the tank and the PVC drain line that runs from the two forward wells. Thanks everyone your inputs
Jet
:train:

if i am not wrong there is some type of belts on the side of the tanks you will need to cut deeper in to those and close to the bottom at the tank as possible
i pull my out in trow the small gate valve in the tank

Manny, your boat looks a little different than my '82 cuddy, but still very similar as well. I did not have anything around my tank but foam and the two braces across the top.

Titan, these tanks are absolutely problematic, but not all have the problem. They are aluminum tanks surrounded in open cell foam. Once water gets in the foam, it stays there. The foam holds the water against the tank for years and corrosion sets in.

One of the causes I think is the way the boat is plumbed to get water from the cuddy and the front of the deck to the bilge. There is a 1" PVC pipe laid across the bottom and through each bulkhead - 1beneath the cuddy door, 1 forward of the fuel tank, and 1 behind the tank. The holes where the pipe passes through the bulkhead did not appear to be sealed in any way, (much like the holes drilled through the stringers against the transom to allow water into the bilge that may have snuck in through the rod holders??) Very poor and lazy design, IMO. As we know, water takes the path of least resistance and always obeys the laws of physics, so it eventually rots out the bottom of the bulkheads and gets into the foam. This was what I found on my '82, anyway.

Another problem that I found with my tank was the fill inlet. The clamp was too heavily tightened to secure the fill hose and I believe it pinched through the rubber, exposing the wire inside. As the wire corroded, it rubbed against and corroded the underside of the fill inlet to the point where there was a large hole and that was the primary source of all the fuel I smelled when I refueled. Escaping fuel also settled into the foam from this source, so I think my tank was in worse shape than most.

Regarding the full hose, if its dry rotted I would replace. It's expensive hose, but replacing after 30 years means you will never have to do it again. Especially with today's gas, you do not need the debris from the inside of any of your fuel lines getting into your carbs.

my tank was just like yours if you see my pic foam was all around the problem is the bottom of the tank the foam under is stuck to the tank so you need to free as much as possible close to the tank all around in order to lift the tank free also look in my pic and you will see some type of black rubber that is also holding the tank

http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/...pscd36e971.jpg

Okay, yeah I had those. I thought they were like rubber shims between the tank and the supports that ran across the top. I guess I don't remember for sure. I used the longest "pruning" blade I could find for my sawzall, then finished the cut deeper with a handheld pruning saw. Chainsaw woulda made quicker work, but I guess I was a little skeared.

After looking closer I can see one piece of rubber bedded into the foam. I'm not sure mine was that way.

Removal of Tank
 

I have the same tank as you! :-( used a power washer to get as much foam cut away as possible! Then i used a car door thin metal lock shim used to open car doors when you don't have the key. Its about 18-24" long and has a gap on both sides on one end, I used that to slide it under the tank and scraped away more of the foam and then i put a piece of angle in the fuel opening and attached it to a chain and attached the chain to a 4x4 across the gunnels. I put pressure on it with a pry bar and was able to pop out one end! It is a PIA! however when i got it out i found there were 2 Quarter sized holes in the Tank and I was glad I pulled it. You should be able to get a shim like i used from a boby sop or auto parts store. Let me know if you would like a picture of it and I will send it to you. :-) good luck!

another way is to use a cable saw, like in boy scouts. start at one end and go under the tank back and fourth till you have cut away the foam and the tank is out.

i REMEMBER SOMEBODY HERE DOIN' THAT...WORKED GOOD!...DAMN CAPS LOCK...:nut:

thanks for sharing