Roger Posted April 6 Report Share Posted April 6 Hi All, I have a problem with my Vitesse petrol tank. The outlet tube (or whatever it is called...) is completely blocked. I have tried everything, including an attempt to blow compressed air into the tank. No joy, despite very high pressure. Then I looked at my Herald 13/60 tank but it requires some work (pictures). I can’t figure out how the tank is made. I can’t see any welding in the seams between the halves. How are they attached to each other? I have always wanted to replace it with a Spitfire tank. I know there are Heralds and and Vitesses that has a Spitfire tank, but I can’t find any pictures on the internet. Do anyone here have a Spitfire petrol tank in your Herald / Vitesse? Any picture on how to install it? I noticed that a TR6 tank looks similar to a Spitfire tank. Would that be a better option? (more capacity?) /Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted April 6 Report Share Posted April 6 if you undo the sleeve nut on the suction tube it all comes out the tank so you can attack any blockage its only curved length of bundy as for a spitty tank you need to see if you have room on the deck to make a filler hole Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted April 6 Author Report Share Posted April 6 5 minutes ago, Pete Lewis said: for a spitty tank you need to see if you have room on the deck to make a filler hole Thanks Pete. I think this should not be a problem given the fact that I have a convertible, I guess a Spitfire tank is not an option on a saloon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted April 6 Author Report Share Posted April 6 I noticed now that they remanufacture the tank to original specification, so that could of course also be an option. But it looks cooler to have the filler cap on the deck 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted April 6 Report Share Posted April 6 19 minutes ago, Roger said: Hi All, I have a problem with my Vitesse petrol tank. The outlet tube (or whatever it is called...) is completely blocked. I have tried everything, including an attempt to blow compressed air into the tank. No joy, despite very high pressure. Then I looked at my Herald 13/60 tank but it requires some work (pictures). I can’t figure out how the tank is made. I can’t see any welding in the seams between the halves. How are they attached to each other? To answer your question I think the two halves of the tank are joined by roller welding. This is where the seam is clamped between two rollers and a current passed between them while the tank is moved around - spot welding on the move if you like... Fitting a Spitfire tank sounds to me like it might be a 'major modification' under the DVLA classic car rules. I would remove the fuel level sender and have a look inside to see the condition. Its most likely to have plenty of crud (probably the cause of the blockage) but should still be perfectly serviceable. Mine was pretty rusty and I considered coating it with an epoxy sealant but in the end put it back in the car with a paper filter installed before the fuel pump which has been fine... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted April 6 Report Share Posted April 6 1 hour ago, Roger said: Hi All, I have a problem with my Vitesse petrol tank. The outlet tube (or whatever it is called...) is completely blocked. I have always wanted to replace it with a Spitfire tank. I know there are Heralds and and Vitesses that has a Spitfire tank, but I can’t find any pictures on the internet. Do anyone here have a Spitfire petrol tank in your Herald / Vitesse? As Pete says just unscrew the pipe on top of the tank and see what condition it's in. Be aware that there may - only may - be a rubber grommet around the pipe at the threaded union, there would have been one originally but many have disappeared over time so if disturbed you can get a smell of fuel from the tank when refitted. You can always seal it using a fuel-resistant sealer, but that means you can't use the reserve facility. I remember a few members having Spitfire tank conversions - the argument seemingly being that they were safer than Herald tanks - but this means cutting the rear deck and having the filler cap on top. I'm not happy with my 13/60 tank, the sender sealing ring at the rear seemed unwilling to stay in place when I refurbished it a while back, and while I've fitted it according to instructions and rotate-jammed it in place I'm worried about the sender jumping out if the car hits a bump. Wouldn't happen with the screw-in type! Anyone tried the new tanks? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted April 6 Author Report Share Posted April 6 48 minutes ago, johny said: Fitting a Spitfire tank sounds to me like it might be a 'major modification' under the DVLA classic car rules Fortunately, the DVLA classic car rules do not apply on The Åland Island. We have a bit more freedome to modify cars, and this legislation is actually in our own control (defined by the local Åland Government). Anyway, it seems to be possble without too much work involved as long as I have all the bits and bobs needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted April 6 Author Report Share Posted April 6 Thanks for all suggestions. Another reason for replacing the old tank with a new one is that I abolutely HATE to work with used petrol tanks. I always expect them to "go bang" any minute regardless of much much you clean and rinse them. A local guy here once started to weld a supposedly clean tank and he blew out ever single window in the bottom floor when it exploded but he survived like a miracle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted April 6 Author Report Share Posted April 6 Found this thread but pictures not visible for me https://www.clubtriumph.co.uk/forums/topic/13320-spitfire-fuel-tank/#comment-157749 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted April 6 Report Share Posted April 6 34 minutes ago, Roger said: Fortunately, the DVLA classic car rules do not apply on The Åland Island. We have a bit more freedome to modify cars, and this legislation is actually in our own control (defined by the local Åland Government). Anyway, it seems to be possble without too much work involved as long as I have all the bits and bobs needed. Do you have to have insurance there because I wonder if they are just as relaxed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted April 6 Author Report Share Posted April 6 40 minutes ago, johny said: Do you have to have insurance there because I wonder if they are just as relaxed? I use a small local insurance company, I haven't had any problems with them and they are not too expensive either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted April 6 Report Share Posted April 6 Would you have to tell them about the fuel tank change? Here they can use modifications as an excuse to get out of a claim even if its not related to the actual accident - could be something like a number painted on racing car style and they say you werent paying the right premium because your risk had gone up so not covered😭 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted April 6 Author Report Share Posted April 6 3 hours ago, johny said: Would you have to tell them about the fuel tank change? Yes, and I'm quite sure they would not mind. Insurance seems to be a complicated matter in the UK given the amount of posts here and on other forums. Classic car owners don't seem to have problems with insurance companies here on the island. I have no idea why (or maybe I'm just poorly informed and ignorant, but I haven't heard anyone complain). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted April 7 Author Report Share Posted April 7 (edited) I have done some research on the internet and my conclusion is that installing a Spitfire tank in my Vitesse convertible should be fairly simple (no pictures of that installation found yet). I prefer the Spitfire design since it is such a pain to remove the Vitesse / Herald tanks (must be much easier in a Spit). I also like the wider space in the boot and on top of that I also think it looks nice to have the filler cap on the deck. It seems like almost every Spitfire part I need is available except the petrol pick up tube. I assume it would not be too complicated to manufacture this myself (?) (if I had an old one that I can copy). It would help a lot if someone on here has more details about dimensions, threads etc. Also found an interesting thread on another Triumph forum about this (link below). Apparently I'm not the only one with a blocked pich up tube. fuel tank / fuel pick up tube ? : Spitfire & GT6 Forum : The Triumph Experience Edited April 7 by Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted April 7 Report Share Posted April 7 Would you fill in the hole left in the wing Roger or make up some sort cap? Blockage not that unusual, rag, paper, rubber from cap seal etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted April 7 Author Report Share Posted April 7 34 minutes ago, johny said: Would you fill in the hole left in the wing Roger or make up some sort cap? Blockage not that unusual, rag, paper, rubber from cap seal etc I would fill in the hole and paint it royal blue like the rest of the car. It should of course be possible to unblock the tube, and my latest attempt was poking down the tube using a guitarr string. I don't know whats in there, but it is like someone welded a plug to the tube down there. Don't forget my paranoia that using more force will create a spark inside the tank and the tank goes bang. I HATE working with petrol tanks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted April 7 Author Report Share Posted April 7 Some measurements in the pictures. Plenty of room for a Spitfire tank? There is some kind of bracket or reinforcement under the deck, and I think the hole there might fit the filler neck for the spitfire tank (with some luck...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted April 7 Report Share Posted April 7 42 minutes ago, Roger said: Don't forget my paranoia that using more force will create a spark inside the tank and the tank goes bang. I HATE working with petrol tanks... Yes you have to be careful Roger but remember the upper explosive limit of petrol is something like 7.6% which means you have to get a lot of air into the tank (92.4%) before it will combust. Petrol evaporates so easily that all the time you have got some in liquid form in the tank, bearing in mind how few openings there are, its almost impossible to get enough air in to be dangerous. The danger comes when the tank is emptied and left open... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Truman Posted April 7 Report Share Posted April 7 Note the Spitfire Mk1 & 2 are gravity fed ie the tank outlet is at the bottom there is no pick up tube, all brass fittings from memory, I prefer positive suction to the pump rather than a sucker pump set up. It would get over your pick up pipe issue. The only issue with a drowned suction is if you remove the inlet pipe to the mech pump is the tank keeps draining!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Works Spitfires Posted April 8 Report Share Posted April 8 I fitted a Spitfire tank to a Herald in the early 90's. It was fitted along with a Herald Estate tank to increase range without compromising boot space. We needed the extra range for the long gaps in fuel provision whilst driving down West Africa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdaley Posted Sunday at 07:28 Report Share Posted Sunday at 07:28 The way to weld petrol tanks is to fill them with water and then weld by twisting the tank to give you access. I was racing a new sidecar at Bathurst one year and to save weight I had the frame working as a fuel tank. It worked a treat until we got a crack in the frames at a bronze pint. Somehow I managed to convince the track welder to help me out, but I fitted tanks after that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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