30 replies to this topic

[cooperd70]

Ah ok so is it just that the pipe is too narrow for that to be effective

Yes it is a very small diameter pipe.

[ac427]

I did it years ago with much repeated measuring and a Starret holesaw.

Minispares used to sell a metal pipe that links the with a brazed on tee off for the feed to the fuel pump. I'm not sure if they still sell it.

 

[EDIT]

Minispares do still sell the connecting pipe. I had forgotten it was a Cooper S replica item - http://www.minispare...gs/21A2331.aspx

 

It was a long time ago but i think after fitting it, i thought it would be better to use a T piece on the LH tank to save a small loop of rubber hose coming into the boot.

 

There is less chance of puncturing a metal pipe in the boot than a rubber hose and the part is only £20, so no worries if you want to experiment

Edited by ac427, 26 August 2023 - 06:09 PM.

[Bobbins]

I’ve bit the bullet and ordered a RH tank, hopefully have it next week. My plan is to link the tanks with a solid 5/16 fuel line at the bottom and a breather across the top, it’s a late model sealed system so will need to retain it that way. I also plan to include a stop-valve in the connecting fuel line to enable the RH tank to be isolated when filling up.

[ac427]

I was surprised to see the LH and RH tanks are almost the same price now. The RH tank always used to be about 5 times the price of the LH tank.

 

Is a stop valve really necessary, It might be worth trying it without at first and maybe adding one later?

[Gaz66]

No valve needed. If you fill one tank then after a few hours it will level out into both tanks and half fill each one. If you need both filling just fill both, the pump hose will reach both sides 👍

[Gaz66]

On a bit of a side note .....
I met a bloke a few months ago who had made a right hand tank from a left hand one by cutting off the filler neck and re welding it in the right place for the right side.
The only thing giving it away that it wasn't the real deal was the sender unit and the fuel outlet which was now near the hinge panel.
Quite impressive really.

[Bobbins]

The reason for the valve in the fuel pipe is I’m installing this in a ‘98 model car which has the fuel pump internal to the LH tank, I’ll need to modify the LH tank to accept the “fuel in” from the RH tank. I’m expecting the transfer rate to be better than a few hours!

[mab01uk]

I was surprised to see the LH and RH tanks are almost the same price now. The RH tank always used to be about 5 times the price of the LH tank.

 

The price difference back in the day was due to the low volume numbers during production of the RH tank compared to the LH tank, as it was only for the Cooper S models or the small aftermarket Special Tuning buyers.

Now the Mini is long out of production the low volume sales of both LH & RH tanks means once the tooling is made the price per tank is similar. In car manufacturing if you order 10,000 parts they will be a lot cheaper than if you order a 1000 of the same or similar parts....

Edited by mab01uk, 28 August 2023 - 06:13 PM.

[stuart bowes]

I looking on ebay to see what they go for 2nd hand and I think I found the worst thing I've seen in a long time

 

https://www.ebay.co....:Bk9SR-zR7ozIYg

 

buy them all and destroy them lol

[ac427]

 

I was surprised to see the LH and RH tanks are almost the same price now. The RH tank always used to be about 5 times the price of the LH tank.

 

The price difference back in the day was due to the low volume numbers during production of the RH tank compared to the LH tank, as it was only for the Cooper S models or the small aftermarket Special Tuning buyers.

Now the Mini is long out of production the low volume sales of both LH & RH tanks means once the tooling is made the price per tank is similar. In car manufacturing if you order 10,000 parts they will be a lot cheaper than if you order a 1000 of the same or similar parts....

 

True but i thought because millions more LH tanks were made during production, that would help to reduce the expected return on a new LH tank.

[whistler]

This is the RH tank I've fitted into my 66 SDL. I used a motorbike fuel tap to isolate the tank before the copper fuel pipe. This is the Minispares kit.

I do have a cover for the battery.

Attached Files

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[Bobbins]

This is the RH tank I've fitted into my 66 SDL. I used a motorbike fuel tap to isolate the tank before the copper fuel pipe. This is the Minispares kit.

I do have a cover for the battery.

 

Nice install. Did you need to remove and refit the RH boot board bracket to get the tank into place?

 

Also can anyone give me guidance on how the shorter of the two tank retaining straps is anchored to the boot floor, is it just through-drilled and bolted from below?  Is there a specific location for it on the boot floor?

 

[whistler]

 

This is the RH tank I've fitted into my 66 SDL. I used a motorbike fuel tap to isolate the tank before the copper fuel pipe. This is the Minispares kit.

I do have a cover for the battery.

 

Nice install. Did you need to remove and refit the RH boot board bracket to get the tank into place?

 

Also can anyone give me guidance on how the shorter of the two tank retaining straps is anchored to the boot floor, is it just through-drilled and bolted from below?  Is there a specific location for it on the boot floor?

 

 

I fitted the boot board brackets after the tank. I drilled the boot floor for that bracket.

[Bobbins]

There’s already two holes each side in the boot floor, one inside and one outside of the rear valance closing panel. The inboard one is a near perfect position for locating the short retaining strap and conveniently takes a 5/16” UNF bolt so I’ve used that. Perfect.

However, not so perfect … the tank is now correctly fitted on the tank support and the strap sits parallel to the tank centre line, it’s actually a really good, albeit extremely tight fit:





However, the filler neck is at a very different angle than it should be and the front of the tank would need twisting substantially towards the wheel arch to give a more appropriate neck angle, not possible. The issue is clearly with the tank itself, the filler lines up correctly with the hole in the rear panel but is completely skewed, yet another parts issue to correct and I’m sure it’s not my OCD.

[Chris1275gt]

Bobbins I’m just curious as to why you would want the extra tank.