Hello All:

1967 Volvo 122S Wagon. You have heard it before but I mean it this time: I am fishing the miscreant who has been clogging my fuel intake out of the tank. New fuel sender seal? Check. So what should I look out for? Here is the procedure I plan to perform in my mind's eye. Any insights would be helpful:

*Drain the gas tank into a safe, sealable container. Start by the old "suckin' hose" method from the gas cap port on the outside of the car. Finish the job using the drain plug at the bottom.

*Open the fuel sender port at the top of the gas tank. I assume this is accessed by removing the spare tire and the rubber mat underneath, correct? I have never seen one of these before so this should be interesting. What sort of fasteners are involved? Am I in any danger of ruining them such that I need to have replacements on hand?

*With all of the doors, windows and rear hatch open, position the battery-powered inflatable mattress pump we have (set to "blow" mode) at the fuel sender port to flow the fumes out of the tank at the open gas cap port.

*Start looking for the little bugger.

*Put the kit 'n caboodle back together with the new fuel sender seal. How much do I torque the fasteners?

I believe it is probably a bit of weld from when the tank was cut in half, completely refinished inside and out and welded back together. I assume there is some kind of baffling system inside but I have actually never looked in a fuel tank before. The fuel sender aperture is also probably pretty small, inhibiting flashlights and hands. Does anyone have any suggestions regarding technique or tools that might make this successful? Even blowing out the fumes I am a bit nervous about fishing around with anything metal for fear of initiating a spark.

Cheers,

Jeff Pucillo