can I remove the gas tank with the body on the car

 

Yes, and the emptier the better. Siphon it out, and use a board on a jack and some straps to steady it.

 

I hate to siphon but found out if you remove the cap and disconnect the fuel supply (rubber hose) the tank will drain for you. The connection I am referencing is inside the pass rear qtr panel up by the frame rail. You should see a rubber hose coming from the tank and going to the main fuel supply line (metal line) that runs the length of the frame up to the motor.

Have a lawn mower can available to catch the fuel!


Cheers,

Crunch

 

Hardest part of the job is removing the mufflers.

I just did it removing 1 muffler, but it was tight.

 

You'll have to remove the exhaust (assuming you have undercar exhaust and not sidepipes). Then remove the spare tire tub and the bolt-in support crossmember and the straps. Then you should be able to slightly lift and rotate the tank to remove it while clearing the rear bulkhead.

 

I have a 68 small block, and I don't think there is much difference with the 69.

Removal is pretty simple.... the tank is held in position with two steel straps which clamp onto the rear frame and a cross member at the front of the tank.
Just drop the spare tyre carrier and top cover, then undo the bolts which hold the straps at the rear. The straps are clipped into a slot at the cross member. Get a good visual on how it goes together to aid in re-assembly.

My biggest hassle was getting the tank to clear the exhaust mufflers on either side. I had one piece pipes which were welded through from headers to muffler. Couldn't remove the pipes without cutting somewhere.
I cut the exhaust pipes just aft of the rear axle, and fitted flanges so that I can remove the mufflers easily in the future. This also allows me to drop the mufflers for straight through exhaust at the track....

With the mufflers out of the way, it's just a bit of a jiggle to get the tank out.

BE CAREFUL TO NOT DAMAGE YOUR SENDER UNIT and FUEL OUTLET TUBE though.

The fuel tube does not like being banged very much, and can develop a leak if stressed. Get the fuel out of the tank, and remove the sender unit to reduce possiblity of damaging it.

cheers

tom

 

ive taken the tank out of my 69 3 or 4 times now. hte only thing htat needs to come off is the tire carrier and crossmember.

i just unbolted my exhaust and pushed htem to the sides, never had to take them off the car.

 

ive got a 68 and i stripped it down to the frame and i could not get the tank out without removing the body. but i think the back bar where the straps attach was bent in a little and it held me up. so i had to wait untill i pulled the body. but when i did i found the tank paper still in tacked and readable. theres nothing like that feeling of finding that paper. hope you find one, and good luck with the removal.

 

Don't forget to disconnect the battery first.
Chalk one up for side pipes!
I replaced mine with a helper in about two hours. It was one of the easiest jobs I've done on this car, aexcept for an oil change.

 

Unless you have some really large mufflers there should be no reason to remove them. Spare tire carrier, tank cross member/support, hoses, wire to the sending unit and down she comes. If the mufflers are in the way simply slide the tank to one side and drop the other end through.

 

Not my experience. The mufflers won't move to the side.

Did you unbolt the clamps at the transmission mount? I didn't try that.

 

nope, just unbolted them in back by the tank.

 

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1666085
Please read this!!

 

Do you have '69 pipes on your '69?
Where are you unbolting, just at the muffler hangers?

I tell you, the mufflers will not "push to the sides" on mine. At least one muffler has to come off to get the tank out.
I don't have '69 pipes on mine since I went with the 2 1/2 inch pipes and all 69s came with 2 inch pipes. Maybe that's the difference.

Looked at my friend's 78 the other day. The pipes unbolt not to far in front of the mufflers. It would be a piece of cake on that one.