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There are several other threads on this topic, but I tried a slighlty different approach, so am posting what worked for me.
Here is the canister before starting:
Started by trying to cut the lid off of the canister on the top seam about 1/4” from the top. The top grate beneath the lid is glued to the sides just below the seam, so that cut did not work. Tried to cut again about 5/8” below the lid which was perfect. This separated the lid from the body just below the top grate which is the perfect position.
The components and internals are:
bottom grate and foam (green, 1/4” thick)
charcoal
top grate and foam (green, 1/4” thick)
there is also a fiberglass pad beneath the bottom grate, on top of the drain tube, which does not need to be removed
I bought some Marineland charcoal, 40 oz, which was more than twice as much as needed. Probably only need 16-18 oz, I would guess. Also ordered some UNI filter foam (red color), 3/8” thick, which was the thinnest and tightest open cell filter foam I could find online.
Cut the foam pieces to shape, placed them in the grates, filled the canister with charcoal, and worked the lid back into place by push gradually the center funnel down into the charcoal. When the lid was finally in place I glued the lid back into place with epoxy.
Everything appears to have come together perfectly. Only thing I would have done differently would be to cut only once at 5/8” below the top so I had only one seam, and would have marked the position of the top in relation to the body so the seam matched up perfectly.
Alan,
Thanks for the kind words.
To make the cut I used my sawsall with a fine tooth metal blade. I put the canister holder in the vice and rotated the canister in the holder to work my away around the perimeter.
Don
Gtr,
This Loctite brand.
I keep a tube of this stuff on the ready at all times. Comes in handy.
I probably should have sanded the plastic body edges a bit to improve adhesion, but it seemed to hold together well enough that I couldn’t pull the lid off by hand after it set up.
Don
But I would love for you to come back after the car has been driven for a good long time ( I mean months)...because I have a slight concern IF the epoxy you used can be softened by the fumes of the fuel vapor over time.
I know this may seem to be a bit extreme...but...any time I deal with any fuel component..I am super hyper critical. Only because I am liable for what I do.
DUB,
Thanks for the reminder on fuel resistance. I should have done a fuel soak on the epoxy to make sure it would stay together. I might have to perform a redo if the epoxy breaks down, and find another adhesive.
Fantastic writeup.
Did you do the job as part of a restoration or did it need to be done? If the latter, how did you know it was not working?
Thanks.
Fran
The gas tank was close to empty when I rebuilt the canister, so I could not tell if the rebuild made a difference. This past week I finally got the chance to drive the car again and filled it up all the way. Drove her home and parked her in the garage, and it appears the new charcoal is working. There is no gas odor at all.
Don
Last edited by LastBigBlock; 11-24-2017 at 07:16 AM.
The tank was close to empty when I did the rebuild so I could not tell if the new charcoal made a difference or not. This past week I was able to drive her some, filled her up all the way, and parked her in the garage. The new charcoal worked. There is no gas odor at all.
Don
Last edited by LastBigBlock; 11-24-2017 at 07:22 AM.
The tank was close to empty when I did the rebuild so I could not tell if the new charcoal made a difference or not. This past week I was able to drive her some, filled her up all the way, and parked her in the garage. The new charcoal worked. There is no gas odor at all.
Don
Don,
I am a literal person.... so when I read something...I take it literally.
Hopefully this was just a relative term often times used loosely that I put in bold enlarged print. And you actually did not fill her up all the way. Filling the fuel tank all the way up can cause raw fuel to be pulled into the vapor line...and subsequently allow raw fuel to get into your charcoal canister...where I have seem raw fuel leaking out of the bottom due to this.
I am glad that it worked and hopefully the adhesive you used holds it together due to fuel vapors.
11-05-2017, 03:01 PM
1974 Charcoal Canister Rebuild
