update on my GL

[andrethx]

no photos today...the flexible hose that runs from the fuel tank to the fuel pump is a different sort of hose than the type in the engine compartment...it's hutchinson hose (rubber covered), made in france. i haven't been able to find any old catalogs that would help me parse the alphanumeric code on this hose, so i measured it and discovered it was basically 1/4" (return) and 3/8" (supply) ID hose. i found some rubber covered hose in these sizes, 30r9 rated (i.e., fuel injection pressure rated), at JEGS, and i ordered it. my package came in today and it was the wrong stuff. so i'm sending it back to exchange it for the correct stuff.

andré

[anj]

Hi Andre

I made the same mistake and the fuel injection hose was expensive. Since the tubing is before the pump normal fuel line works and if I recall it was 1/2 inch. You may also try a BMW parts place for the metric hose, their clamps are nice too.

Arun

[andrethx]

thanks arun -- you're right, the hose is expensive...two sections of 5" hose costs nearly US$60. on my xn6, the vent hose and the supply hose for the fuel-tank-to-main-fuel-pump run are two different sizes (1/4" and 3/8" ID, respectively). i'm guessing that your v6 has more robust fueling requirements...

thanks for the tip about bmw parts places, as well. i have checked out a few of them (bavauto, pelican, etc.) but the problem i find is that they don't always give complete sizing information...they'll often list a particular type of hose or tubing by its application ("vent hose for the gas tank") instead of by its specifications. not always, but sometimes.

keen to go look at nice clamps now...

andré

[andrethx]

i wasn't happy with the job i had done on my battery tray the other day so i went after it again yesterday, found some more rust under the dirt. here's another view looking back, along with a reverse view looking forward that highlights the rust:

i ran out of flapwheel attachments for my dremel so i had to stop, will pick up again in a day or so...

andré

[Bean]

That's some serious dedication if you're doing that with a dremel! Looks great - but holy cow is that time consuming... I used to have a dremel, but after it burnt out I've been considering something like a rotozip tool, but using an air die grinder also works nice. Having a bit more power to run bigger accessories should make quicker work of that stuff. In my case I bought a pressure sand blaster that I hope to do a lot of that dirty work with at a buddy's shop. Another friend also just bought a portable soda blasting set up - so might have to see what he can do as well.

Are you going to use anything like POR-15 on that kind of stuff? Or just prime and paint?

Rabin

[andrethx]

i hear what you're saying, rabin, and i can certainly see how having a more powerful tool would be useful in certain situations. in this case, though, the rust is just surface rust from some spilled battery acid (it doesn't go all the way through). it wouldn't be too hard to go right through this thin sheetmetal with a more powerful tool, especially in my inexperienced hands. i'd already be done with this job, except that i didn't get flapwheels on my most recent trip to the hardware store, i got small wire brushes instead. the flapwheel is really the best attachment for this job, another 15 minutes or so with some and i'll be done. i'll pick some more up in the next day or so. then i'll mask off this area and apply the finish.

for this application, my original plan was to prime and paint; lately, though, i have been buying por15 stuff (metal ready, tank sealer) so i will probably use por15 products on the battery tray as well, just out of convenience. the por15 finish is designed to be applied over rust, so any small amount i miss will be neutralized at the same time the finish is applied, so that also saves me a step. i am definitely going to get a sealed battery so that leaks won't be an issue in any normally foreseeable type of circumstance, currently looking at the optima red batteries. i haven't yet decided if i'm going to use the existing battery hold-down brackets or upgrade it to something fancier....

down the road, i'll be using POR15 for some of the undercarriage areas, along with powdercoating for subframes, etc. this is massive overkill for where i live, the temperature never goes below 55 degrees F (about 13 degrees C) so it never snows and we don't get much rain, relatively speaking.

andré

[andrethx]

BTW -- as for burning out the dremel -- i did burn out my dremel a while back, they replaced it (for free!) with a heavier-duty unit....

andré

[andrethx]

started making more lines yesterday, but i realized that i was short a couple of fittings. i had found a new source for cohline PA tubing and fittings recently, so i ordered the stuff i needed from them this morning and i've already received the notice of shipment! details to come.

andré

[andrethx]

my original supplier for the cohline fuel hose and fittings was neil at newco products, and i can't say enough good things about newco -- neil consulted with me for free to help me sort out everything i needed (based on the fuel line & parts i brought in to him). newco also has a complete cohline catalog on their site, which is great reference to anyone starting a project like this.

when i realized that there were some additional parts that i needed, though, i tried a second vendor that i had recently discovered. since i was better versed in part numbers and sizes, i was able to find the fittings i needed at belmetric.com; i also was able to get additional tubing in black in the same size as the clear tubing i have been using to make some of my lines...now i'll probably re-do those lines in black. ralph at belmetric got my order to me in only 3 days!

so i resumed making my flexible fuel lines. here are some pictures to help you get oriented:

new and old under-car fuel pumps:

new and old fuel accumulators; on the new accumulator, you can see the neoprene sleeve that is included since the new part is "slimmer" than the old one -- the sleeve helps the new part fit into the bracket designed for the old one (same situation as the fuel pump). these two items have the same bosch part number:

closeup shot of the old accumulator, with the fittings that go onto it -- a combination nut/banjo bolt. i have not been able to find these anywhere, so i will be cleaning these up and re-using them:

the nuts that go onto the accumulator fittings, on top of the banjo fittings; these are sometimes called cap nuts (new & old):

the new fuel filter:

a closeup of one side of the fuel filter -- banjo bolts (with banjo fittings) screw into these holes, on both ends:

a closeup of these banjo bolts (cleaned up by me), along with the 3 old rubber mounts for the fuel system components that go under the car. notice the fuel filter banjo bolts are different sizes for the different ends, this is probably to keep dumbasses (who ignore the arrows on the filter) from hooking the filter up backwards:

the larger banjo bolt needed a banjo fitting with a larger diameter opening, but with smaller barbs to fit the correct fuel line...this larger banjo fitting is what i got from belmetric, along with the cap nuts & additional tubing (and spares):

here's a test fit of the new fitting with the corresponding banjo bolt:

and here's the new tubing, fittings and nuts i got from belmetric:

using the new fitting (along with a smaller fitting that i already had), i made up a new line to go from the accumulator to the fuel filter:

i'm still waiting on my replacement hose to come in from JEGS (fuel tank to rigid fuel lines in the trunk); in the meantime, i'll be ordering a whole bunch of crush washers, new rubber fuel system mounts (i believe alex at tealmax has them) and some stainless hose clamps (probably oetiker as bryan suggested)...

andré

[andrethx]

did a bit more work.

cleaned up the fuel accumulator fittings:

and i re-fabricated the lines i had made in clear tubing, in the new black tubing.

this is the line that goes from the rigid line to the fuel filter:

fuel pump to accumulator (with the first clear line):

and the re-fabricated fuel & supply lines that run from the rigid lines to the engine compartment:

andré

[andrethx]

wow, has it really been five months since i updated this thread? i've been pretty busy with work and family stuff in that time....got a bit of work done today on the fuel tank, though!

before i put the fuel tank back, i want to refresh the rear suspension. i have new shocks for the rear, but i don't have any of the bushings! i did a quick inventory of my suspension parts and realized that i didn't have a lot of the bushings, etc. that i need for the rear; i have been focusing on the front suspension with my purchases. so i put in a big order with alexander (tealmax lion on ebay.fr) who has a lot of this kind of stuff, hopefully it will be in soon.

a while back, i had my fuel tank sandblasted inside and out. before i repaint it, i decided to prep it for paint starting with the outside. i used the por15 prep & ready. it neutralizes any rust that's on the surface, and generally cleans any residue off of the metal and coats it with zinc phosphate (for better adhesion of the ultimate finish). for a bare metal surface like i have, the instructions say to spray the prep & ready and let it sit for 10-20 minutes -- keeping it wet -- then cleaning with water to neutralize the surface.

here's the tank, ready for prep. i did one side at a time.

spraying the prep & ready:

letting it work:

rinsing with water after 15 minutes:

first side (bottom) done:

about the only rust on this side was in these spot welds, where the tank baffles inside are attached; it turned a dark brown color:

the prep & ready turns the finish of the tank darker, an expected result. you can see the difference in this 50/50 shot:

top sprayed with prep & ready:

rinsing with water after 15 minutes:

the completed tank, it is now uniformly darker than when i started:

up close, you can see a streaky finish, an expected result:

the instructions say that the metal must be "bone dry" before the finish can be applied. it's a bit cooler than usual here (67 degrees F/19.44 degrees C) so i'm going to let it dry overnight before i apply the finish.

more to come...

andré

[Bean]

What's the plan for the inside of the tank?

Looks great so far - very curious to see the final results of the tank once painted with the Por-15.

Rabin

[andrethx]

@rabin -- for the inside of the tank, i'll be using por15's tank sealer. i've got a bit of prep work to do before i get to that. here's what i'll be using on the inside:

for the outside, i'll be using a different product from kbs coatings. it's a competitor to por15, people use it for the outside of fuel tanks as well as for suspension parts, etc. i chose satin black:

this is what the tank looked like after drying overnight:

and this is what the paint looked like after 15 minutes of stirring. it has a very strong smell; the manufacturer recommends using protection (gloves, mask) and i second that recommendation! also, if you don't use it in a well-ventilated area, you will regret it. i was getting light-headed until i opened a door.

getting started. the paint is self-leveling, so you can apply it with a brush or a roller. they also give instructions on how to thin it if you plan to shoot it from a spray gun. i used a brush:

making progress:

done with first side of this half:

and here's the other side, this half completed:

the directions say that the paint takes 2-3 hours to dry to the touch and 96 hours to cure completely. i'll probably let it go the full 4 days before i paint the other half, i've got a busy week at work ahead of me.

more to come.

andré

[Ikenna]

Wow! What a thread. I have not been keeping up with the updates for sometime now.

andre, you are really paying attention to every details. Keep it up!

Ikenna

[andrethx]

thanks for the encouragement, mon ami!

had some time off this morning, so i resumed painting my fuel tank. since i'm using por15 inside the tank and the kbs paint on the outside, there was a question in my mind as to where one should stop and the other should start. the kbs paint is supposed to be resistant to petrol, diesel and solvents once it has fully cured, but in my mind the por15 is actually more resistant to fuel (it is designed for fuel tanks, after all). all of the internet forum posts that i've read in my research indicate that the tank surfaces where the fuel filler cap, fuel level, etc. actually contact the metal of the tank should be coated in por15. incidentally, most of the fuel-tank-painting posts that you'll find are regarding motorcycle fuel tanks, apparently those guys paint their fuel tanks more often than us car guys. anyway, with that strategy in mind, i masked off the tank openings:

and i got started with my painting. i took it a little slowly than last time, i think it turned out a bit better:

and the back side, looking down (with some weird reflections):

more to come...

andré

[andrethx]

just got a package today from alexandre (tealmax lion) with the rear suspension parts i ordered:

here's what i ordered:

5152.53 (set of two) - front pads for rear suspension arms

5152.40 - rear pad left for rear suspension arms

5152.41 - rear pad right for rear suspension arms

5131.27 (set of two) - rear arm bushes

3524.14 (set of four) - front triangle front arm washers

3062.06 (set of two) - differential mount pads

i already have new shocks and the bushings that go with them, as well as new springs so i am just about ready for this rear suspension refresh -- maybe after the holidays? then i can put the fuel system back in.

also, i got these a while back, also from alexandre:

these are the little clips that mount to the underside of the car, that hold the rigid fuel lines in place. i damaged several of the old ones while i was removing the lines...

andré

[Bean]

Hi Andre,

Do you happen to know if the bushings you ordered are OEM? (Or who the manufacturer is?)

I'd love to do my cars as well...

Rabin

[andrethx]

AFAIK, all of the bushings that alexandre sells are "remanufactures" made in europe....not sure who his sources are, probably SASIC or the like. the parts themselves have no markings or labels. you could check with him on that...

i believe that some of these items are available as NOS from the usual sources, but not all of them. alexandre had almost everything i needed so i got them from him in one purchase. i'm relying on him that these are quality parts, he is a peugeot owner/enthusiast and i've been buying stuff from him for 2 or 3 years now, i know he's been selling this stuff for longer than that.

i got all of this stuff from him in one purchase, we combined to save on shipping. we did it off of ebay.fr, but i know he's reputable so i wasn't worried that it would come out okay.

andré

[Peugeottogo]

Great to see you making progress Andre'!

I know how life can become so busy that if its not a need at the moment, things like working on a project car don't make the priority list

I purchased a few items from Alexandre a couple of months ago. No issues with parts purchased and with fast shipping I will purchase from him again.

[andrethx]

i have been doing a bit of work on my car lately, so i'll be posting some updates in the coming days.

the paint on my fuel tank's exterior has been curing for a while now while i was otherwise occupied. not thrilled with the way it turned out, basically two problems: 1) the second side i painted is shinier than the first side...the finish is supposed to be "satin," i am thinking i should have mixed it better when i painted the second side. 2) the paint tends to form small bubbles in the finish on the side that is horizontal during drying. i cannot think of any way to avoid this except to keep the tank spinning on a rotisserie as it dries, which seems excessive (i.e., not something i'm gonna do).

so i am fighting my perfectionist urges to sand this off and repaint, or have the tank exterior sandblasted again and have the tank powder coated. if anything, the tank looks better in person that it does in these photos (below). i'm thinking that these are cosmetic issues, unrelated to the actual protection of the paint and since the tank won't show once the trunk is done -- i'm going to call it a victory and move on.

more to the point, i may eventually replace my fuel tank with something else in the future, so i'll have another chance to get it perfect. this has been a learning experience, though.

the next step will be to coat the inside of the tank with the por15 coating, i'll be doing that soon.

also, since i haven't driven my car in quite a while, i rotated the tires and checked the air pressure in them recently to keep them in good shape. i replaced my old rusty 2-piece lug nuts with the new fabricated 1-piece versions that i got a while back. not sure if the 2-piece lug nuts can be cleaned up, but my long-term plan is to replace my OE wheels with something more modern (in size if not appearance); probably using adapters, so these lug nuts will eventually be replaced anyway.

andré

[Peugeottogo]

I like the recommendation you gave on the new fabricated 1-piece version lugs. They look and function fine on my car. I'm going to copy the list you posted for bushings you ordered from Alex and get them for Collin's car. It's well past due with all the thuds you can hear and feel being emitted from the back of the car.

[andrethx]

alexandre's a good guy, you should have no problems dealing with him, jeff! when i sent him my list of the stuff i needed, he didn't have a one of the bushings in stock so he had to order it from his sources, took about 2 weeks before he got it in. he kept me updated throughout so i always felt like he was taking care of me.

i think the only thing i am missing is a couple of the bolts for the rear suspension arms -- alexandre has them, i think. i have a question, though. i'm planning to drop my rear suspension -- the subframe and everything -- so i can get the subframe and the rear arms sandblasted and powder coated (satin black). what is the best way to support the rear of the car for the 2-4 weeks while these parts are off? when i jack up the rear of my car, i usually put the jackstand under the rear subframe just in front of the rear arm; but the subframe will be off the car... fwiw, my car is parked in my driveway (relatively gentle slope) with the front end facing the street...

andré

[Peugeottogo]

Andre, I've had a good experience with Alex on a transaction before. Even with shipping I saved on a few parts.

I would have to think about it for a bit on how to properly support your car in those conditions in order to remove the entire components of the rear assembly.

coming from back ground with heavy equipment, we referred to temporary supports being dunnage. The floor tubs are not suitable for direct loading so coming up with a cradle if you will that is supported with dunnage would be a direction I would look at.

[Bean]

If you have a table saw I'd cut a groove into 12" 2x4 so that the groove fits the rocker panel pinch weld at the bottom. Put jack stands on those and it should be fine.

2nd option is to do something similar but use the rear bumper support area.

I like using the rockers as the stands are well out of the way while your doing the work, and the assembly can slide out the back unfettered.

Rabin

[andrethx]

because of my ongoing home renovation projects, i have lots of tools. not only do i have a table saw, but i also have a router and a router table...now that you've given me the basic idea (thanks!), i'm thinking that i can make a groove cut on some 4x4 scrap and use that to support the car as you've suggested...

andré