48 coupe- safety wiring gas tank bolts

[Bolts]

I am looking for pictures of the proper way to safety wire the gas tank bolts in my car. I understand the concept and have the special pliers and wire for the job (havn't tried to use them yet).
On my car, all the bolts are drilled including the bracket bolts as well as the bolts that through the tank and the front bolt with the spring.
There are no lock washers on the frame bracket bolts, so I assume they should be wired, but I know for sure the 3 tank mounting bolts need to be wired, I just don't know what to wire them to.
Appreciate any help you can give.

[SofaKing]

http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/m...-1B_w-chg1.pdf. See page 332. This document has aircraft repair data going back to the same period as our Fords. You may find other stuff with which to amaze your friends and bore your wife.

[Bolts]

Thank you for the great information SofaKing. It helps, but my problem is that I don't know how to route the wiring.

Lets try it with a drawing. I am showing the twisted safety wires going between the frame bolts two places and a long (about 24 inches) twisted safety wire between the gas tank mounting bolts 1 place. I don't know how you can wire the front spring bolt unless you go around the tank flange.
I don't think my drawing is correct at all, but I don't know how Ford did it.

[51 MERC-CT]

Have removed several tanks over the years and none of them were safety wired using A.N. specs. as a standard. ( no twisted wires) They did indeed use the flanges and what ever was available to loop the wire around with only the ends of the wires being twisted together.

[Bolts]

Merc you have a good alternative. You mentioned loctite previously for the tank bolts I assume. I don't see why the frame bracket bolts even need safety wires, a lock washer will work good there, but the bolts were all drilled, so I assumed they were wired originally. When I dropped the original tank there were no wires in place.

Still want to know how Ford did it.

Thanks.

[WestCoast]

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unless your trying for a high points vehicle just use cotter keys

[34PKUP]

Originally Posted by WestCoast

unless your trying for a high points vehicle just use cotter keys

Cotter keys are used along with castellated nuts, not in drilled bolt heads as these are

[rotorwrench]

On several cars I've disassembled, they just had soft steel wire (it was rusty but not bad) and the safety was very rudimentary. The wire was passed through the bolt head then each side was alternately wrapped around the flange. They do twist the ends but not excessively. Just two or three twists then tuck the wires back so they won't grab stuff.

For drilled fillister head screws mounted in a circle, they just pass one wire through all the screws & twist it in one spot where the ends meet back up. FAA type procedures require a positive safety which will semi hold the fastener in the direction it takes to tighten it and some of the Ford employees did that & some didn't. FoMoCo just didn't want the bolts to fall out. I don't thing they were worried about them being loose.

[Bolts]

OK. Thanks everyone. I was trying to avoid a crummy looking job, but I guess nobody looks at the gas tank bolts anyway. Main thing is to keep them from coming loose and falling out. I would have thought they could have supplied a hole in the tank mounting brackets and/or the frame for the wires, but I guess they didn't want to spend the money to make the holes and didn't want to spend a lot of time securing these bolts. Gee, and I bought these neat twisty pliers just for this particular task. Gonna figure a way to use them anyway, just because.

[WestCoast]

you know you can just wire two bolts together in pairs, they don't need to be all wired together, sorry about the cotter key thing, wasn't thinking

[CarlG]

This is how I was taught:

[rotorwrench]

There is a multitude of combinations illustrated in FAA Advisory Circulars. The "FAA Way" usually avoids crossing the wire over the top of a bolt head and the pigtail is usually twisted tight then snipped off at or near 1/4 to 3/8" long & tucked around the near bolt head.

The worst job I can remember was safetying all 50 or so bolts on the compressor cases of the T-55 engines in the Chinook helicopters. That and reaching behind a transmission to wire something by braille with one hand. Aviation mechanics get good at it after a few years.

[Bolts]

On my 48 coupe there are only 3 drilled bolts that hold the gas tank. Two in the rear and one with a spring in the front.
In the rear there are other bolts that a person might wire to except they're at a different level and although the twisted wire MIGHT keep the bolt from backing out, the steep angle of the wire might allow the bolt to turn even though it's wired (think of a man twirling his partner while dancing). In the front, there are no other bolts or holes that are accessible for the safety wire. Again, the spring positions the head of the bolt down low and away from anything to wire to.
So, what I intend to do in the back is make a "Z" bracket with a wire hole and mount it to the frame bracket bolts. That will allow a safety wire like those pictured above for the rear at least. Might do something similar on the front bolt with the spring by attaching a bracket to the frame and wiring to that hopefully. Otherwise, it is possible to just loop the wire over the tank flange and bring it back and twist it a couple times and forget it like rotorwrench explained.

I don't think my 48 is that unique in regard to safety wired gas tank mounting bolts, but I guess everyone does it the way that seems right to them when they face the prblem.

I havn't been able to find any literature that tells a mechanic how to do it when the gas tank gets replaced. I was hoping someone with the service instructions might see this thread and chime in.

[51 MERC-CT]

Originally Posted by rotorwrench

There is a multitude of combinations illustrated in FAA Advisory Circulars. The "FAA Way" usually avoids crossing the wire over the top of a bolt head and the pigtail is usually twisted tight then snipped off at or near 1/4 to 3/8" long & tucked around the near bolt head.

The worst job I can remember was safetying all 50 or so bolts on the compressor cases of the T-55 engines in the Chinook helicopters. That and reaching behind a transmission to wire something by braille with one hand. Aviation mechanics get good at it after a few years.

Suspect that this would have been the Ford standard.

[Marvin/TN]

I was an aircraft mechanic in the USAF and Carl's Illustration is almost the way we were taught. Instead of going across the top of the bolt we went around the bolt head. Main thing to remember is to wire them so that when one bolt tries to loosen it will tighten the other bolt. But never saw bolts spaced 24" apart safety wired together and you don't need the special pliers. It's a lot harder to judge just how much wire to twist and make it come out right for the second bolt. Practice makes perfect. Safety Wire pliers can also over twist the wire and weaken it. Forget the pliers and do it by hand. By the way my original 46 Coupe gas tank bolts were not safety wired.

[Bolts]

Originally Posted by Marvin/TN

I was an aircraft mechanic in the USAF and Carl's Illustration is almost the way we were taught. Instead of going across the top of the bolt we went around the bolt head. Main thing to remember is to wire them so that when one bolt tries to loosen it will tighten the other bolt. But never saw bolts spaced 24" apart safety wired together and you don't need the special pliers. It's a lot harder to judge just how much wire to twist and make it come out right for the second bolt. Practice makes perfect. Safety Wire pliers can also over twist the wire and weaken it. Forget the pliers and do it by hand. By the way my original 46 Coupe gas tank bolts were not safety wired.

Were the bolts undercoated Marvin?
You know, all this talk about safety wires or no wires makes me think maybe dirt and natural rust between the bolt and the captive nut might be enough to keep it together forever.

[Bolts]

Following up with a brief note.

I bought a Vintique gas tank mounting bolt set on ebay, something like 8.95 plus shipping. Ok, what I get is diffetent than what my car had when I took it apart, except there was a long bolt and spring for the front mounting hole which I didn't have before. The bolt was drilled through the threads with a castellated nut and a cotter pin which is useless in my application. I used the long bolt and spring and tossed everything else out. I still don't have a solution to lock the long bolt down, but am thinking the best thing to do is use some silicone on the threads. Don't want to loctite it for fear of tearing out the captive nut welded to the thin metal on the tank loose should it have to be removed in the future.

Anyway, right or wrong, here's my solution.
You will notice the new Vintique tank has the front mounting hole in a different position. Their literature says that is to shift the tank over slightly to give a little more clearance for the right side tail pipe. I'm not sure that's what is happening, but the tank fits in pretty well and the right side tail pipe is still a little close. No biggie.

[Marvin/TN]

51 Merc, unless your illustration has been flipped the bolts are wired backwards. If one were to get loose they all could get loose. Remember If one tries to get loose it will tighten the ones next to it and so on. They won't fall out but they could get loose.

Were the bolts undercoated Marvin?

No, mine were not undercoated. And they way you wired your tank bolts, they would not pass a QC inspection for one there is too much slack between the bolts

[Ralph Moore]

I think the first illustration from Carl G is correct. The second one from 51 Merc is reversed.

[51 MERC-CT]

Originally Posted by Marvin/TN

51 Merc, unless your illustration has been flipped the bolts are wired backwards. If one were to get loose they all could get loose. Remember If one tries to get loose it will tighten the ones next to it and so on. They won't fall out but they could get loose.

Originally Posted by Ralph Moore

I think the first illustration from Carl G is correct. The second one from 51 Merc is reversed.

You both missed the point , it is reversed, and as stated " suspect this would have been the FORD standard."