Question about Removing 250SL Fuel Tank

[BarryD]

I'm trying to remove the fuel tank from my 250-SL. I've removed all the hoses and the three nuts securing it. The tank is loose, but i cant get it free from the threaded stud below the filler neck. The filler neck protrudes through a hole in the car's exterior (I removed the rubber boot) but the bottom of the filler neck hits the bottom of the hole before the tank gets below the stud. I tried tilting the tank down in the front, but the exhaust pipe gets in the way. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

BTW, I just got this car from my mother. It has 180, 000 miles of her fingerprints on the steering wheel and two rebuilds of my dad's fingerprints on the engine and driveline. He passed away in 2001 and without him to keep the car running, it sat for 10 years. First task is cleaning the rust from the fuel system, then flushing the brakes, then... I'm hoping to have it going by Christmas so I can take my mother for a ride but we'll see! I'm looking forward to being a part of this forum

Barry

[DaveB]

Gee, I did this recently and had similar problems and now can't remember how it eventually came out. I think I dropped the rear muffler a little.

Have you disconnected the small hoses from the tank vent? To access these you need to unscrew the pressed metal cover over the filler neck, from inside the trunk.

[ja17]

Hello Barry,

Remove the sheet metal cover around the filler tube (in the trunk) .  There are about nine phillips screws holding the cover in place.  The front of the tank drops down first, then the back will follow. You have to navigate around the exhaust pipes or move them out of the way.

[BarryD]

Thanks for the good suggestions. I moved the exhaust a bit and it came right out. next step - how to deal with a rusty fuel tank!

[tel76]

I sent some pictures to Alfred of what i did i will ask him to post them.

{Revision: photos added}