Dropping K5 tank

[Mastiff]

I'm looking for words of wisdom on my 83 K5 tank replacement. To get it down, I ended up having to cut the filler and vent lines, then dropping it until it was almost haning by the remaining rubber hoses, which I was barely able to reach, to cut, from the front side. I didn't realize until I cut them that the rigid lines were under tension by a few inches.

So I'm kind of confused about how the heck to get the tank reinstalled. I don't think I'll be able to get my hands above the tank to install those little hoses and hose clamps... how do people do this? One thought was to use extra rubber hose so there's a single loop when it's installed, but then it might chafe on the body over time.

Lookin for advice...

 

[dremu]

I had enough room/hose on my '74 and my '85 (this one admitted diesel, and a CUCV, so it's weird) to get my hands in and hook 'em up.

The trick is to get the tank almost in place, hook it up, then lift it more. I use an ATV jack and some scrap lumber:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=2792

Takes some fiddling, but it's doable.

On my '74 it's lifted enough I just sit in the wheel well... no body lift, though it would be EASY, methinks, if I had any body lift on either =))

-- A

 

[cbbr]

It may be different on a Suburban, but I hooked everything up to the tank, cut the lines long and then had no problem fitting/trimming them.

 

[Leper]

Ask before cutting. You can remove the filler and the filler vent at the body instead of the tank. A long pair of needle nose pliers goes a long way on the spring clamps and a long screwdriver works the rest.

 

[dyeager535]

With the tank on a jack, there is (barely) enough room to get your hands in there with the tank partially dropped to remove all the clamps.

WD-40 on the fittings make it much easier to re-install the hoses.