I can sure tell you what NOT to do:
1. Don't assume you can tilt the car and get all the gas to one side.
--- The guy I purchase my car from had it stored at Smitty's. Smitty put
about a gallon of gas in it just to get it up on the trailer. A few days
later I was trying to extricate a dead rat from under the driver's side
tank. It sure looked like tilting the car with a floor jack would allow me
to pull the tank...... . (continued)
2. Don't use a light that potentially generate a spark (especially when
dropped).
--- I had suspended a clip-on light to the open trunk lid to illuminate the
area I was working in. (continued)
3. Don't do this in the garage.
--- My garage is attached to my home. Poor construction methods resulted in
a floor that was originally poured flat. A cracked and lifting garage slab
floor causes anything from the center, back to drain into the garage.
My Tiger was backed in the garage. I put the driver side up on the floor
jack to transfer the gas (or so I thought). I illuminated the area with the
mentioned clip-on light attached at the trunk lid.
When I pulled the crossover hose gas gushed out all over the place. In
my frantic-ness to control the leak I knocked the light off the trunk. It
fell onto the gas strewn floor that was draining towards the rear interior
of the garage. I have knocked this light over scores of times and almost
every time the bulb breaks and the filament flames out. By some miracle it
didn't this time. I guess some CAT's do have nine lives.
I am now a trained professional and will never try this at home (again).
Tom Witt
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