Don't drill without being absolutely sure what's on the other side

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Don't drill without being absolutely sure what's on the other side

August 11, 2013, 07:46:12 PM

I always avoid drilling to the maximum extent. I will exhaust numerous man hours to circumvent drilling, cutting or anything permanent to achieve the best quality execution or installation of something rather than taking short cuts unless I have committed to the modification and have thought all the consequences of the change through. For instance, using a hole saw for coach lamps using regular emblems and thin lexan (http://www.foxtbirdcougarforums.com/showthread.php?922-Coach-light-mod&highlight=coach+light) is an example where cutting and drilling is part of the mod. But mounting an amp or CD changer in the trunk for instance can often be achieved without drilling or cutting.

I just bought another car recently (not Fox) and the first item on my list is replacing the gas tank because it was leaking and I suspected heavy rust inside. Well, come to find out it was in fact leaking and although heavily rusted inside, the rust wasn't the reason for the leak. Some asshat in the car's past had installed an aftermarket stereo amplifier in the trunk and used long self tapping screws to secure the amp inside the trunk. You guessed it by now, they ran screws straight into the gas tank. That could have gone very, very wrong at that moment but since it didn't, the previous owner went 12 years (based on stereo work receipts that came among many other receipts with the car) with an occasional gas smell and gas leak whenever he filled up (screw holes were at the top).

If you or anyone in your family takes any vehicles to a "professional" stereo shop, please be sure to discuss if/where they plan on drilling or discuss options to avoid drilling all together.

By the way, I found an incredible price on Amazon for a replacement tank from Spectra.

Don't drill without being absolutely sure what's on the other side

Reply #1 – August 11, 2013, 08:46:46 PM

Wow...that's abit scarey.....people sometimes

Travis

Don't drill without being absolutely sure what's on the other side

Reply #2 – August 11, 2013, 11:18:58 PM

My buddy just fixed a car last week with the same problem LOL, some dude put 4 drywall screws into the tank from the trunk. They used JB weld to fix it, not sure how it will hold up, so far so good.

Don't drill without being absolutely sure what's on the other side

Reply #3 – August 11, 2013, 11:38:51 PM

my buddy I.bought the car off of didn't.properly seal the trunk after the fuel pump. if I fill it over a 1/2 tank, it leaks when I corner. need to get around to fixing it.

Don't drill without being absolutely sure what's on the other side

Reply #4 – August 12, 2013, 12:39:56 AM

Quote from: Haystack;419907

my buddy I.bought the car off of didn't.properly seal the trunk after the fuel pump. if I fill it over a 1/2 tank, it leaks when I corner. need to get around to fixing it.

cut out the home plate looking hump?

I did that on my old v6 bird when I had a pump go out on the way to work. Had a friend tow me home, dropped tank on parts car, removed pump, cut hole in mine, installed, and was only 45 minutes late for work including taking a shower...

was going to drop my tank but the bolts were rusty and I was scared I would break them and be even more screwed. I never could get my tank to seal again though. new seal, new lock ring... nothing worked

Don't drill without being absolutely sure what's on the other side

Reply #5 – August 12, 2013, 02:02:17 AM

I helped him take it out but not put it back in. it was 20 minutes to take out. I like the idea of a removable flap, but not the idea of cutting a hole in the trunk so close to the gas lines. where it wasn't all that bad to get out a year ago, ill just do it the hard way.

Don't drill without being absolutely sure what's on the other side

Reply #6 – August 12, 2013, 02:36:40 AM

Mate of mine did exactly that.

plastic tank too, so went through so easy

atleast they realised straight away and fixed it lol.

Don't drill without being absolutely sure what's on the other side

Reply #7 – August 12, 2013, 02:37:41 AM

I used a freshly sharpened chisel and was careful not to go deeper than necessary

Don't drill without being absolutely sure what's on the other side

Reply #8 – August 12, 2013, 01:29:47 PM

Vinnietbird cut a flap in his..might ask him how he did it. He's good people.

Don't drill without being absolutely sure what's on the other side

Reply #9 – August 12, 2013, 02:41:16 PM

I have always hated A-pillar gauge pods that screw onto the A-pillar for this reason. I cannot understand why people gleefully march that self-tapper right into that factory plastic interior piece. Form follows function for most I guess. It never would for me, though. Where there's a will there's a way...and if I had to I'd get a spare copy of whatever piece it was, drill or self-tap into THAT, and save the factory piece so the car could be returned to its factory state 100%.

Don't drill without being absolutely sure what's on the other side

Reply #10 – August 12, 2013, 10:57:44 PM

If you are HELL BENT on cutting up a perfectly good trunk use an AIR NIBBLER. Snap On makes a real good one. Also knows as a metal shear!!

Don't drill without being absolutely sure what's on the other side

Reply #11 – August 13, 2013, 01:21:29 AM

I used snips on mine.

Don't drill without being absolutely sure what's on the other side

Reply #12 – August 14, 2013, 11:38:07 PM

The caution applies to your home as well. Never drill or cut into a wall, etc... deeper than the wall thickness you are cutting. Nailing or screwing into a wall in homes always had some risk as well. Maybe more these days.

2010 story on 3 year old home--relative story from the neighborhood. A neighbor sold their home and removed a wall blackboard from a child's room. Odor of natural gas was detected.....a screw holding the board to the wall punctured one of those yellow plastic gas lines running up in the wall to an attic furnace. The screw was there for 3 years, but its removal caused the leak. Many homes now have plastic water lines as well. That story had a happy ending. The line was repaired.

Don't drill without being absolutely sure what's on the other side

Reply #13 – August 15, 2013, 02:32:00 PM

Quote from: JKATHRE;420080

The caution applies to your home as well. Never drill or cut into a wall, etc... deeper than the wall thickness you are cutting. Nailing or screwing into a wall in homes always had some risk as well. Maybe more these days.

2010 story on 3 year old home--relative story from the neighborhood. A neighbor sold their home and removed a wall blackboard from a child's room. Odor of natural gas was detected.....a screw holding the board to the wall punctured one of those yellow plastic gas lines running up in the wall to an attic furnace. The screw was there for 3 years, but its removal caused the leak. Many homes now have plastic water lines as well. That story had a happy ending. The line was repaired.

I drilled into the wall at my house to hang something and found the drill wouldn't go all the way through the wall. Turns out I washiznitting the metal conduit that housed the electric wire to the room. I'm glad the house is so old (1956) that it has metal conduit for the electrical wires. i may have had problems if it didn't....

My favorite "stupid car mod" was an 88 Mark VII I looked at before I bought my 91 Mark VII. The owner had added a subwoofer. He ran the 12 gauge wire from the trunk through the interior and through the door jamb. Every time the door was shut it would pinch the wire. It was starting to chafe when I looked at it. I passed on the car as if he did that I can only imagine what other "repairs" were hidden.

Don't drill without being absolutely sure what's on the other side

Reply #14 – August 15, 2013, 09:25:29 PM

Quote from: thunderjet302;420104

I drilled into the wall at my house to hang something and found the drill wouldn't go all the way through the wall. Turns out I washiznitting the metal conduit that housed the electric wire to the room. I'm glad the house is so old (1956) that it has metal conduit for the electrical wires. i may have had problems if it didn't....

Yeah, you would have been dancing the 60-hertz shuffle.