Quote:
I made up a tube spanner to remove this. Just got the right sized socket and welded it to the end of a long enough tube, a hole drilled across the end for a bar and hey presto, it's out.
For the sake of the archives...I wasn't able to get any cutters in there to snip it off.
It's 7/16. If you get two 7/16 deep sockets (3/8 drive though--1/4 drive won't clear the tubing), weld them end-to-end, and then you can open and remove this drain from below the car.
If you can't do that, try this (assuming you have already drained the tank and disconnected the battery!!!)
--Loosen the fuel tank strap, remove the clamp bolt and the short strap and its bolt. Be sure the long strap is unstuck from the tank.
--Remove the fuel line from the tank.
--Take off the gas cap for the tank.
--Using some sort of prybar (screwdriver, but watch your paint), gently raise the edge of the tank neck gasket at the top so you can get your finger under it. Pull the gasket free and set it aside.
--You can now rotate and raise the tank a little. Use a hammer handle or similar to prop the tank up so it's not falling back down all the time. Although you can get a 7/16 spanner on the drain from inside the boot, it will only be on the nut halfway and will smear the nut. Get your vice grips, and get hold of the nut or round shaft above it. Start unscrewing it, and keep going until it falls out. You will leave marks on the drain, but you can replace it with a new one and use the two-socket method mentioned or the bar and socket method mentioned.
What a nutty design this part is.
tx,
bmc