"Project Bantam" - Fuel Tank

The steering shaft and new gear went on without any trouble.  The ends of the shaft were a little mushroomed, but nothing a quick turn on the lathe couldn't fix.

The fuel tank was new from Mr. Shaffer.  I decided to powder coat it for extra durability. It came out looking great for a part that is not seen.  The original sediment bowl was lost, so a new Briggs-Stratton model 690612 was easily obtained.

The support straps were made from some spare stainless that I had lying about in the scrap bin.  To keep the neck from banging up the hole in the hood, I stripped some wire and used the insulation to protect the hole, by splitting it with a razor blade and fit that to the edge of the hole.  Using some silicone lubricant, the neck slid nicely into the hole.  Some inner tube rubber made a nice cushion for the fuel tank.

It looks more crooked in the picture than it actually is, because of the odd angle I had to take the photograph from.  (Don't mind my finger in the photo.)  Notice the nuts holding on the bolts onto the hood, since the original holes no longer had sufficient threads to hold the bolts to my satisfaction.

The body is looking rather finished at this point.  Considering how poor the tractor looked when it rolled into the workshop, its a ten-footer overall.  Not a show winner, but a restoration staying within a reasonable budget.

Hopefully the next post will involve some progress with the engine.