As a novice mechanic, I worked 14 hours in the tx heat yesterday and finally got the tank back in working order. Well kinda... I started by buying 15ft of the small gas line (I used 14ft. Of it) and new hose clamps. The only hose they had was a fraction bigger than the old hose, but it seemed to clamp down real tight. I used the hose clamps that have a plastic wing nut instead of the screwdriver tightened one because of the limited access. Once I had the tank removed I drained it and cleaned it inside and out. I used mineral spirits to rinse out the inside and I did find lots of rust particles in the wash. To dry it out I put a shop vac hose inside and ran it for about 10 minutes to dry it out, then it sat in the heat for another hour and it was bone dry. I used some weld epoxy and reattached the nipple with no problem. I did open the access panel behind the spare tire like you mentioned and was able to access and replace one more section of hose. It was another pain in the butt getting the carpet loose and gaining access to the hose juntion unit hiding inside the fender. To reattach the tank I used a block with a jack pressing up on a sheet of plywood to get the tank back to the nest. I must have struggled for 2 hours trying to get the tank straps refastened. I struggled the most with getting the nut on the long bolt that is shaped like a "7" that hooks into the frame above the frame/bumper. It is just dangling there and could not take much pressure when I would try to get the nut on. I was just thinking if I could only get a bolt that was and inch longer! Well, I somehow got the drivers side strap on and tightned it up a lot thinking this would help the other side but it did not. I ended up just using a wire to tie the other strap the frame in utter frustration. It seems to be sturdy, but I'll need to get it fixed soon. Good news it that it held fuel and cranked right up! Nothing to do today except wait on the transport truck to show up...
It can only get better from here.
It can only get better from here.


