fuel pickup tube Needs replacement but…

[apagano]

My main fuel line elbow, including fuel pickup tube
Seems to be welded to the top of my fuel rank, how can I do this? 1977 Marine Trader Double cabin. 2 Lehman 120.
I attached photos so I hope they appear.
All you tube videos show this as bolted to the tank.
Any suggestions?
Thank You
Alfonse Pagano

 

[HopCar]

I think I would just abandon that one and install a new one next to it.
Drill a hole in the top of the tank. Screw a pipe flange over the hole and install a new pickup tube in the flange.

 

[koliver]

I think I would just abandon that one and install a new one next to it.
Drill a hole in the top of the tank. Screw a pipe flange over the hole and install a new pickup tube in the flange.

HopCar
Thanks for your suggestion. I too have a fuel pickup that I think has failed. The PO's photo might well have been taken on my boat, a 1980 C&L, but in a hull that is the same as a Marine Trader, so it is no surprise at the pickups being the same.
In my case, my port engine stopped and wouldn't restart. I suspected that I had run out of fuel, dipped the tanks and found 9" of fuel where the pickup was pulling air. Adding 100l (5 jerry cans from the nearest fuel station) solved that problem.
A new pickup, beside the old one, won't fix the old pickup, but will allow me access to a lower level of fuel and increase my range on that engine.

 

[Comodave]

+1 on Hopcar suggestion. That is what I would do.

 

[apagano]

Great idea, makes alot of sense. i think I read somewhere that deisel is not as combustible as gas so….. drilling should be safe? What do you think?
Thanks for the idea

 

[Comodave]

You should be fine drilling the tank. We were doing fire fighting drills and the trainees had to put out a fire. The fire chief wanted to use diesel. Tried lighting it with a match, no go. He tried a road flare, no go. I told him to add an ounce of gas to the diesel, we threw a match at it and it ignited before the match even hit the fuel. After the diesel was hot it would ignite fairly easily but cold, no.

 

[catalinajack]

Do you have good access to the bottom of the tank? If so, rather than installing a dip tube perhaps you could install a valve at the bottom and make it a bottom feeder. Gravity is your friend. You would have to empty the tank, drill a hole, and tap threads for the valve. Probably easier to install the dip tube.