Hi
Just noticed petrol leak in tank. The padding in the underside of the tank is fairly well soaked !
Any tips on how to safely lift the tank to examine the underside ?
Would it be better to leave to a pro, I am no mechanic !
Not sure if u should even drive it to a garage ?
Any advice appreciated.
Darryl

The tank is easy to remove if you want to try. Obviously you understand the risks so might prefer a pro to do it. The problem is that if leaking down there and it's not just because you overfilled or have a leaky pipe or sender gasket, then you need a new tank anyway or need to put in a bit of work to repair it. I would have a fire extinguisher ready. Disconnect the battery first; I would empty the tank by removing the pipe on the pump at the rear and catching the fuel as it siphons out.
Remove the pushfit connector on the round sender at the top of the tank and the earthing cable fastened with one of the nuts on the sender. There may be an additional wire on some models. Take off the fuel pipe then simply remove both of the 13mm headed bolts you have already found after soaking in penetrating oil. The two straps unhitch from hooks behind the tank and then its just sitting there waiting to be picked up. Empty of fuel it's not that heavy.
There wil be a loose metal plate which may stick to the tank or straps so watch it doesn't drop on the paintwork.
Good luck...let us know what you find.

Emptied and removed tank !
Cleared the soaked sponge and foam underneath.
No apparent leak in the tank, so will leave on paper and see if anything develops !
Any insight ?

Eventually took tank to petrol station and power washed the inside there was an awful lot of rust on the inside and rust deposits in the bottom
on of the tank.
When fully rinsed , emptied a bag of gold fish bowl pebbles into the tank and powerhosed again.
Turned out great, could than see three pin holes in the bottom of the tank.
Used jbweld to seal them. Sanded, sprayed and lacquered the tank.
It's like new ( almost ), refitted and all is good again.
A little surface rust appeared inside during the finishing , I am sure it will be fine as it is a big improvement.
I'll keep the tank full to hopefully reduce it getting worse.

You can buy a rubberised sealant that you can pour into the tank and swish around to coat all the surface of the metal. It is resistant to petrol so shouldn't get stripped off.

I did the inside of my tank about 20 years ago as I had similar problems with rust and deposits in the bottom and it looks pretty good inside all these years later.

Tony