Method and tool for assembling an impact resistant gasoline tank

In a tool for assembling an annular body of resiliently deformable material within a circular opening of an automobile fuel tank to provide a seal between said tank and a filler tube slidably axially within said body without destroying the seal, said body having an annular radially outwardly opening sealing groove therein for containing in fluid sealing relationship an annular edge of said tank defining said opening;

• said groove being defined by axially spaced interior and exterior annular sides, the outer radius of said interior annular side being greater than the outer radius of said exterior annular side, the surface of said interior side confronting said exterior side being engageable with the interior of said tank around said opening in fluid sealing relationship when said seal, tank, and tube are assembled, said body having a tubular sealing portion extending interiorly from said interior side and engageable with the outer periphery of said filler tube in fluid sealing relationship within said tank when said seal, tank, and tube are assembled, said body having an annular radially inwardly opening channel located exteriorly of said radially outwardly opening groove and defined by axially spaced annular sides engageable at their inner peripheries with said outer periphery of said filler tube in fluid sealing relationship exteriorly of said tank when the said seal, tank, and tube are assembled, the last named sides being spaced axially by an annular base of said radially inwardly opening channel having an outer radius less than the outer radius of said interior side, said tool comprising raidally inner and outer jaws, said outer jaws having a clamping portion engageable with the radially outer surface of a section of said base, said inner jaw having a clamping portion extending radially outwardly toward the first named clamping portion for entering said channel and engaging the radially inner surface of said section in opposition to the first named clamping portion, and means for selectively operating said jaws to clamp said section firmly therebetween or for releasing the latter by withdrawing the radially outwardly extending portion of said inner jaw from said channel, said clamping portion of said inner jaw being dimensioned to engage the base and axially outer side of said channel, said clamping portions comprising a pair of interfitting U-shaped members dimensioned to clamp said section therebetween, each being secured at its U-base to its respective jaw, the ends of the U-arms of each U-shaped member remote from its associated U-base being spaced transversely of the axis of said annular body a distance less than the corresponding spacing of the undeformed portions of said section to be clamped by said ends when said jaws are operated to clamp said section, thereby to elongate said yieldable body when clamped between said clamping portions.