Fuel tank removal

Hi Folks, I am trying to remove the fuel tank from my TD5 Defender (2003).

I have removed the four bolts on the steel plate underneath and also the the two at the back on the cross member. Removed breather and fill pipes, but can't shift it. Tank is also empy bar a couple litres.

Am I missing some bolts or is it just a case of using force to pust it forward to its drop down point?

You may also have to remove the brackets that the tank support bolts to.

If you look closely you will see some foam rubber discs about 2 inches in diameter wedged between the tank and the chassis rails. They are stuck onto the tank and will have stuck to the chassis over time. You can try forcing the tank out but I saw Pressbrake do the following when he took my tank out.

Feed some wire or a long cable tie up and over the foam discs and back down the other side. Using a sawing action pull down on the wire and cut through the foam discs. The tank should then be loose and you can wiggle it out.

When you put the tank back dont bother with the foam wedges as they stay wet and are a potential rust starter in a hidden spot.

Thanks for the info. Will give that a go in the morning.