Proper Grounding for Gasoline Tank

As ya'll know, I'm wrapping up the stringer job on my 1985 "Ski Naughty" ~ which is what I called them until I was about 7 or 8....

Anyway, I have two questions dealing with the tank area pictured here:



First Question: I cut the gasoline supply line thinking it would be easier to attach it to the fitting once the fitting was connected to the gasoline tank. Now I can not get the gasoline line to go all the way up to fitting, and there is a very large gap between were the hose needs to be and where it is currently, but no amount of strength will budge it any higher on the fitting. I was thinking about putting the hose in hot water, but wanted to check with you guys before I did something stupid.

Second Question: I was looking at a pre-disassembly picture of the gasoline tank area, and noted that there is a ground wire that runs to the gasoline inlet.....

I have no recollection of this part of the teardown process,and I would prefer not to blow myself up.

Any help you can provide would be appreciated.

I have a black ground wire and a purple ground wire. From the picture it appears the purple wire grounds to the tank,and the black wire goes to the gasoline inlet.

Would you agree?

And if so, how does the black wire connect to the gasoline inlet?

Jonathan one of the 3 screws that hold the filler to the deck needs to be a machine screw with a nut ,put a ring terminal on the wire and connect it to that screw.

My 78 has a wire inside the rubber pipe that ground the deck fitting to the tank. Its just a bare copper wire running inside the pipe and under the hose clamps. Seems to work fine.

There was some plastic tie straps that hold the gas line loosly to the transom behind the tank on my boat. If you cut one, you may be able to pull the gas line up a bit to reach the barb.

Are you sure the black and purple wires are not for the sending unit?